Managing work related stress
Best practice for managing stress in the workplace is to prevent and minimise stress before it becomes a risk to health and safety.
As with any other health and safety risk, a management program needs to be developed and implemented in consultation with your workers.
Your program needs to:
- identify the areas within the workplace that are likely to cause stress
- assess the risks to determine which require controls
- control the risks by eliminating or minimising them
- regularly review the controls and their effectiveness
- ensure workers are aware of health and safety policies and procedures.
You could also consider:
- having senior management make a commitment to a reduction in workplace stress
- promoting and involving workers in activities to create a mentally healthy workplace culture
- providing regular and respectful performance feedback
- providing training for workers about managing their own stress levels.
People at Work free tool
People at Work is a psychosocial risk assessment process. It is Australia’s only validated and evidence based psychosocial risk assessment survey tool with benchmarking that measures psychosocial hazards and factors.
People at Work can help you comply with your health and safety duties, better manage work-related psychosocial hazards and factors and prevent psychological harm.
Organisations that undertake People at Work will have access to:
- the People at Work survey, a psychosocial risk assessment tool that is now available digitally to Australian organisations at no cost
- all materials required to administer and report on the People at Work survey, including access to automated and customised reports, interactive learning modules and resources to assist in implementing a psychosocial risk management approach and evaluating the effectiveness of chosen interventions.
Australian work health and safety regulators have jointly funded People at Work to provide free tools and resources. The hazards measured by the People at Work survey are based on decades of research highlighting the factors that influence a worker’s psychological health and safety. The psychosocial hazards are also based on guidance from Safe Work Australia.
Workplaces that participate will learn about their unique risk factors for work-related psychological injury, which are highlighted through the risk assessment process. A comprehensive report outlining these unique risk factors is generated, allowing workplaces to tailor their risk control plans and ensure suitable controls are in place where they are most needed.
Send a clear message to workers that you value their mental health and wellbeing and reap the benefits of reduced workers’ compensation claims and improved worker productivity, satisfaction and engagement.
Learn more about how People at Work can help at https://www.peopleatwork.gov.au/