Under the European Union Framework Directive on Safety and Health at Work, employers are responsible for conducting risk assessments to prevent or reduce psychosocial risks in the workplace. 

But even when they do, implementing effective measures remains challenging. It’s critical to understand why it’s so hard to do if we’re to support efforts to create safer workplaces.

A German study of the experiences of health and safety professionals and managers gives us some insights.

About the study

Participants in 34 organisations were asked this question: ‘What made the processes around the development and implementation of measures to eliminate or at least reduce psychosocial hazards difficult?’

They identified 6 barriers. 

The complexity of psychosocial risks

Unlike traditional hazards, they described psychosocial risks as complex and unclear and consisting of multiple interconnected aspects. This made it difficult to decide what the right approach to address them effectively was.

As the interventions they implemented progressed, the initial objectives they had often changed, creating a need for ongoing adjustments. 

Balancing different stakeholders’ conflicting objectives added to this complexity.

The participants focused on risks that looked less complex, looked for more simple solutions (for example, offering training instead of changing work design) or used the same methods as they would for ‘traditional’ risks.

Some of them doubted how suitable these approaches were.

Others accepted the complexity and approached the process by reflecting on what was happening, iterating and treating it as a continuous learning journey. If the first solutions didn’t produce the outcomes they wanted, they were willing to revisit and refine their approaches.

Insights 

The complexity of psychosocial risks makes them a ‘wicked problem’ that requires a careful balance between simplification and embracing ongoing learning and adaptation.
While the usual steps for risk management may be suitable for well-defined problems, complex problems require complex problem-solving abilities and strategies. 

The study suggests applying research on team-based complex problem-solving to the process of psychosocial risk assessment. 

General beliefs and attitudes

The beliefs and attitudes of people in the organisation about the relationship between work and health and the role of psychosocial risk assessment influenced the approach they took to address psychosocial risks.

For example, some participants believed that:

• health and well-being is a private matter and beyond the employer's influence and responsibility
• the role of those responsible for psychosocial risk assessment was to promote mental health rather than address psychosocial hazards through work (re)design.

The interviewees appeared unaware of the consequences of these beliefs on the development of interventions.

Insights 

It’s important to identify and address these barriers through training.

Difficulties seeing ways to eliminate or reduce psychosocial hazards 

Participants struggled to come up with ideas to eliminate or reduce psychosocial hazards.

They believed some hazards were an inherent and unavoidable part of the work itself and saw working conditions that they believed were fundamental aspects of the organisation as almost unchangeable.

For example:

• workers saw the bed management system in a hospital as something that couldn’t be changed, making it challenging to address psychosocial hazards at their root causes
• some saw employee attitudes or behaviours, like problematic leadership or lack of social support, as hard to change. 

Insights 

This feeling of a lack of control among those responsible for psychosocial risk assessment reduces motivation and the likelihood of taking or maintaining action to address them. 

Creating opportunities for work health and safety professionals to exchange experiences and learn from successful problem-solving processes can expand their sense of what’s possible. 

Approaching psychosocial risk assessment as a continuous learning process and fostering self-efficacy can also help.

A lack of shared responsibility among different levels of employees

Participants thought senior and middle managers’ commitment to addressing psychosocial risks was crucial. But they sometimes showed disinterest or counterproductive behaviour — possibly because they believe that employee health is the individual’s responsibility, or feared the unknown or having their behaviour questioned.

They also saw worker participation as vital but noted that some were reluctant to engage in workshops or discussions about psychosocial hazards because of previous negative experiences or the perception that their involvement wasn’t worthwhile. 

Insights

People need to feel a sense of psychological ownership and connection to something before they assume responsibility. 

Just creating opportunities for employees to participate in work redesign processes is not enough. Strategies to foster engagement could include:

• establishing a steering committee with clear responsibilities and decision-making authority
• training all individuals involved in psychosocial risk assessment
• creating an environment where individuals feel that their engagement matters. 

Mismatch between responsibility and decision-making power

Another barrier was when those with formal responsibility for psychosocial risk assessment had no decision-making power. 

When those with responsibility also have the authority to make decisions, developing and implementing interventions to address psychosocial risks are more flexible and efficient. 

They also noted the challenge of identifying the right people to involve due to the complexity of psychosocial hazards. 

Insights

When taking steps to prevent psychosocial risks, it's important to avoid this separation between responsibility and decision-making power. 

The tension between responsibility and decision-making authority could be addressed by having a cohesive, passionate steering committee that includes the right people in charge who have a shared interest in health and safety and can work together. 

Lack of reflection 

Those responsible for risk assessment seemed to reflect less deeply on the development and implementation of interventions compared to the processes of identifying psychosocial hazards. 

Insights

The legal obligation to address psychosocial hazards in risk assessment is relatively new, so organisations are still developing and implementing procedures to tackle them.
But it’s as important to strengthen organisational learning and reflect deeply on how the measures to prevent psychosocial hazards are working.

The takeaway messages

Work-related psychosocial problems are complex and don’t have clear-cut solutions. 

Addressing them requires more than a purely technical approach that simply follows a set of steps or measures. 

Rather, it’s important to accept the complexity of these hazards, implement continuous, flexible and collective problem-solving processes and create an environment that supports successful problem-solving in the organisation. 

Original research

Schuller, K. (2020). Interventions as the centrepiece of psychosocial risk assessment–why so difficult?. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 13(1), 61-80.