By: Marc Brien, psychosociologist
As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. The pandemic helped bring mental health issues into sharper focus, and managers have also become more aware of them. To avoid the serious consequences associated with psychological distress, both for business productivity and employees’ well-being and quality of life, organizations are recognizing the importance of providing a psychologically safe workplace.
Fortunately, practical measures can help create such workplaces, including paying closer attention to the psychosocial risks present in the work environment.
This article aims to raise awareness among organizations about psychosocial risks and suggests several actions to help prevent mental health problems.
What are work-related psychosocial risks?
Work-related psychosocial risks, often referred to as PSRs, arise from employment conditions that may affect physical and psychological health.
Quebec’s occupational health and safety commission (CNESST) identifies four main risks: psychological or sexual harassment in the workplace, workplace violence, domestic, family or sexual violence, and exposure to a potentially traumatic event. Other risks include excessive workloads, high emotional demands, limited professional autonomy and a lack of decision-making authority.
Impacts of psychosocial risks on organizations
The presence of psychosocial risks within an organization can have serious consequences for employees’ mental health. These risks are associated with increased stress and anxiety, depressive symptoms, burnout and, in the most severe cases, suicidal thoughts.
These mental health problems can, in turn, lead to lower motivation, deteriorating workplace relationships, increased absenteeism and higher employee turnover.
Beyond their human impact, psychosocial risks also generate significant costs for organizations, including costs related to absenteeism, reduced productivity, workplace accidents and extended sick leave. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states:
“Mental health conditions place a heavy burden on our societies and economies. Even before the pandemic, their economic costs were estimated at more than 4% of GDP per year across OECD countries, exceeding the costs associated with overweight and obesity.” (2)
Given these challenges, organizations have every reason to take psychosocial risks seriously and implement a genuine prevention strategy based on social responsibility and sustainable performance.
Actions to help prevent psychosocial risks
For many years, mental health issues were viewed as personal matters. They often went unnoticed by managers, and addressing them was considered an individual responsibility. Today, organizations are increasingly taking a broader and more systematic approach by addressing organizational causes instead of focusing only on individual symptoms. This approach can help prevent psychosocial risks more effectively.
Actions organizations can consider:
Raise awareness of psychosocial risks: Whether through structured training or reliable online resources, everyone who contributes to an organization’s success should understand these risks and learn how to recognize them.
Involve and empower employees: Employees from every area of the organization should be closely involved in prevention efforts. This can include helping identify risks, develop solutions and implement them.
Review how work is organized: Organizations should periodically review their work practices to ensure they meet employees’ needs, rather than expecting employees to adapt to unsuitable conditions. Factors to consider include mental and emotional workloads, decision-making autonomy, working conditions and schedules. Other actions can strengthen recognition, social support and the quality of workplace relationships.
Train and support managers: Managers play an essential role in preventing psychosocial risks because they represent and communicate the organization’s values and procedures every day. They should be trained to recognize early signs of distress and support employees experiencing difficulties.
Provide psychological support: Organizations can implement employee assistance programs to support people experiencing distress and reduce the costs associated with mental health problems.
Providing rest areas, as RecharjME does, is an effective way to improve working conditions by helping reduce employees’ mental and emotional workloads. This type of initiative also demonstrates the organization’s commitment to employee well-being and helps employees feel supported.
Workplace mental health: an essential issue
Without a doubt, mental health has become an essential issue in today’s business world. Amid labour shortages, and as workers across generations increasingly prioritize their mental health, recognizing work-related psychosocial risks and implementing a genuine prevention strategy will contribute to every organization’s long-term performance and success.
We are proud to collaborate with Marc Brien. He is a psychosociologist with more than 25 years of experience working independently in private practice and with community organizations across Canada.