The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of hybrid working arrangements, which allow employees to work both remotely and in the office. While this approach can provide greater flexibility and work/life balance, it can also pose psychosocial risks that must be managed to ensure employee well-being and productivity. 

Professor Tim Bentley, director of well-being and work at Edith Cowan University, said that clear and regular communication was essential when managing psychosocial risks in a hybrid work environment. Employees need to understand their roles and responsibilities, as well as any changes to work processes or expectations.

“Our research has shown that social isolation is probably the first one that comes to mind, and it has been apparent in all the research we’ve done. People are disconnected from their colleagues to some extent or at least physically social isolation, which is an important side of social risk, a sense of belonging and attachment with work and their co-workers,” Professor Bentley said.

“If the flexible working model you’re working under isn’t well designed, this can pose a psychosocial risk to your employees.”

One of the biggest challenges of hybrid work arrangements is the blurring of boundaries between work and personal life. Without clear boundaries, employees can become overwhelmed by work demands and experience burnout.

To manage this risk, it is important to establish clear boundaries around work hours, expectations, and communication.

A supportive work culture is also essential for managing psychosocial risks in a hybrid work environment, according to Professor Bentley. Managers and leaders should encourage teamwork, collaboration, and open communication. They should also be available to provide support and guidance to employees when needed.

 

Psychosocial risks from hybrid work

As hybrid works continue post-pandemic, employers will need to pay attention to any psychosocial risks that emerge. The 2022 Work Health and Safety Amendment Regulation, along with other state legislations, requires employers to have a more explicit duty to eliminate or minimise workplace-like risks.

“To do so, businesses have to identify, access and control these risks, but there are significant barriers and issues that sort of stand in the way for many employers,” Professor Bentley said.
It is important to monitor for potential psychosocial risk factors in a hybrid work environment and respond quickly when they arise. This can include conducting regular employee surveys to assess wellbeing, providing additional support to employees who are struggling, and making changes to work processes or policies as needed to address concerns.

Managing psychosocial risks in a hybrid work environment ultimately requires a proactive and collaborative approach. By communicating clearly, establishing clear boundaries, fostering a supportive work culture, providing training and resources, and monitoring and responding to risk factors, employers can help to ensure that their employees are healthy, happy, and productive in a hybrid work environment.

“Our research has found that commitment from people at the top of the organisation is absolutely essential to creating the right climate in which people’s well-being can be looked after, and we call it psychosocial safety climate,” Profesor Bentley said.

“What it essentially means is that the leadership of the organisation needs to prioritise the well-being of workers and communicate that really clearly across the organisation, so that is a necessary first step, but having the appropriate policy and making sure that flexible work is well designed, layered and resourced.”

Kate Thomson, senior associate at Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA), said it has become more clear that flexible and hybrid working arrangements are here to stay, and there’s been increasing recognition that businesses need to approach these new forms of working in both the traditional and modern sense.

From a legal perspective, businesses still need to have the same risk assessment methodologies and have the same degree of control even where that is particularly challenging because the supervisor or the manager doesn’t have actual visibility over how someone’s working and how they’re going or what circumstances they’re working in.

“I think, generally, we’ve seen an increasing focus on psychosocial hazards not just arising from flexible and hybrid working arrangements, but safety regulators across the country have really increased their focus on this form of hazard in the last couple of years as well,” Ms Thomson said.

“So, you’ve got the combination of increasing focus on psychosocial hazards generally and then also changing methods and changing ways of working, so it’s a bit of a perfect storm for employers to manage these risks.

“Employers will need to make sure they can tackle these risks. Do a risk assessment, consult with employees, listen to what people have to say, get some information, and then go through that sort of risk assessment process and work out what issues the workplace needs to be looking at.”