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Do you know your workplace wellness hazards?

October 11, 2021

It’s no surprise that mental health symptoms increased during COVID, especially with an economic downturn, political and social conflict, and other stressors. But did you realize that there may be workplace hazards lurking in plain sight that cause you — and your direct reports, if you’re a manager — undue stress?

Cathy Nugent, a licensed clinical professional counselor who conducted a VSCPA roundtable on stress hardiness last February, revealed these stress-related workplace hazards. Want more resources like this? Visit our Mental Health & Wellness Resource Center.

Job content 

  • Monotonous, under-stimulating, meaningless tasksLack of variety
  • Unpleasant or aversive tasks
  • Workload and work pace
  • Having too much or too little to do
  • Working under time pressures

Working hours

  • Strict and inflexible working schedules

  • Long hours

  • Unpredictable working hours

  • Badly designed shift systems

Participation and control

  • Lack of participation in decision-making

  • Lack of control (such as over work methods, work pace, working hours and the work environment)
  • Career development, status & pay
  • Job insecurity
  • Lack of promotion prospects
  • Under-promotion or over-promotion
  • Work of “low social value”
  • Piece-rate payment schemes
  • Unclear or unfair performance evaluation systems
  • Being over-skilled or under-skilled for the job

Career development, status & pay

 

  • Job insecurity

  • Lack of promotion prospects

  • Under-promotion or over-promotion

  • Work of “low social value”

  • Piece-rate payment schemes

  • Unclear or unfair performance evaluation systems

  • Being over-skilled or under-skilled for the job

Role in the organization

  • Unclear role
  • Conflicting roles within the same job responsibility for people
  • Continuously dealing with other people and their problems
  • Interpersonal relationships
  • Inadequate, inconsiderate or unsupportive supervision
  • Poor relationships with co-workers
  • Bullying, harassment and violence
  • Isolated or solitary work
  • No agreed procedures for dealing with problems or complaints

Interpersonal relationships

  • Inadequate, inconsiderate or unsupportive supervision
  • Poor relationships with co-workers
  • Bullying, harassment and violence
  • Isolated or solitary work
  • No agreed procedures for dealing with problems or complaints

Organization culture

  • Poor communication
  • Poor leadership
  • Lack of clarity about organizational objectives and structure

Home-work interface

  • Conflicting demands of work and home
  • Lack of support for domestic problems at work
  • Lack of support for work problems at home