Effective approaches to improve the psychosocial work environment

Abstract

There has been a growing recognition that the experience of psychosocial hazards at work has detrimental effects on the health and well-being of employees, as well as on the workplace productivity and profits. Issues such as work-related stress, bullying, and stress due to harassment have grown in prominence in recent years in response to a number of factors such as overwork, job insecurity, low levels of job satisfaction, and lack of autonomy. These hazards are highly underestimated in most of the workplaces because of the difficulties involved with their detection and management and eventually represent risks to physical and psychological health. Reducing this huge burden from unhealthy workplaces is a formidable challenge for national governments, health policy makers, and practitioners. The growing burden of psychosocial hazards at workplace has guided to review the literature on the effective approaches to improve psychosocial work environment. It is concluded that adapting the systems and structured approach to psychosocial health risk management will be effective to prevent hazards and manage psychosocial work environment.