Creating Mentally Healthy Workplaces: Managing Psychosocial Safety at Work
)
Building mentally healthy workplaces with Black Dog Institute
Employee mental health is an important issue in organisations of all sizes. Mental ill health comes at a significant individual, social and economic cost to businesses. In 2020/21, the median time lost to work-related psychological injuries was more than four times that of all physical injuries and illness.
Understanding psychosocial risk
Research shows that there are specific workplace factors that can create poor mental health outcomes, otherwise known as psychosocial hazards. The term psychosocial risk refers to the likelihood of these hazards causing harm.
While workplaces do present psychosocial hazards, they also have a unique opportunity for intervention. Understanding what workplace factors may represent potential hazards (and the associated risk of these hazards) is an important step towards building better menta health at work.
Common Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace
Job Factors
-
Precarious work and job insecurity
-
Remote or isolated work
-
Role conflict or lack of role clarity
-
Effort/reward imbalance
-
Role overload (high workloads or job demands)
-
Low job control
-
High-risk work (e.g., trauma/shift work)
-
Organisational culture (psychosocial safety climate)
-
Poor organisational change consultation
-
Lack of procedural justice (fairness, transparency)
-
Workplace conflict and strained relationships
-
Bullying and harassment
-
Poor support from supervisors/co-workers
-
Hazardous physical working environments
-
Lack of adequate resources
-
Mental health stigma
How to create mentally healthy workplaces
Creating a mentally healthy workplace benefits everyone. From an organisational perspective, it can increase productivity and engagement. For an individual, it means a healthy, balanced life and psychological wellbeing.
While there is now greater awareness among workplaces of the need for psychosocial safety, the challenge can lie in how to create it.
At Black Dog Institute, a global leader in mental health research, we offer a range of training workshops, eLearning programs and presentations for workplaces that are backed by research and delivered by experts.
As the only Medical Research Institute to investigate mental health from childhood through to later stages in life, we translate research into practical, evidence-based solutions to create real change that improves mental health outcomes.
We can help:
- Design workplaces that promote good mental health
- Minimise risks to psychosocial safety
- Create a better work culture that is productive and engaged
- Build organisational and personal resilience
- Support recovery and return to work from sickness absence
For further information on workplace mental health, visit www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/education.
Join the Conversation at the Workplace Health & Safety Show
Discover more about managing psychosocial safety and building mentally healthy workplaces at the Workplace Health & Safety Show on 21–22 May 2025 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
📍 Visit Black Dog Institute at Stand i38
Take the next step toward improving workplace mental health!
Register now for free