Sector specific strategies for psychological health and safety

Review unique and sector specific psychosocial risks and approaches. Strategies are also provided for human services, tech, shifts, dangerous or remote working. 

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While Evidence-based strategies for psychological health and safety have many ideas and strategies, but some sectors have unique needs. Find new strategies, thanks to sector specific research.

Human services professionals

If you work with people in distress, these issues may create significant stressors. These stressors could then lead to increased risk to psychological health and safety. These proposed approaches may help reduce this risk.

Issue: Frustration at not seeing clients move past particular problems or issues.

Approach: Hold regular sessions with co-workers to discuss situations and brainstorm solutions. Make sure to protect the privacy and confidentiality of clients. 

Issue: Compassion fatigue and trauma from dealing with client problems.

Approach: Pair or group human services personnel together to offer emotional support on a consistent basis. This may be able to be done with colleagues, through a mentorship program, or with supervisors. 

Guide personnel to work through the Plan for resilience workbook to help build their personal resilience. Other approaches include:

Issue: Taking on more work without addressing the negative impact to their psychological health and safety.

Approach: Have managers check in with those asked to take on more work. This can help you discuss the realistic goals and timelines for each project. Review the complexity of the clients and case load to ensure task variety. Do this to also make sure that ample time is given to complete tasks and that recovery time is included.  See Employee workload stress.

Issue: Frustration at managers and supervisors who don't understand how they may contribute to stress at work.

Approach: Offer management training programs that teach best practices for supervising employees. Use the Psychologically safe interactions workshop to understand how we don't intend or aren't aware of how our behaviour comes across as harmful.

Hold regular meetings that reinforce the value of the employees in the organization. Recognize that a human services manager may be especially stressful. It's important to understand that these employees also need support.

References

  • Cao, X., Wang, L., Wei, S., Li, J., & Gong, S. (2021). Prevalence and predictors for compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction in nursing students during clinical placement. Nurse Education in Practice, 51 doi: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33639606/ 
  • Chowhan, J., Denton, M., Brookman, C., Davies, S., Sayin, F. K., & Zeytinoglu, I. (2019). Work intensification and health outcomes of health sector workers. Personnel Review, 48(2), 342-359. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2017-0287
  • Collings, J.A., & Murray, P.J., (1996). Predictors of stress amongst social workers: An empirical study. British Journal of Social Work, 26, 375-387.
  • Hahym, A. (2007). The unbearable fatigue of compassion: Notes from a substance abuse counselor who dreams of working at Starbucks. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35, 199-205.
  • Hopwood, T. L., Schutte, N. S., & Loi, N. M. (2019). Stress responses to secondary trauma: Compassion fatigue and anticipatory traumatic reaction among youth workers. The Social Science Journal, 56(3), 337-348. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2018.08.008
  • Rehder, K., Adair, K. C., & Sexton, J. B. (2021). The Science of Health Care Worker Burnout: Assessing and Improving Health Care Worker Well-Being. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 145(9), NA. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A678606219/AONE?u=ko_acd_cec&sid=summon&xid=85549a8a
  • Saario, S., Hall, C., & Lydahl, D. (2021). Engaging with Hard‐To‐Reach clients: Towards the last resort response by welfare workers. Social Inclusion, 9(3), 265-275.  doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/si.v9i3.4315 

Call centre workers

Call centres are highly structured workplaces. They often have high levels of demand and low levels of control for employees. Research shows that this imbalance may lead to an increased risk to psychological health and safety.

The good news is that there may be ways to manage this risk and provide a healthier workplace. The proposed approaches may help reduce this risk.

Issue: Difficulty providing quality service and handling assigned number of calls in a specified period of time.

Approach: Provide a forum for call centre workers to share successful strategies. For example, scripts they’ve used and adjusted for successful outcomes, effective use of forms and more. If a small amount of calls is the desired outcome, consider triaging the more complex calls to a more experienced team. This could involve a different quota system for workers on the team who handle more complex calls. Review how staff are rewarded for call volumes and the complexity of the calls they handle. 

Issue: Conflict caused by the need for an employee to suppress feelings when responding to certain callers. This is often referred to as emotional dissonance.

Approach:

  • Provide call centre workers with a reasonable degree of flexibility in difficult situations. Provide training to teach workers how to defuse situations where a caller is emotional. Provide them with guidelines for what to do when a caller is being abusive.
  • Hold regular team meetings where employees can share the types of calls that are most challenging. They can also share the approaches that lead to success. Both of these can be a productive and supportive use of time.
  • Some organizations may have silent communication signals. These allow employees to share victories or challenges through hand movements. This does not slow down or interrupt the flow of work, but encourages communication throughout the day.

Issue: Shared physical workspaces could be unhygienic, or uncomfortable. 

Approach: Physical well-being contributes to psychological well-being. Keeping the body healthy, comfortable and free of pain can contribute to good psychological health.

  • Provide adjustable keyboard placement and ensure that chairs and desks are ergonomic. 
  • Lighting should be such that it avoids eyestrain and headaches.
  • Written and online text should be at least 14-point font to avoid eye strain.
  • Every worker should have their own headset, for hygienic reasons as well as comfort.
  • Ensure that shared workstations stay clean and left tidy after each shift.
  • Information should be easily accessible and forms should be flexible and completed 
  • The computer screen should be at eye level to reduce neck and shoulder strain.
  • Ensure workers have adequate breaks.

Issue: Constant and intense surveillance and monitoring of workers.

Approach: Call centres depend on a lot of data gathering to report effectiveness to clients. This monitoring does not need to have a negative impact on the workers. Most of the psychological health-related risks could come from unreasonable expectations. Sometimes they could also come from a sense of unfairness or lack of control from the monitoring.

For example, if employees are penalized for being late due to a slow computer. But are not compensated for working 5 minutes overtime because they were handling a call. This may create a sense of unfairness.

To address this, reduce overt monitoring and negative feedback. These are constant reminders to employees that they are being watched. Increase positive reinforcement from observations and ask employees how you can help them. The suggestions you get may help increase the productivity of all employees.

References

  • Customer Management IQ
  • International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health (2009, 82(6))
  • Lewig, K.A., & Dollard, M.F., (2003). Emotional Dissonance, emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction in call centre workers. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 366-392.
  • Park, H., Oh, H., & Boo, S. (2019). The role of occupational stress in the association between emotional labor and mental health: A moderated mediation model. Sustainability, 11(7)
  • Shepell·fgi Research Group
    • Employee Health and Well-Being: Trends in the Call Centre Sector . The aim of this Canadian research project was to answer the following four questions:
      • What issues and problems do call centre workers present to EAPs?
      • Are reports of these issues and problems increasing over time?
      • What characteristics or demographics of call centre workers suggest exceptional risks for employee well-being?
      • Are call centre workers more likely to report stress and depression to their EAPs, even after controlling for other factors?
  • Silvia Ahmed Khattak (2021). Role of ergonomics in re-designing job design in call centres., International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 27:3, 784-793, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2019.1630111
  • Taylor, Phil & Bain, Peter (1999). "An Assembly line in the head": work and employee relations in the call centre. Industrial Relations Journal, 30:2, 101-117.

Educators

This category focuses on teachers who are isolated from colleagues in classrooms with young students. These issues may create significant stressors. The proposed approaches may help reduce this risk.

Issue: Poor perception of the school or teachers from the local community.

Approach: This may impact the sense of value and pride in a teacher's work.

  • Determine why perception is poor and develop an action plan to address issues identified.
  • Engage teachers in a conversation about diffusing and disarming parental frustration. Help develop a peer support process to reduce the negative effects of school stressors.

Issue: A workplace culture of indifference or cynicism.

Approach: Have students and personnel work together to design programs and events that improve psychological health and safety. The process of deciding and planning should be seen as just as important as the actual event. It may be helpful to include parents and other community members in the planning of such activities.

Issue: Inadequate or poor leadership from the school principal or administration.

Approach:

  • Helping to improve the administrator's effectiveness can be a controversial and complex thing to do, yet may be crucial to improving the work environment.
  • Ensure that principals and other leaders are role models. Make sure that they actively support a psychologically healthy and safe work environment. Have the superintendents get feedback from the staff on how the principals are doing this. 
  • Hire and train leadership on their ability to resolve issues in an effective, fair and prompt manner. 
  • Offer peer mentorship to principals and administrators so they can learn from each other.
  • Encourage a collaborative and supportive environment where staff can share successes and areas for opportunities.
  • Increase mechanisms to support leadership to be accountable for following through and following up on promises, initiatives and resolutions.
  • Suggest the principal conduct the Psychologically safe leader assessment. It provides an opportunity to assess and improve strategies related to psychological health and safety.

Issue: Work overload exacerbated by excessive paperwork and administrative requirements.

Approach:

  • Carefully consider options and brainstorm alternatives for obtaining required information from teachers. Some school boards have introduced computer programs that streamline this part of the job.
  • Encourage staff to take their breaks. Research has shown that it can improve both mental health and productivity. See Healthy break activities for a free approach.
  • Ensure that new teachers are clear about the extra time and effort required for extracurricular work. This includes coaching, supervising clubs or planning and attending afterschool events.

Issue: Fear for personal safety

Approach: Collaborate with educators about potential and identified risks to their personal safety. Work with them on actions that they believe would be effective in mitigating or eliminating these risks.

Teachers should also feel supported when a threat or act of aggression has been made against them. Immediate and supportive action should be taken by the administration. Following up with the teacher after an incident to see how they are doing is also important.

Issue: Fear of losing a job due to disclosing a mental illness.

Approach:

  • Increase awareness of mental health and reduce stigma related to mental illness. Most educational institutions pay attention to student mental health. But there's less emphasis on the mental health of staff.
  • Strike a working group among those involved in return-to-work or accommodation when mental health is a factor. Establish the non-negotiable processes and examine the possibilities for improvements. 
  • Review existing resources for staff who experience mental health concerns. Consider whether these resources provide the necessary supports. Are any resources available to students that may be adapted for staff? Also explore low-cost or no-cost resources in the community or online that can augment what is already available.

Issue: Isolation from colleagues.

Approach: While teachers often value time with students, the relationship is primarily one of giving. The need to receive support, recognition and belonging can often go unmet. Teachers should interact, support and encourage each other. This could mean the difference between a stressed-out environment and an energized one.

  • To increase togetherness, plan for teachers and staff to share time together before school meetings, at lunchtime or after-school. Consider using a mentoring approach and other activities and initiatives. Ask the teachers what works for them and then help to create a situation where this can happen.
  • Identify and put in place opportunities to validate the efforts made by staff on a daily basis. Do this by training all staff to "catch people doing it right." Provide special training to those in management positions to learn how to provide positive reinforcement regularly.
  • Support teacher discussion groups to share challenges and solutions related to the job. Help provide an environment where participants can feel safe to share openly. Issues can include: 
    • children with behavioural problems
    • those who are violent
    • managing administrative duties
    • interacting with co-workers
    • relationship with the principal

References

  • Billingsley, B., Bettini, E., Mathews, H. M., & McLeskey, J. (2020). Improving Working Conditions to Support Special Educators’ Effectiveness: A Call for Leadership. Teacher Education and Special Education, 43(1), 7–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406419880353
  • Fimian, M.J., & Blanton, L.P., (1987). Stress, burnout and role problems among teacher trainees and first year teachers. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 8(2), 157-165.
  • Leithwood, K. & McAdie, P. (2007). Teacher Working Conditions That Matter. Education Canada, 47 (2), 42-45.

First responders

There are many factors that attract workers to emergency services such as fire, police, and emergency healthcare. But these factors can start to have a negative impact on their psychological and physical health.

Here are some statistics from The Tema Conter Memorial Trust:

  • It's estimated that 8% of Canadians have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and that, according to the Tema Conter Memorial Trust research, this number is two to three times higher within the emergency services sector. (2017, TEMA)
  • 16% to 24% of emergency services personnel have PTSD. It's estimated that this number is under-reported due to the stigma associated with seeking and accepting help. (2017, TEMA)

The following issues represent some of the stressors for first responders. The proposed approaches may help reduce this risk.

Issue: Recovery period between critical incidents is too short.

Approach: De-brief personnel after handling a critical situation. Determine appropriate wait time before they can go back out to handle the next incident. Remember that different people will have different reactions. Some will be unaffected and ready to go to the next call. Others may need more time and help to help process and move beyond what has happened.

Issue: Employees who believe that they may limit their career advancement if they seek support for mental health issues.

Approach: Be aware that discrimination on the basis of a disability, including a previous mental health issue, may be prohibited under applicable human rights legislation. This includes being passed over for a promotion or training.

Speak openly about mental health and discuss that seeking support has the potential of reducing the risk of long-term effects. It may help to have senior staff who are willing to share relevant experiences of mental health issues. This can help others can see that promotion and advancement are still possible.

Any particular situation, including job safety, would need to be considered before coming to a determination.

Issue: Unable to save or revive a person, and seeing a victim with catastrophic injuries.

Approach: Speak regularly about the effect this type of call can have on their psychological health and safety. Make sure to speak about what it takes to stay well. Provide appropriate trauma counseling and allow personnel adequate time to recover.

References

  • Alexander, D.A., & Klein, S. (2001). Ambulance personnel and critical incidents. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 178, 76-81.
  • Genest, M., Levine, J., Ramsden, V. & Swanson, R. (1990). The impact of providing help: Emergency workers and cardiopulmonary resuscitation attempts. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 3 (2) 305-315.
  • Harris, M.B., Baloglu, M., & Stacks, J.R. (2002). Mental health of trauma exposed firefighters and critical incident stress debriefing. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 7 (3), 223-238.
  • Paton, D. & Flin, R. (1999). Disaster Stress: An Emergency management perspective. Disaster Prevention and Management, 8 (4) 261-267.

Dangerous industry workers

Employers in some industries may feel that they cannot retain workers with a history of depression or anxiety because the work they are required to do is dangerous. With the right approach, workers in these industries who have experienced mental health issues can be productive and safe.

An open and supportive work environment can be conducive to the early identification and treatment of those who are unwell. The following issues may present as significant stressors for workers in dangerous industries, which could lead to an increased risk to psychological health and safety. The proposed approaches may help reduce this risk.

Issue: Constant need to be on guard against hazards.

Approach: Where feasible, use a buddy system, which may help to alleviate the strain of workers always having to look out for themselves. Having a co-worker to communicate with on job sites can also reduce stress brought on by isolation or uncertainty.

Issue: Harsh and dangerous physical environment, and repetitive, monotonous but difficult physical tasks.

Approach: Where possible, arrange regular rotation of tasks and ensure workers take appropriate breaks.

Issue: High possibility of industry-related injuries, e.g. chainsaw kickback among workers in the forestry industry.

Approach: Provide regular and ongoing training on avoiding injuries. Provide statistics on how training and awareness can decrease the incidence of specific injuries for the worker. Work habits may tend to get sloppy over time, so refresher training should be compulsory for all workers.

Issue: Poorly designed protective equipment.

Approach: Provide the most appropriate protective equipment and educate workers about how to use it. This allows the worker to be safer while also providing a sense that the organization values their well-being.

References

  • Chen, W.Q., Wong, T.W., Yu, T.K., Lins, Y.Z., & Cooper, C.L. (2003). Determinants of perceived occupational stress among Chinese offshore oil workers. Work and Stress, 17 (4). 287-305.
  • Slappendel, C., Laird, I., Kawachi, I., Marshall, S., & Cryer, C. (1993). Factors affecting work-related injury among forestry workers. Journal of Forestry Research, 24, 19-32.
  • Murray, M., Fitzpatrick, D., O'Connell, C., (1997). Fishermen's blues: Factors related to safety and accidents among Newfoundland fishermen. Work and Stress, 11 (3) 292-297.
  • Journal of Occupational Medicine (2009, 59:5)
    • Offshore industry shift work: health and social considerations. Speaks to the unique issues faced by offshore shift workers, as opposed to the issues of shift work more generally. Specifically, the article highlights how the tasks and attention requirements of offshore shift work differ in psychological impact from regular shift work positions.
  • Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health (2008)

Tech workers

Computers have revolutionized our work world. Those who work primarily in the tech industry are faced with the constant need to learn new and complex information, to solve difficult problems, and to work in isolation.

When they do interact with other workers, it is often at a time of frustration or fear over new or problematic technological issues. There are also those whose work may involve monotonous and repetitive tasks or prolonged work without human contact.

The following issues can be stressors for high tech workers that can lead to an increased risk to psychological health and safety. The proposed approaches may help reduce this risk.

Issue: In some positions, workers have almost no control over the job or the ability to make decisions.

Approach: Identify situations where workers can make decisions, and empower them to do so. It can be in identifying areas for improvement, interacting with other workers to solve challenges, or even in helping determine the best environment, e.g. lighting, sound and positioning of equipment.

Issue: Unrealistic performance expectations made worse by poor relations with a supervisor.

Approach: Suggest that the manager and employee set performance targets together and arrange to review targets on a regular basis. See Performance Management for other tips.

Issue: Uncomfortable workstation.

Approach: Provide a chair and worktable that enable the worker to be comfortable and productive. Where possible, allow the operator to determine the lighting, sound, and other factors that impact their work environment.

Issue: Computer and other equipment are unreliable.

Approach: Regular failure of equipment can result in a high level of frustration and loss of productivity. Listen to operator complaints about equipment that breaks down frequently and where possible, respond to their concerns promptly.

Issue: Tasks are repetitive and monotonous.

Approach: Where possible, look at rotating or varying tasks or allowing operators some flexibility in making tasks less monotonous, e.g. consider permitting use of personal music device, if it is safe to do so.

References

  • Smith, M.J. (1997). Psychosocial aspects of working with video display terminals (VDTs) and employee physical and mental health. Ergonomics, 40 (10), 1002-1015.

Shift workers

According to the American Psychological Association, those who do shift work often find that their sleep patterns are disrupted. If they are not able to sleep successfully, they become sleep deprived, and mental health issues can be an outcome. Mental health issues may go unrecognized because the symptoms are attributed to fatigue, stress, "burn-out," or job or family issues.

Workplaces and employers may benefit by collaborating with shift workers about potential challenges and opportunities to reduce their risk. 

  • The importance of getting the rest they need to remain healthy, productive, and safe.
  • Shiftwork may require the worker to miss important events with their family or friends. Being able to discuss options for trading shifts with other workers is a potential approach that could reduce the guilt and stress of missing out. 
  • An open and supportive work environment can be conducive to the early identification and treatment of those who are unwell.
  • Overtime for shift workers could present risk to both their physical and psychological safety and should be avoided.
  • Managers should ideally work the same shifts as their team to build understanding, rapport, and trust.
  • Where possible, review break schedules with your team. Some will benefit from frequent short breaks, while others prefer fewer, lengthier breaks. Maximize energy by modifying to suit your employees’ needs.
  • In physically demanding or repetitive roles, consider cross training employees to allow alternating between those roles that are less of a strain.

Employers can share the following strategies with shift workers to help them avoid experiencing sleep loss, and possibly a risk to their mental health:

  • Be aware of the overall health benefits of adequate sleep – Sleep is as necessary as good food and exercise for good health.
  • Be protective of sleep – All workers should do what is necessary to get at least six hours of uninterrupted sleep. This can include turning the phone off, getting headsets for children to listen to music, television or games, carpeting for floors, having a designated sleeping room away from noise and light, and informing friends and neighbours about work/sleep schedules so they know when the shift worker is sleeping.
  • Choose healthy sleep aids – Alcohol is an unhealthy, yet commonly used sleep aid that, while promoting relaxation to help fall asleep, actually disrupts deep sleep and may lead to depression.
  • Enlist family support – When there is a shift worker in the family, it is a shift-working family. Workers are encouraged to involve the entire family in making it work.
  • Match your "type" and your schedule – So-called "night owls" and "early birds" adapt differently to different shift schedules. Shift workers who know their "type" are in a better position to choose a shift schedule that makes it easier for them to adapt and get the sleep they need.
  • Be aware of sleep disorders – These are often at the root of a shift worker's sleep issues, but may not get diagnosed because the problems are attributed to shift work.

References

  • Griffiths, P., Dall’Ora, C., Simon, M., Ball, J., Lindqvist, R., Rafferty, A.-M., … Aiken, L. H. (2014). Nurses’ Shift Length and Overtime Working in 12 European Countries: The Association With Perceived Quality of Care and Patient Safety. Medical Care, 52(11), 975–981. doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000233

Additional resources for shift workers

Remote workers

More organizations are allowing employees to work from home or other remote locations. This option can lower business costs through a reduction in necessary office space and/or it can place employees closer to clients or partners. Of course, it also provides the employee with more flexibility to manage their hours and their environment in a way that supports their productivity. It is important to know that telecommuting or remote work is not for everyone. The type of work, the availability of technology to do the work, and the employee’s level of self-regulation and discipline are all factors to consider.

The following are suggestions to help managers protect the psychological health and safety of remote workers:

  • Ensure clarity about expectations to avoid misunderstandings or conflict about hours of availability, expenses that will or will not be approved, equipment that they are expected to provide and update on their own, outputs expected, etc.
  • Discuss ongoing learning and training. What are your expectations and what support do you offer? Growth and development is important for the mental health of all employees, including remote workers.
  • Once you have clarified expectations, ask the employee if there is anything they need to meet your expectations. Document their response and use this information as part of ongoing, regularly scheduled dialogue about how you can support their success. This allows the employee an opportunity to express any concerns and for you to stay informed about their progress and well-being.
  • Schedule regular check-ins and decide when you will use technology such as teleconferences, webinars, Zoom, etc., and when you will require a face-to-face meeting. Also discuss when and how the employee should connect with other team members. Having regular interactions with others every day can allow the employee to feel part of the larger organization.
  • Consider staggering in-house meeting times to allow the remote workers to travel to the workplace outside of rush hour traffic times.
  • See Working from home for strategies to support a staff member’s well-being while balancing their personal and work life.
  • See Hybrid teams for tips when some employees work on-site and some work remotely.

References

  • Allen, T.D., Golden, T.D., Shockley, K.M. (2015). How Effective Is Telecommuting? Assessing the Status of Our Scientific Findings. Association for Psychological Science, Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Volume 16, Number 2).
Contributors include:Mary Ann Baynton
Published on Jan. 1, 2016.    Last reviewed on Oct. 1, 2024

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