The Thinker: February 2025

A flock of flying geese with a lightly clouded blue sky in the background.

Psychological health, psychosocial safety and wellbeing - a jumble of concepts or a roadmap to better workplaces?

Understanding these concepts and what they mean in the workplace is soon to become a big deal for Victorian employers. The proposed Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Psychological Health) Regulations are keenly anticipated, as they take critical steps to elevate the importance of psychological health at work. Despite the diabolical costs associated with mental injury in Australia, it can still be viewed as a lesser concern compared to physical injury. Astonishingly, the median time away from work due to job-related mental health concerns is five times greater than across all other injuries and diseases, combined (ABS, 2021-2022).

With the anticipated rollout of the proposed new regulations, we will for the most part be bringing Victoria in line with current expectations already in place across Australia. This is a great move, and something to be celebrated. At ThinkWell we see firsthand the harm done when staff are not strategically and systematically protected from psychosocial harms. We also see the incredible outcomes when leaders do.

However - it is here, at this place in the conversation that we purposefully pause to note that even a brief introduction into these issues relies on the use of highly specific, technical and professional language. To the layperson this language might at best be poorly defined, and at worst; bewildering and paralysing for those with limited grounding in psychological concepts.

Professor Angela Martin in her relevant and highly useful article “Psychosocial Safety: What It Is (and Isn’t) and Why Words Matter!” (2025) speaks with directness about the need for clarity when using terms that are often said, easily misunderstood, and subsequently misused. She points out that by speaking in hazy, ill-defined terms employers undermine the credibility of their attempts to manage psychosocial risks, accountability is blurred and the importance of mental-health related initiatives is diluted.

So to be clear - psychological safety “deals with interpersonal team dynamics, fostering an environment where individuals feel safe to voice ideas, admit mistakes, and engage in constructive conflict without fear of judgment or punishment” (Page, 2025). However it is not psychological safety, but psychosocial safety that is being codified into the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.

To ensure psychosocial safety in the workplace employers will be required to identify and manage specific risks to prevent psychological harm to staff. While wellbeing initiatives can promote physical and mental health, they will not be enough to meet the proposed employer obligations on their own. Psychosocial risks must be identified, assessed, and actively prevented. There are numerous psychosocial hazards proposed for inclusion that you can read more about here.

We would like to emphasise that trauma-informed approaches, having been practiced for decades across diverse workplaces, provide excellent theoretical and practical frameworks for the identification and prevention of psychosocial harms. At ThinkWell we have tried and tested expertise in helping leaders understand the underlying neurobiological processes at play across a broad range of psychosocial hazards – particularly vicarious and secondary trauma, high job demands and excessive occupational stress.

We would love to connect with you and your team to explore how we could support you to successfully manage these risks, in the context of Victoria’s anticipated new statutory requirements.

References

ThinkWell workplace training

ThinkWell offers a range of workshops that support organisations to understand and implement trauma-informed practices that facilitate staff wellbeing and optimal performance. Take a look at our website offerings in Think Being Well and Think Systems and Structures, we’ve got some really targeted and engaging training! We can also deliver bespoke workshops for organisational leaders, get in touch with us for an initial free consultation at hello@thinkwellconsultancy.com.au

Free ThinkWell webinar: Take a look at this webinar, presented by Jessamy last year, Trauma informed approaches to supporting staff wellbeing. Feel free to share the link with your colleagues!

The Brain Building Bit

The WorkSafe Victoria website has a WorkWell Toolkit that has a range of useful resources and information about common workplace issues (identified now as potential psychosocial hazards), and considerations for employers and leaders to enhance worker mental health and wellbeing. Click on the video to get a sneak peek!