Mitigating Psychosocial Hazards in teams using CliftonStrengths

Employers now have a legal obligation to manage risks in the workplace that could have a negative impact on the mental health of their workers. From 1 Oct 2022, NSW became the first State to adopt changes to WHS Legislation to address psychosocial hazards in the workplace. 

What is a Psychosocial Hazard?

According to Safework Australia, a psychosocial hazard is anything that could cause psychological harm (e.g. harm someone’s mental health). 

Common psychosocial hazards at work include: 

• High job demands - meaning high levels of physical, mental or emotional effort are needed to do the job. 
• Low job control - meaning workers have little control or say over the work. This includes over how or when the job is done.
• Poor support - meaning not getting enough support from supervisors or other workers, or not having the resources needed to do the job well. 
• Lack of role clarity - meaning workers aren’t clear on their job, responsibilities or what is expected. This may happen when they aren’t given the right information or things keep changing.
• Poor organisational change management - meaning changes that are poorly planned, communicated, supported or managed.
• Inadequate reward and recognition – meaning there is an imbalance between the effort workers put in and the recognition or reward they get. Reward and recognition can be formal or informal.
• Traumatic events - Witnessing, investigating or being exposed to traumatic events or materials is a psychosocial hazard.
• Remote or isolated work - meaning work that is isolated from the assistance of others because of the location, time or nature of the work. It often involves long travel times, poor access to resources, or limited communications.
• Poor physical environment - meaning workers are exposed to unpleasant, poor quality or hazardous working environments or conditions.
• Harmful behaviours can harm the person they are directed at and anyone who witnesses the behaviour. They include: violence and aggression, bullying, harassment, including sexual harassment or gender-based harassment, racism, ablism, agism, and conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions.

Hazard Insights: Conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions

Group relationship conflict refers to interpersonal disagreements and frictions with one’s colleagues arising from differences in personal style, values, and norms. 

Causes

Situations that can lead to group relationship conflict include: 

• poor relationships and conflict between workers and their managers, supervisors, co-workers or others the worker is required to interact with, particularly where managers are reluctant to address inappropriate behaviours 
• treating others differently based on gender, religion, cultural background, values etc. 
• perceptions of being excluded from work-related discussions, meetings and activities 
• perceptions that co-workers are not making fair or equal contributions to the team and the work being undertaken 
• abrupt, rude or inappropriate behaviour from other workers or managers 
• unresolved concerns regarding work tasks and/or interpersonal issues 
• perceptions of inequity in the way team members are treated or workplace issues are addressed 

Preventative Controls - According to the Australian Government’s People at Work Control Measures, the most effective controls are preventative controls targeted at the organisational level. 

Recommended Controls

• Providing sufficient opportunities for workers to get to know each other and build positive relationships. 
• Foster a positive culture and work environment based on respect, trust, collaboration and consideration. 

Mitigating Actions

• Coach workers to increase their awareness of other points of view and ways to negotiate solutions to resolve conflict.
• Build the capability of team members to communicate and work constructively through disagreements and interpersonal issues. 

Practical Solutions

Providing opportunities for workers to get to know each other and build positive relationships goes far deeper than a simple BBQ in the park or one-off team building events. 

• The first step to improved working relationships is having a clear understanding of your own natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. Being more self-aware will highlight when you are using your innate Strengths productively and when you may be overusing them, which could have a negative impact on your co-workers.
• Next, understanding the collective Strengths of your whole team will form a basis for positive working relationships based on trust and a shared understanding of why you operate the way you do. 

How to increase self and team awareness

The Gallup Organisation has developed an assessment called CliftonStrengths® that highlights each person’s unique talents and strengths across 34 general areas of talent. Gallup research proves that people succeed when they focus on what they do best. When they use their strengths, people are more productive, perform better and are more engaged. The challenge is that people often take their most powerful talents for granted, and many are not fully aware of them.

Discovering your Unique Strengths provides people with insights that will change the way they work and will have an impact on the rest of their life. Learn how to identify what you do best and how to maximize your potential by using your CliftonStrengths. 

Example - How two different Strengths impact each other

Consider two people – one with the strength of ACTIVATOR (needs less discussion and more action) and one with the strength of INTELLECTION (needs time for reflection and meditation). Sometimes, using their natural strengths could lead to unintended conflict or frustration in the workplace and impact working relationships. 

People exceptionally talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They want to do things now, rather than simply talk about them.

Descriptive Words : Impatient, influential, action- oriented, initiating, catalytic, propulsive, fast, dynamic.

Blind Spots: Activators may not realise how the force of urging people to take action might make them feel overwhelmed and pressured to act before they are comfortable.

People exceptionally talented in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

Descriptive Words : Introspective, solitary, intellectual, philosophical, in-depth, reflective, discontent, thinking, intense, musing, driven.

Blind Spots: People with Intellection are comfortable with silence and solitude, hence others might view them as isolated, disinterested or disengaged.

When people understand each other’s natural ways of working, it improves team dynamics based on mutual understanding and reduces potential conflict in the workplace. CliftonStrengths provides a practical tool organisations can use to demonstrate how they are mitigating potential psychosocial hazards that impact workplace relationships and interactions.

Next Steps:

• Connect with a Gallup Certified Coach to show you how individuals and teams can discover and understand their Strengths. 
• Purchase a Strengths code and try the assessment for yourself: Understand your Strengths
• Connect with us to find out more about how a Strengths-Based approach can help your teams mitigate Psychosocial risks : deon.rademeyer@teamdiagnostics.com.au