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Psychological injury - Contributing work factors
Psychological injury can be caused by things that happen at work or outside work or as a result of a combination of work and other pressures. It may be caused by one or more of a number of different factors. The majority of psychological injury claims are not the result of a major traumatic event or critical incident. Most such claims develop over long periods, often in response to the interaction of a number of work-related and other factors.
Work factors may be grouped as relating to either 'work content' or 'work context' and include:
Work content
- heavy workload and fast working pace - heavy workloads of prolonged duration, protracted overtime with little opportunity for recuperation, a fast working pace combined with limited opportunities to control or influence one's own work
- physically monotonous and repetitive work - physically monotonous repetitive work which gives little opportunity for challenge or personal or vocational development
- environmental issues - unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions such as crowding, noise, air pollution or ergonomic problems.
Work context
- management styles - lack of participation by employees in decision making, poor communication, a culture of blame when things go wrong, and lack of family friendly policies
- interpersonal relationships - poor social environment, harassment, lack of support from co-workers and supervisors, or working alone
- risk of violence - being subject to physical violence or threats of physical violence by co-workers, supervisors or clients
- work roles - conflicting or uncertain work expectations, too much responsibility without adequate training or support, or too many 'hats to wear'
- career concerns - counselling for poor performance, job insecurity, lack of opportunity for development, and disciplinary action, and
- organisational change - rapid changes for which employees are unprepared either because of poor communication or inadequate training.