10 Common Psychosocial Hazards - With Real Workplace Examples

Australian WHS law requires employers to identify and manage psychosocial hazards. But what do these hazards actually look like in a real workplace? This article walks through the 10 most common ones, with concrete examples, why each one causes harm, and what you as an employer need to do about it.

Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice recognises 14 psychosocial hazards. This article covers the 10 that come up most often in Australian small and medium businesses. For the full list in a structured identification checklist, see our Psychosocial Risk Management Toolkit.

1. High Job Demands

What it looks like

A customer service team routinely working through lunch to keep up with ticket volume. A project manager expected to run six projects at once with no extra resources. An accounts officer covering two roles during a recruitment freeze that has stretched to five months with no end in sight.

Why it causes harm

Sustained high demands, whether cognitive, emotional or physical, wear down a worker's capacity to recover between shifts. Over time this leads to fatigue, disengagement and a higher risk of anxiety, depression and burnout. High demands are particularly hazardous when combined with low control or poor support.

What employers need to do

Review workloads regularly, especially during growth, restructures or staff absences. Ask workers what they are actually experiencing, because workload problems are often invisible to managers until they become a crisis. Document your assessment and the controls you put in place.

2. Low Job Control

What it looks like

A worker who has to get approval for every minor decision, regardless of experience or seniority. A team with no input into how their work is prioritised or scheduled. An employee whose suggestions for improving a process are ignored without explanation.

Why it causes harm

Job control is how much say workers have over how, when and in what order they do their work. It is one of the strongest predictors of psychological wellbeing at work. Low control, particularly when paired with high demands, is a well-established driver of stress-related illness.

What employers need to do

Look for unnecessary approval steps or micromanagement in your processes. Where possible, give workers real autonomy to make decisions that suit their role and experience. Talk with workers when setting priorities and schedules rather than handing them down without discussion.

3. Poor Support from Managers or Colleagues

What it looks like

A new employee who gets no onboarding and is left to figure things out alone. A worker who raises a concern with their manager and never hears back. A team where everyone works in silos and nobody helps each other out.

Why it causes harm

Support at work acts as a buffer against other hazards. Without it, workers are less able to handle demands, and they get the message that their concerns aren't taken seriously. Both increase psychological risk significantly.

What employers need to do

Train managers to support their teams, including how to have structured conversations about workload and psychosocial concerns. Regular one-on-ones and easy-to-use escalation pathways are practical controls. Building manager capability here is one of the best investments a small business can make.

4. Workplace Conflict and Interpersonal Tension

What it looks like

Friction between two departments that has gone unresolved for months. A team member who regularly undermines colleagues in meetings. A dispute between two staff members that management has been avoiding rather than dealing with.

Why it causes harm

Ongoing conflict creates a chronically stressful environment, even when it falls short of the legal definition of bullying. Workers caught up in conflict, or who regularly witness it, often experience anxiety, disengagement and avoidance that affect both their performance and wellbeing.

What employers need to do

Have a clear conflict resolution process that managers know how to use. Document concerns and conversations. Don't wait for conflict to become a formal complaint before acting. Stepping in early is almost always more effective and cheaper than letting tension build.

5. Workplace Aggression and Violence

What it looks like

A healthcare worker verbally abused by a patient, with no debrief or reporting process in place. A retail worker threatened by a customer and then expected to go straight back onto the floor. A staff member on the receiving end of repeated intimidating behaviour from a colleague, which management has written off as "just their personality".

Why it causes harm

Exposure to aggression, whether physical, verbal or psychological, is one of the most serious psychosocial hazards. A single serious incident can cause lasting psychological harm. Repeated exposure without proper support makes that harm much worse and creates ongoing risk.

What employers need to do

Do a specific risk assessment for aggression if any of your workers deal with customers, clients or the public. Put controls in place such as clear reporting procedures, debriefs, security measures where needed, and training for workers and managers. Record every incident, including ones that seem minor.

6. Organisational Change and Job Insecurity

What it looks like

A restructure announced with no information about who is affected, when, or how it will work. A business acquisition where workers are told nothing for weeks. A round of redundancies handled without proper support or a clear process for the people who remain.

Why it causes harm

Uncertainty is highly stressful. When workers don't know whether their job is safe or what is coming next, their ability to focus and stay well drops sharply, even if the change turns out to be manageable. It's the not knowing that does the damage.

What employers need to do

Communicate early and clearly during change. You don't need all the answers, but workers need to know what you know, when they'll hear more and who to ask. Make change management a standing item in your psychosocial risk reviews.

7. Remote or Isolated Work

What it looks like

A lone worker in an after-hours retail store with no check-in procedure. A remote employee who hasn't had a meaningful conversation with their manager or team in three weeks. A field worker expected to handle aggressive clients without backup or a clear way to escalate.

Why it causes harm

Isolation removes the informal support that helps people cope with everyday pressure. It also creates practical safety risks if something goes wrong and nobody is keeping an eye out. Remote workers face a higher risk of psychosocial harm and slower access to help when they need it.

What employers need to do

Set up regular check-ins for all remote and isolated workers. Make sure they have clear escalation pathways and access to support. Any role that involves isolated work, even occasionally, should have a lone worker safety plan recorded in your risk register.

8. Lack of Role Clarity

What it looks like

Two team members with overlapping responsibilities and nobody clearly in charge of decisions, leading to regular arguments over who owns what. A worker whose job description looks nothing like what they actually do each day. A team where nobody knows who to go to when their manager is away.

Why it causes harm

Role ambiguity consistently predicts psychological distress at work. Workers who aren't sure what is expected of them, what their priorities are, or how their performance will be judged live with low-level stress that builds over time. It also erodes confidence and job satisfaction.

What employers need to do

Make sure every worker has an accurate, current position description. Talk regularly about priorities and expectations, particularly after structural changes. Where responsibilities overlap, write down how decisions will be made and disagreements resolved.

9. Bullying and Harassment

What it looks like

A manager who repeatedly singles out one team member for criticism in front of their peers. A worker whose ideas are dismissed, while the same ideas from others are accepted. Sexual jokes or comments that have become normal in a team and go unreported because people believe nothing will happen.

Why it causes harm

Under Australian law, workplace bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour that creates a risk to health and safety. It causes serious, lasting psychological harm and creates significant legal liability for the business if it isn't identified and dealt with promptly. Harassment, including sexual harassment, carries its own regulatory requirements.

What employers need to do

Have a written bullying and harassment policy with a clear, accessible reporting procedure. Make sure managers know how to respond to a report. Investigate promptly and document everything. Failing to act once a complaint has been made significantly increases both the harm and your legal exposure.

10. Poor Reward and Recognition

What it looks like

A high-performing worker whose contribution is never acknowledged, while less productive colleagues are treated exactly the same. A team whose effort is taken for granted and only noticed when something goes wrong. Pay that has fallen behind the market and is never raised.

Why it causes harm

Workers who feel their effort isn't valued lose motivation, disengage and, over time, experience higher psychological distress. Poor recognition does the most damage when combined with high demands. The effort-reward imbalance model of occupational stress identifies this combination as a significant driver of burnout and cardiovascular risk.

What employers need to do

Make recognition a regular habit in how you manage, not an occasional event. You don't need a formal rewards program; consistent, specific and genuine acknowledgement of good work is very effective. Review pay regularly and be open about how pay decisions are made.

Putting It All Together

Identifying psychosocial hazards is the first step in a four-part process: identify, assess, control and review. The hazards above are a starting point. The combination in your workplace will depend on your industry, team structure and how your business runs.

What matters most is a documented, systematic process you can show to a regulator, an insurer or a worker who raises a concern. Being generally aware of these hazards is not the same as having a compliance system. Our risk assessment guide covers the next step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all psychosocial hazards equally serious?

No. The level of risk depends on how likely exposure is, how long and how intense it is, and whether several hazards are present at once. Aggression and violence, for example, is usually treated as a critical risk wherever it occurs, while high job demands with good support and control may be a lower-level risk. Your risk assessment should rate each hazard based on your own circumstances.

Do I need to address every hazard on this list?

You need to identify which hazards are present in your workplace and manage those. Not every hazard applies to every workplace. A solo operator with no staff, for example, has no bullying risk. The obligation is to identify what actually exists in your context, which is why consulting workers is such an important part of the process.

What if a worker raises a hazard I wasn't aware of?

Take it seriously and document it. Treat it as new information for your hazard identification, assess the risk and decide on appropriate controls. Failing to act once a concern has been raised is one of the most common ways businesses end up exposed. A regulator or court will want to know what you did once you became aware.

Where can I find a complete hazard identification checklist?

Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work includes the full list of recognised hazards. Our Psychosocial Risk Management Toolkit includes a structured identification checklist aligned to that framework and formatted for practical workplace use.

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal or professional WHS advice. Check it against the legislation in your state or territory and get expert advice where needed.