According to a report from meQuilibrium, managers and front-line workers are experiencing significant workplace challenges, including a lack of workforce change readiness and increased psychosocial hazards.
Managers reported lower scores in emotional composure, goal clarity, and perceived personal benefits from change, with 24 percent feeling unsure of how to proceed during changes.
Front-line workers, on the other hand, showed the highest levels of anxiety toward change and the lowest openness to change. Generation Z workers were particularly affected, reporting higher anxiety and lower emotional stability compared to older colleagues.
More than half of the workers surveyed said they face at least one significant psychosocial hazard at work, with issues such as unfair work distribution and lack of support from supervisors being common.
Managers face a "psychosocial risk paradox," experiencing higher demands and emotional strain while needing to mitigate these risks within their teams.
https://www.hrdive.com/news/managers-front-line-workers-face-high-psychosocial-risk/735757/
Commentary
The above source highlights "psychosocial hazards".
Psychosocial hazards are occupational hazards related to the way work is designed, organized, and managed, as well as the economic and social contexts of work. They do not arise from a physical substance, object, or hazardous energy.
These hazards can cause psychiatric and psychological outcomes such as occupational burnout, anxiety disorders, and depression, as well as physical injury or illness such as cardiovascular disease or musculoskeletal injury.
Common psychosocial hazards at work include:
- Job demands
- Low job control
- Poor support
- Lack of role clarity
- Poor organizational change management
- Inadequate reward and recognition
- Poor organizational justice and
- Traumatic events
According to the source, resilience programs are a possible solution. A resilience program is designed to help individuals and organizations build the capacity to recover from setbacks, adapt to challenging circumstances, and thrive in the face of adversity.
There are other solutions as well including a focus on orientation and training, mentoring programs, development and enforcement of policies and procedures, an engaged management, and consistently- reviewed workloads.
The final takeaway is whatever the psychosocial hazards are in your organization, it is important to address them quickly before they become more than a hazard.
Additional Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosocial_hazard and https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/mental-health/psychosocial-hazards
