Let’s upgrade psychosocial risks assessment
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has recently published some guidelines on the management of psychosocial risks and the promotion of well-being at work, as part of an occupational health, well-being, and safety (OH&S) management system. It should be noted that the same entity, in 2018, had also published a standard containing requirements and guidance on planning, implementing, reviewing, evaluating, and improving an OH&S management system (ISO 45001) which the more recent publication aims to complement.
According to ISO (2021) psychosocial risks “include aspects of work organization, social factors at work, work environment, equipment and hazardous tasks”. These risks can be present in all organisations, sectors, and activities. Psychosocial risks affect the psychological health, safety and well-being of employees and are associated with economic costs for organisations, which have a responsibility to prevent and minimise them.
The organization’s health and safety management system should be based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. PDCA is an interactive concept that allows continuous progress and adaptation to the needs of people and the organization itself (ISO, 2018). In addition to these 4 steps, some issues should be considered, such as: the organisation’s context (internal and external); leadership; and employee participation in the process, planning, support, and operational issues. Furthermore, it is important to monitor the process and make the necessary adjustments after the evaluation.
Regarding the context, the organisation should consider the internal and external issues that may affect employees, understand their needs and expectations as well as those of other stakeholders. On the other hand, it should implement concrete measures to manage risks to the specific context of the teams, ensuring the focus, validity and effectiveness of the process.
To effectively manage these risks, the entire human capital of the organisation needs to be involved. Everyone has an active role in this process: from top management, who lead the process; to the managers who support the implementation of the project in their teams; to the employees themselves, who know best the risks to which they are subjected. This involvement of everyone in the active management of psychosocial risks should be a priority for the organisation. For example, they can provide moments of feedback from employees to help the organisation determine the effectiveness of measures to minimise risks in the performance of their tasks.
As far as planning is concerned, the organisation should be focused on implementing actions to face risks and seize opportunities. More specifically, considering its context, the organisation determines which risks and opportunities have priority: psychosocial risks (work-related aspects, social factors at work, work environment, equipment, and other factors), prevention of injuries and illnesses, return to work after sick leave, opportunities for improvement (e.g., promotion of well-being at work).
Also, it is fundamental to develop, review and maintain systems and processes to manage the same risks. Although there are several aspects of intervention, it is essential that the organisation prioritises actions based on the assessment, starting with the areas that pose greater risks to the health of employees.
In addition to these aspects, the organisation needs to provide support in several dimensions. Firstly, it is necessary to secure the necessary resources throughout the process (e.g., human, financial, technological resources). Secondly, it is essential to develop the necessary skills for implementation, for example, the ability to identify psychosocial risks and manage them, to make decisions and implement measures, to evaluate their effectiveness. If these skills do not exist in the organisation, management may seek external advice. Similarly, the organisation must be able to raise awareness and inform employees and other stakeholders about the factors in the workplace that have the most impact on employee health, safety, wellbeing, potential stigma, or discrimination. This communication will have to be adapted to the context and culture of the organisation but will be essential for the success of this process. In the same way, the organisation should provide documentation so that employees can learn more about the process, which should always include rules that guarantee the confidentiality of the information provided by individuals.
At the operational level, it is important to remember that the organisation should plan and control processes to adequately manage risks and new opportunities through, for example, the design and conception of work to prevent risks to the health and safety of employees. On the other hand, it is important to have the sensitivity to understand that workplace emergencies can represent psychosocial risks and that these risks can create emergency situations. In this planning, the organisation must anticipate these situations so that it can react appropriately, recognising that these situations impact on employees, preparing responses with the competent bodies and establishing priorities in meeting needs.
A very important aspect of any project is its evaluation. This evaluation consists of establishing a systematic approach that allows the monitoring and analysis of the viability of the project. Thus, it is possible to understand whether the objectives are being met or if there are aspects that need to be improved. In the case of psychosocial risk assessment, the organisation should monitor and periodically review its psychosocial risk control measures to ensure that they remain effective. Important times to review are when a new risk is identified, a control measure is not adequate to minimise the risk, there is a significant change in the workplace or if the review is requested by employees or representatives.
Finally, to ensure continuous progress and implement actions to improve the psychosocial risk management system, the organisation should collect information from various sources, such as, performance appraisals, incident reports, suggestions and recommendations from employees, audits (internal and external) and reviews by the board and managers. The critical analysis of the actions taken, and the metrics used is essential for the improvement of processes and consequently the health and well-being of people.
In conclusion, psychosocial risks exist in all work settings and their management is the responsibility of organisations. The nature and consequences of these risks change according to the environment, the tasks performed, the work design, among other factors, and it is necessary to make a careful assessment to implement the necessary risk minimisation measures.
Unfortunately, the state of the art is still far from what is desired. Some companies have not yet developed an initial and systematic approach on this topic. This is worrying because it is estimated that 60% of employees experience psychological health problems due to work (Mental Health at Work Report, 2017). Particularly in Portugal, the Portuguese Psychologists’ Association warns that only 10% of companies have some procedures to deal with psychosocial risks (OPP, 2020).
References:
Business in the Community (2017). Mental Health at Work Report 2017. Available at: https://www.activehw.co.uk/uploads/bitcmental-health-at-work-report-2017.pdf
International Organization for Standardization (2018). Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use. Available at: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45001:ed-1:v1:en
International Organization for Standardization (2021). Occupational health and safety management — Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks. Available at: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en
Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (2020). Contributo OPP — O Custo do Stress e dos Problemas de Saúde Psicológica no Trabalho, em Portugal. Lisboa.
