Understanding “Psychosocial Safety”
And what it means to your team’s wellbeing
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We live in challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect all of our lives in both small and significant ways. We battle with climate change issues and other critical global problems.
The business world also struggles to survive and grow amongst the obstacles that surround it. These challenges add to the problems employees face at the workplace in protecting their psychological health and safety.
What is psychosocial safety?
Though the stigma surrounding mental health continues to improve through legislation and education, problems in the workplace impact the individual worker’s psychosocial safety and the team as a whole.
Managers find themselves in the unique position of owning the responsibility of productivity while needing to possess the compassion to recognize and act on their subordinates’ stress and anxiety.
What are the risk factors that disrupt psychosocial safety?
The overall office culture and atmosphere may deteriorate if even one person experiences situations that negatively impact their psychosocial activity. Some problems to watch out for include the following:
- Fatigue or burnout leads to absenteeism and a high turnover.
- Harassment or bullying in any form causes low self-esteem and resentment.
- Whether the result of personal concerns or situations at the office, emotional changes may impact the entire team.
- Unsatisfactory working relationships amongst individuals cause tense situations for those throughout the office.
- Feelings of exclusion or isolation represented a common problem during the pandemic. It’s essential to possess the technology or come up with solutions to connect the team.
- Violence or aggression from clients or co-workers should never take place. Provisions to prevent these occurrences…
