Psychosocial risk factors at work and how to manage them properly

Know about risks and avoid them!

Psychosocial risk factors at work directly affect workers’ physical and mental health. They can undermine well-being, productivity and job satisfaction. Identifying and managing them effectively is essential to improving quality of working life and organizational performance.

In this article, you will learn what these factors are, how they affect your company, and which strategies you can apply to prevent and control them.

What are psychosocial risk factors?

These are workplace conditions that can cause stress, anxiety or other physical and mental health effects. They relate to work organization, organizational climate and interpersonal relationships.

Organizations such as The World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) they recognize that psychosocial risks, if they are not managed, can seriously affect the motivation, performance and health of employees.

Main psychosocial risk factors

The most common are:

  • Excessive workload

  1. Tasks with very tight deadlines.
  2. Long working hours without adequate breaks.

  • Lack of autonomy and control

  1. Limited participation in decisions.
  2. Limited flexibility to organize one's own work.

  • Toxic work climate

  1. Constant conflicts.
  2. Lack of support from colleagues or supervisors.
psychosocial risk factors at work

Labour conflict

  • Labour insecurity

  1. Unstable contracts.
  2. Fear of dismissal or restructuring.

  • Lack of recognition and development

  1. Limited opportunities for growth.
  2. No positive feedback.

  • Inadequate physical conditions

  1. Unergonomic or unsafe environments.
  2. Exposure to noise, heat, cold or pollutants.

  • Work-life imbalance

  1. Excess work hours.
  2. Availability outside work hours.

Health and productivity impact

Failure to address these risks can have consequences such as:

  • Chronic stress and burnout syndrome.
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Low motivation and commitment.
  • Increased absenteeism and turnover.
  • Decreased performance and quality of work.
psychosocial risk factors at work

Prolonged stress at work can be expressed in physical ailments.

How to manage psychosocial risk factors

To prevent harm to team well-being and improve the organizational climate, consider applying these strategies:

1. Evaluation and diagnosis

  • It conduct surveys and tools such as NOM-035.
  • Identify the areas with the highest level of risk.

2. Promoting a healthy environment

  • Promotes respectful communication and teamwork (equip0).
  • Implement clear policies against harassment and discrimination.

3. Labour and personal life balance

  • Flexibilizes schedules.
  • Set limits to avoid constant connectivity.

4. Training in emotional welfare

  • It offers workshops about stress management.
  • It provides access to psychological support.

5. Recognition of performance

  • Celebrate individual and group achievements.
  • It offers opportunities for training and growth.

6. Effective Work Organization

  • Adjust workloads to actual capabilities.
  • Encourage fair delegation of tasks.

Promoting a healthy work environment is a strategic investment

Psychosocial risk factors at work can profoundly affect mental health and productivity if left unaddressed. Implementing preventive measures not only improves the work environment but also boosts performance throughout the organization.

Do you want to implement an effective plan at your company? At JS Consulting & Training we help you to design custom strategies to manage these risks and strengthen your team's well-being. Contact us!