How Can Mentoring Support Psychosocial Health?

Aside from remuneration, employees consider work-life balance and a healthy office environment the top reasons to stay at a company. One in four workers have indicated that their mental health is being affected by a toxic work culture. As the number of employees with poor psychosocial health continues to grow, it can also harm an organisation’s efficiency. 

The decline in psychosocial health is an organisational issue, particularly when multiple employees are impacted. Employers who can tackle these issues are ahead of the game. With this shift in perspective, employers can help make changes to address the issues and boost employee morale in the workplace. Here’s how employers can improve psychosocial health in the workplace and why this is a must. 

What are Psychosocial Risks in the Workplace? 

In general, psychosocial risks correlate to the environmental and societal hazards that can cause harm to an individual. In the workplace, psychosocial risks can be related to one’s work organisation, management, job content, and other environmental and organisational conditions (ILO, 1986). 

It basically refers to workplace factors that can lead to psychological or physical harm and stress. Safe Work Australia and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) have summarised the most common psychosocial hazards as:

• Job Content: Under-use of skills high uncertainty, lack of variety or short work cycles, fragmented or meaningless work. 

• Work Overload and Work Pace: High levels of time pressure, work overload or underload, continually subject to deadlines, and machine pacing. 

• Work Schedule: Inflexible work schedules, shift work, night shifts, long or unsociable hours, and unpredictable hours.

• Control: Lack of control over workload, pacing, low participation in decision-making, etc. 

• Role in Organisation: Role conflict, role ambiguity, and responsibility for people. 

• Environment and Equipment: Inadequate equipment availability, suitability or maintenance, poor environmental conditions (poor lighting, lack of space, excessive noise).

• Home-Work Interface: Low support at home, conflict demands of work and home, dual career problems. 

• Career Development: Poor pay, under-promotion or over-promotion, job insecurity, career stagnation and uncertainty, low social value to work. 

• Interpersonal Relationships at Work: Poor relationships with superiors, lack of social support, interpersonal conflict, social or physical isolation, bullying, harassment. 

• Organisational Culture and Function: Low levels of support for personal development and problem-solving, poor communication, lack of definition or agreement on organisational objectives. 

• Traumatic Events: Harmful threats, work-related violence, witnessing/experiencing socially traumatic events, distress, and abuse. 

Why is Psychosocial Health Important at Work

While psychosocial risks can be found in all sectors, they can affect individuals differently. It can also cause stress to the involved employees. Some stress is normal as the body’s natural response to the demands of their work. In some cases, it can even be healthy as it motivates individuals to work towards a goal. 

However, frequent, prolonged, or severe exposure to stress can lead to poor psychosocial health and burnout. It can also lead to several serious health complications such as sleeping disorders, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties, serious heart problems, weakened immune system, mental health problems, and many more. It can also lead stressed individuals to welcome suicidal thoughts and lead to increased absenteeism. 

The negative effects of poor psychosocial health can affect the organisation’s overall business performance and can lead to a higher turnover rate. Voluntary turnover has led businesses to lose $1 trillion every year, which can continue to affect an organisation’s efficiency. 

Since psychosocial risks at the workplace are part of an employer’s legal responsibility, it is important to recognise their part in preventing and managing these hazards. Work-related psychosocial hazards are part of the employer’s moral obligation and good investment practice to the organisation. They are part of the solution to improving psychosocial health in the workplace. 

How Can Employers Help Improve Employee’s Psychosocial Health?

An employer cannot completely eradicate psychosocial hazards in the workplace but the trick to preventing mental health conditions is to manage such risks. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that employers must make organisational interventions that affect working conditions and environments in the workplace. 

By implementing such interventions, an organisation can ensure that the workplace is a more encouraging place to work in. It also provides better connections among employees. Some recommendations to improve the psychosocial health of employees include: 

• Implementing a psychosocial health management plan
• Establish policies and procedures for a healthy work environment
• Look beyond qualifications and assess a candidate’s emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and resilience during the recruitment stage
• Hire managers that build strong relationships with team members
• Involve the team in decision-making processes
• Conduct culture and climate reviews via surveys, focus groups, or other methods
• Conduct regular wellness checks 
• Offer flexible working arrangements (remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks)
• Offer permanent positions over casual roles
• Provide opportunities for employees to socialise outside the workplace (regular lunches or social catchups)
• Encourage continuous learning and adaptation through mentoring programs
• Implement an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and hire mental health providers

RELATED ARTICLE: How to Improve Employee Retention with Mentoring

How Can Mentoring Support Psychosocial Health?

A Google study found that a key factor that led to high-performing and successful teams was psychological safety. One of the best ways organisations can improve psychosocial health in the workplace is to make employees feel included, connected, and valued. The workplace should also be more inclusive. Employees need an avenue to ask questions without worry, try new things, and show vulnerability. These can be achieved through mentoring in the workplace. 

With the guidance of a mentor, an employee can build trust and rapport with a mentor. Organisations that provide opportunities for professional development through mentoring can improve the psychosocial health of their employees. 

Book a demo and see how we’ve managed to help organisations like the Queensland Government, Women With Disabilities Australia, and the Government of South Australia with their mentoring program. 

Sources:

1. PwC Australia. 2021. Australia on the brink of ‘The Great Resignation’ with 38% of Aussie workers looking for a new job, and the numbers could get higher - PwC ‘What Workers Want’ report. https://www.pwc.com.au/media/2021/pwc-report-what-workers-want.html

2. The Conference Board. (2023. May 29). Survey: Mental Health Worsens for 34% of US Workers. https://www.conference-board.org/press/mental-healthor-worsens-US-workers

3. International Labour Office. (2016). Psychosocial risks, stress and violence in the world of work. https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_dialogue/@actrav/documents/publication/wcms_551796.pdf

4. Safe Work Australia. Psychosocial hazards. https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/mental-health/psychosocial-hazards

5. IOSH. https://iosh.com/guidance-and-resources

6. McFeely, Shane; Wigert, Ben. (2019, March 13). Gallup. This Fixable Problem Costs U.S. Businesses $1 Trillion. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx

7. World Health Organization. (2022, September 28). Mental health at work. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work

8, Altius Group. (2023, December 6). Why Enhancing the Psychosocial Health of Employees is Important. https://www.altius-group.com.au/news-and-research/why-enhancing-the-psychosocial-health-of-employees-is-important