‘New Changes for Employer’s Obligations in Addressing Psychosocial Risks and Hazards’
Have you considered how personal leadership can help?
Come 1st April, 2023, the Commonwealth’s amended work health and safety laws made in 2022, will see come into effect new obligations for employers on identifying, reporting, and managing psychosocial risks and hazards within the workplace.
Psychosocial hazards are referred to as anything at work that may cause psychological harm. Legislation describes a psychosocial hazard as a hazard that arises from, or relates to:
(i) the design or management of work; or
(ii) a work environment; or
(iii) plant at a workplace; or
(iv) workplace interactions or behaviours
Is it a top-down or bottom-up approach?
In addition to the responsibility of the employer to assress these risks from an organisational perspective, such as addressing role clarity, job demand, poor communication, bullying and harassment, employers may be keen to hear how they can also approach this from the bottom up.
One strategy taking this approach that has demonstrated efficacy is to boost the personal leadership capability of employees themselves. Equipping individuals with personal leadership skills can play part of the solution in meeting employers’ obligations, under these amendments by creating a culture that manages and reduces psychosocial risks and hazards within the workplace.
Why is it that the same set of psychosocial hazards can have very different impacts on individuals? Some will suffer psychological or physiological harm from these stressors and others will not. This is the age-old nature-nurture argument, but the reality is that it’s a combination of both.
One thing we do know is that people who have more of an internal Locus of Control, that is those who believe that they are largely in control of their outcomes, rather than blaming others or circumstances, have better life and work outcomes:
Greater job and life satisfaction
Better psychological and physical health
Less stress and burnout.
Building personal leadership (an optimal LoC) develops resilience and a range of self-management and communication skills that has multiple benefits, including:
Enhancing the degree of control that employees feel they have within the work environment (a very strong predictor of job satisfaction, meaning and occupational wellbeing)
Provides real skills and strategies for addressing the psychosocial risks themselves - assertiveness to challenge bullying behaviour itself or to communicate the problems where they can be dealt with, effective conflict management strategies, recognising and managing own responses to maintain psychological wellbeing, meta-cognitive skills to identify and challenge dysfunctional thinking styles and develop solution-focused problem-solving skills.
The good news is that personal leadership can be trained. Generation Thrive, are the experts.
We have designed a comprehensive and evidence based online program Thrive@Work to support individuals to develop their personal leadership, address challenges and optimize their wellbeing and satisfaction at work and within their personal lives.
Over 12-weeks our online toolkit, 1:1 leadership coaching and group workshops focus on developing critical and transferable skills in personal leadership, social and emotional intelligence, soft skills, and wellbeing that empowers individuals to tackle and reduce some of the psychosocial risks that they can face.
What we see when organisations partner with us, are staff being able to increase accountability and drive the outcomes that they need to be successful. We see their engagement and motivation increase as they achieve goals and develop transferable skills to thrive.
Specifically, when it comes to developing and utilizing:
Communication skills that focus on positive, assertive and conflict resolution. Building relationships, connectedness and reducing interpersonal conflict.
Negotiation skills to achieve win/win outcomes.
Confidence and voice to communicate what they need to be successful and to address significant challenges such as workplace bullying or various hazards.
Using preventative mental health tools to enhance social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing.
Creating goals and routines that support a positive work/life balance.
Time management skills to manage high job demands and conflicting priorities.
Critical thinking, to enhance solution focused and growth mindset, critical in coping with change, uncertainty, and complex situations.
In one partner organisation, after implementing personal leadership training, we saw a 36% increase in psychological wellbeing, having a positive impact in their team's self-acceptance, environmental mastery, positive relationships, personal growth, autonomy, and purpose in life.
So, if you’re an employer thinking about your approach on how to reduce your psychosocial risks and hazards, think about the role personal leadership training can provide your team and workplace from the bottom up.
