Psychosocial Risk: Using Good Work Design as a key risk control

How do we, as HR, WHS, legal and risk practitioners identify and implement the most effective psychosocial risk controls to not only meet our compliance objectives but enable workers to thrive and work performance to improve?

There’s been much conversation about the recent UK research indicating the lack of evidence that individual-level mental health interventions (such as mindfulness, resilience and stress management and training), relaxation classes, and wellbeing apps) improve workplace wellbeing (wellbeing research).

Whilst the conversations for an against continue, we look to the research and information provided from the various Psychosocial Codes of Practice and ISO standard 45003:2021 that focuses on changing the psychosocial risks in the workplace and not the worker, through good work design (GWD). So what is ‘good work design’ and how can you apply it successfully in your organisation to manage psychosocial risks and prevent harm?

Work design, or “the content and organisation of ones work tasks, activities, relationships, and responsibilities” (Parker, 2014,) when done well, has been shown through decades of research to have positive impacts on individuals, teams and organisations. GWD is about the (re)design of work (i.e. what we do) and job (i.e. how we do it), including tools and equipment used, it, software with which we engage, learning and development, leadership and communication strategies , schedules and rosters, work flow and allowances for rest and recovery and the social and physical environment in which work occurs [2].

Roles and tasks are rarely designed intentionally, but rather evolve over time, or are repeated based on past performance, tools and systems. We often see drift from job description to the way work is actually done [7] leading to potential psychosocial risk impacts.

SMART work design

Based on extensive research [3], the SMART work design model (developed by the Centre for Transformative Work Design) outlines five key evidenced-based and validated work characteristics to consider when creating or developing work, that addresses psychosocial hazards and contributes to creating a thriving organisation. The themes for SMART work are:

These job design characteristics when negatively affected, clearly link to key psychosocial risk factors such as:

• role over or underload

• lack of role clarity

• low job control

• poor workplace relationships and support

• inadequate reward and recognition; and

• remote/isolated work.

Applying the SMART lens when analysing jobs brings opportunity to review each characteristic in roles and re-design work at the organisational, team and individual level to minimise risk.

Formal Work Redesign-Management Led

Sometimes work redesign can be a simple ‘tweak’ to improve a job. Other times, work design can be a significant change that is part of a large-scale organisational or management led redesign. Commonly, managers and HR teams re-design job descriptions or role profiles. While useful, these approaches minimise the power that individuals have to design roles and experiences that fit their needs, values and preferences. Research clearly shows that organisations need to consider bottom-up worker-driven job redesign behaviours in addition to and beyond top-down job redesign approaches.

Job Crafting -Worker led

Job crafting is a powerful way by which individuals can change their work design and is self-initiated strategy that individuals use to change aspects of their work to align them more with their personal needs, goals, and skills. Many studies have shown that, by proactively crafting aspects of their work in these ways, people experience improved well-being, work engagement, and performance.

Examples of job crafting include:

• Focusing efforts on tasks that are most interesting;

• Building new relationships with others at work (i.e. colleagues, clients);

• Reducing uninteresting or unnecessary tasks;

• Introducing better ways of doing things (i.e. simplified systems and processes); and

• Obtaining more support from leaders or colleagues.

Job crafting education coupled with job analysis of one’s own job may be the most important intervention ingredients for success and should be a key part of future risk control interventions.

The best part about fixing the work is that all workers get the benefit – not just those willing few who will avail themselves of a tertiary wellbeing intervention, or are motivated enough to change their behaviour.

The world of work will keep changing. Designing good work is part of the business processes and not a one-off event. Good work design accommodates and supports diversity. It will also help a business become an employer

of choice, able to attract and retain an experienced workforce. Long-term viability requires that designs or redesigns are continually monitored and adjusted to adapt to changes in the workplace so as to ensure feedback is provided and that new information is used to improve design.

Could you look at redefining your own job to incorporate your motives, strengths, and passions? Think about how the elements of your (and your team’s) job(s) could be mapped and reorganised to better suit you! As experts in the cognitive, physical and emotional demands of work, Shared Safety and Risk can assist you to undertake a Psychosocial Risk Review and ways to use job design as a risk control. Please reach out to us.

1. Human Resource Management, November 2023. The SMART model of work design: A higher order structure to help see the wood from the trees. Sharon K. Parker, Caroline Knight

2. International Standards Organisation (ISO) (2016). Ergonomics Principles in the Design of Work Systems. ISO Standard 6385: 2016

3. Centre for Transformative Work Design, Job Design

4. Safe Work Australia, Principles of Good Work Design Handbook

5. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Philipp W. Lichtenthaler & Andrea Fischbach (2019) A meta-analysis on promotion - and prevention-focused job crafting, 28:1, 30-50

6. Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, August 2022 Job Crafting Toolkit

7. Hollnagel, E.2014 Safety I and Safety II Farnham, UK Ashgate Publishing Company

8. Safe Work NSW Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risk, February 2024