Psychosocial harm in Australian workplaces increasing: survey

The level of psychosocial harm in Australian workplaces is "high and increasing," strongly driven by a skills shortage and limited actions against such risks, according to a new report.

A survey by the New South Wales government among 1,017 Australians revealed that 61% experienced bullying in the workplace in the past year, including 28% who said they suffer from it at least every month.

A majority of those who experienced harassment said it was verbal (63%), while more than half said it was psychological (52%), such as getting impossible demands and unreasonable deadlines. Other forms of harassment reported include:

• Discrimination (26%)
• Sexual (25%)
• Physical (20%)

Almost two-thirds of respondents also said they feel drained by their work, while 16.3% said they were working on roles considered to be of poor psychosocial quality.

"Results indicate a high and increasing level of psychosocial harm in Australian workplaces," the report said.

It mainly attributed the situation to the "increasing normalisation of chronic understaffing," as well as the limited acknowledgement and limited action taken against bullying or harassment in workplaces.

"The recent explosion of home and flexible working arrangements was also discussed as an important contributing factor, especially due to the increase of workers operating in isolated environments," the report said.

Groups most vulnerable to psychosocial harm

By industry, healthcare workers felt "more exposed" to hazards, including harassment, sexual harassment, and bullying, than employees from other industries, according to the report.

"Almost one out of two healthcare workers experienced a form of harassment or bullying on a monthly basis, and there were indications that sexual harassment was also more prominent in this industry," the report said.

They were also less aware of their workplace health and safety (WHS) rights and responsibilities, and felt less empowered to join WHS discussions, it added.

Overall, the groups that felt more vulnerable in the workplace and reported more frequent cases of harassment are women and diverse-identified workers including:

• Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) employees
• First Nations Australians
• Migrants
• Members of the LGBTQIA+
• Disabled workers

These diverse-identified employees and younger staff were also less aware of their WHS rights and responsibilities and were less empowered to join WHS discussions.

According to the report, safety practices in workplaces are held back by limited time and resources.

"Improvements could be achieved if safety requirements were easier to understand or if the financial or reputational benefits were more demonstrable for organisations," the report said.

According to the findings, better focus of WHS could be achieved if employees would put more premium on it.

"Executives were more of the view that WHS could be re-prioritised if it became more financially rewarding or more valued by customers and investors," the report said.