Psychosocial Risks (PSR) often lurk like shadows, more elusive than physical threats. Faced with this ambiguity, many companies adopt a passive stance, hoping for a natural resolution. However, an effective solution is within reach!
Here, you can explore a four-step approach that sheds light on your company's health, assesses the nature and severity of the existing risks, and determines the level of prevention needed to intervene effectively.
The objective of PSR prevention is simple. An analysis of the organisation helps to identify the presence of risks and assess their severity. If the findings indicate low risks, it is advisable to take proactive measures to prevent PSR and maintain the individuals’ well-being. If significant risks are causing more severe harm, it is necessary to act quickly to reduce them by implementing more substantial changes.
Raising Awareness and Communicating About the Approach
For effective mobilisation, all company stakeholders must be informed of PSR. Awareness typically involves communication campaigns to inform about PSR: outlining the risks, its impact on the employee and the company, what a healthy environment looks like, etc. Talking about psychological health is still taboo in some cases. Therefore, it is crucial to inform thoroughly, emphasising that everyone can be affected. Stakeholders must understand the importance of acting on PSR prevention, evidenced by statistics and return on investment.
Identifying the Risks
This step aims to assess the current situation of the company by identifying ongoing risks. The goal is to gain an in-depth understanding of the PSR employees face by defining and evaluating them. Every company is encouraged to create a file that will provide information on the extent of existing PSR. This file will be updated with administrative data and employee feedback. It can be enriched annually with new information to monitor the evolution of PSR and evaluate the results of implemented measures.
To facilitate this process, we offer a tool for PSR analysis: EMOTION 2. It’s scientifically validated and provides concrete information to quantify the presence and nature of PSR. Each individual’s results can then be compiled to obtain comprehensive data on a team, a department, or the entire company.
Planning Actions
Four phases are recommended for optimal management of upcoming changes. Forming a committee consisting of various company stakeholders (leaders, managers, HR, employees, and staff representatives) may be relevant to carry out a global reflection on the risks and possible solutions and facilitate the adherence of as many individuals as possible.
It is important to present the results of the PSR analysis identified in the company, highlighting both the positive aspects and areas of improvement. This sensitive stage may point out aspects some individuals may find difficult to embrace.
Once the situation is communicated, it is necessary to define priority intervention areas. If several PSR have been identified, selecting one or two to act on first is advisable. By prioritising easily resolvable PSR, employee motivation is maintained, and short-term improvements can be observed, enhancing their commitment.
After compiling a list of potential actions, consulting and selecting the actions to be taken is also essential. To help make these decisions, it is crucial to ensure that all required resources are available to carry out each action, while assessing whether the expected results will manifest in the short, medium, or long term.
Implementing Actions and Ensuring Follow-Ups
Once the PSR identification is complete and the actions to be taken are decided, it is time to act. To do this, designing a detailed action plan and a dashboard to plan, track, and evaluate these actions will be helpful. Monitoring, although often neglected, is an essential step to guarantee the effectiveness of the preventive measures implemented.
If positive results are achieved, it is relevant to understand the success criteria and leverage these elements to strengthen your approach and continue PSR prevention. It is also important to regularly update your report on PSR indicators. It is recommended to wait a few months before re-evaluating the figures and acknowledging the changes. You can also re-question employees about their feelings and evaluate the positive evolutions following this approach.
It is fundamental to emphasise that no individual is more predisposed to PSR than another, nor is any company entirely immune. However, measures can be taken by identifying these risk factors and limiting their effects through prevention.
