Creating a psychosocially safe workplace requires HR professionals to actively identify and manage potential hazards before they escalate into significant risks. With state-based legislation aligning more closely with national work health and safety standards, HR’s strategic role in this area has never been more critical. Here are four common psychosocial hazards organisations should actively manage, along with practical strategies to address each one:

1. Work or Role Overload

Work overload is a leading cause of stress in workplaces. This can present itself through excessive working hours, unrealistic deadlines, or constant intensity that causes employees to work in a heightened state of anxiety.

How HR can manage this hazard:

• Train managers to regularly check in with their teams, focusing on priority-setting and workload management.
• Introduce structured tools for well-being check-ins, including prompts that encourage employees to share their current pressures and express their support needs.
• Adopt a whole-of-organisation approach, recognising that managing overload requires collaboration across departments, rather than leaving managers solely responsible.

2. Poor Organisational Justice

Employees’ perception of fairness significantly impacts workplace culture and employee wellbeing. Misalignment between expectations and reality, particularly regarding organisational policies, can lead to mistrust and disengagement. A common example is inconsistently applied flexible working arrangements.

How HR can manage this hazard:

• Clearly communicate the processes behind organisational decisions, especially when policies might be applied differently depending on circumstances.
• Regularly review policies to ensure they are implemented fairly and transparently, updating them as needed.
• Provide comprehensive guidelines and training to supervisors to ensure consistent policy interpretation and application.

3. Lack of Role Clarity

In an increasingly dynamic work environment, many employees struggle with unclear expectations, conflicting priorities, and uncertainty about their role’s impact within the broader organisational context. This ambiguity often heightens stress and reduces job satisfaction.

How HR can manage this hazard:

• Maintain clear, updated job descriptions and consider implementing dynamic role definitions that evolve with the business needs.
• Engage employees actively in defining how they will achieve their objectives, giving them greater autonomy and clarity.
• Shift performance management discussions from purely transactional to growth-oriented, aligning roles with broader organisational goals and employee development using frameworks such as SMART, which ensures roles are stimulating, provide mastery opportunities, allow agency, foster relationships, and offer sustainable demands.

4. Poorly Managed Organisational Change

Organisations today face rapid and continuous changes, which can lead to anxiety and resistance if poorly communicated or executed without considering employee impacts. Employees are more likely to struggle if they don’t clearly see how changes affect their roles and responsibilities.

How HR can manage this hazard:

• Place people at the centre of change management strategies, ensuring psychosocial risk assessments are integral to the change planning and execution phases.
• Regularly reassess psychosocial risks throughout the change process, adjusting strategies as necessary.
• Work closely with leadership teams to integrate conversations about people risks alongside financial, reputational, and governance risks, fostering an organisational culture that prioritises employee wellbeing.

By taking proactive measures to identify and mitigate these common psychosocial hazards, HR professionals can enhance organisational resilience, comply effectively with evolving legislative requirements, and promote a healthy, thriving workplace culture.