When we think about health and safety, we often imagine dangerous construction sites or hazardous manufacturing plants. However, it’s essential to remember that health and safety are still important in office environments, where many workers spend the majority of their day. Health and safety in an office environment is not just about minimising paper cuts, kitchen injuries or ensuring electrical equipment is safe, it is also about what is happening around people that is often ‘unseen’. Ensuring that the workplace is safe and healthy is not just about preventing physical accidents, but it also includes preventing psychological harm arising from psychosocial hazards.
Psychological safety is a vital aspect of health and safety in the workplace. It can also impact the extent to which workers feel safe to speak up and share their opinions, ideas, and concerns without fear of retaliation or negative consequences. Creating a psychologically safe workplace can improve communication, creativity, collaboration, and productivity while reducing stress, bullying/harassment, burnout, and turnover.
An effective way to promote the management of psychological safety is to identify and eliminate or minimise psychosocial hazards. Psychosocial hazards are defined as any factors that can lead to psychological harm, such as excessive workload, bullying, harassment, or discrimination. These hazards can lead to a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Here are some ideas that businesses can implement to promote health and safety in the workplace:
- Conduct a psychosocial risk assessment.
This involves identifying potential psychosocial hazards in the workplace, such as high workload, long hours, lack of control over work, bullying, or harassment. Once identified, businesses can take steps to address these risks through implementing relevant control measures. This can be effectively implemented by using your current risk and hazard management procedures.
- Train all staff to recognise early signs.
Employees should be trained to recognize and respond to psychosocial hazards in the workplace. This could include training on stress management, communication skills, and conflict resolution. This is particularly important for management staff who may also benefit from receiving training on how to manage issues like bullying/harassment.
- Foster a culture of open communication.
Encourage workers to speak up about concerns or issues they may be experiencing and ensure that they feel heard and supported. Act on issues in a timely manner, report back any outcomes and ensure all staff know health and safety issues will be taken seriously.
- Provide resources.
Ensure that workers have access to resources and support if they are experiencing psychological harm. This could include counselling services, employee assistance programs, or mental health support. WorkSafe New Zealand also have useful resources on topics such as bullying and harassment which can be utilised in the workplace.
- Set expectations and lead by example.
Senior management must set the tone for the workplace culture, promoting open communication and respect for all workers. As some senior managers are often what the Health and Safety At Work Act 2015 defines as ‘Officers’, there is an added expectation of due diligence to ensure the business is doing everything reasonably practicable to eliminate or minimise all risk.
As you can see, Health and Safety in an office environment is not just about ‘preventing paper cuts’. By promoting psychological safety and eliminating or minimising psychosocial hazards in an office environment, businesses can create healthier, safer, and more productive workplaces. Businesses and their Officers need to take proactive steps with risk management front of mind to ensure their workers are protected from both physical and psychological harm.
Business 360 can assist in developing and implementing a mental health and wellbeing risk management policy for your business. Call us on 0800 449 289, email info@business360s.co.nz or if you prefer a confidential discussion with one of our directors, click or scan below to book a time to discuss your needs.
