The Psychosocial Series –
The Control Measures

Because our focus is on the psychosocial hazards relating to the biopsychosocial model, drawing on much of the research¹ undertaken over the past decade, we will concentrate on ‘workplace interactions or behaviours’.

By ‘behaviours’, we are:

  • not just referring to poor interpersonal behaviours between individuals, but are

  • including poor organisational behaviour.

The contents of this guide are for information purposes only and should not be treated as being legal advice.

The research we have drawn upon classifies the different types of control measures into three levels.

Level #1 – Organisational – to address cultural, organisational and structural issues, including attitudes to poor behaviours:

  • A good corporate culture (also known as management commitment or the organisation’s attitude towards poor interpersonal behaviours in the workplace).

  • Workplace policies & procedures.

  • Risk management.

  • Awareness raising to promote positive and psychologically healthy workplaces (also known as ‘social marketing’).

  • Training and support for employees so they feel empowered and protected.

Level #2 – Job – to help mitigate the effects of bullying and reinstate feelings of security for victims of bullying:

  • Changing work conditions.

  • Job descriptions.

  • Physical work environment.

Level #3 – Individual – to prevent and manage bullying:

  • Employee education.

  • Coaching sessions.

  • Executive coaching.

  • Cognitive rehearsal.

  • Expressive writing.

  • Mediation (although there are mixed views on the effectiveness of this type of control).

This research also shows that the most effective way to manage the risk of poor interpersonal behaviours (such as bullying and harassment) and conflict involves a multi-dimensional approach drawing on all three levels of control measures.

¹https://swhelper.org/2013/07/16/the-biopsychosocial-perspective-to-mental-health-and-illness/ accessed on 1 Nov 2022, https://www.mentalhelp.net/depression/biopsychosocial-model/ accessed 1 Nov 2022, Butterworth P, Leach LS & Kiely KM (2013). The relationship between work characteristics, wellbeing, depression and workplace bullying: technical findings from a survey of 32–36 year old workers in Canberra and Queanbeyan, 2013. Canberra: Safe Work Australia, Magee, Christopher, Gordon, Ross, Caputi, Peter, Oades, Lindsay, Reis, Samantha, & Robinson, Laura (2014) Final Report: Workplace Bullying in Australia. beyondblue, Australia, BULLYING & HARASSMENT IN AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACES: RESULTS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACE BAROMETER PROJECT 2014/2015 (NOV 2016) Rachael E Potter, Maureen F Dollard & Michelle R Tuckey, report dated Nov 2016, Engel GL. The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Science, 1977 Apr 8; 196(4286):129-36.doi:10.1126/science.847460. PMID: 847460; Mentally Healthy Workplaces in NSW Discussion Paper, 26 September 2017, Catalogue No. SW08615, © Copyright SafeWork NSW 0917.

This guide will focus on those control measures at Level #1 - Organisational.

A good corporate culture

Generally speaking

To eradicate poor interpersonal behaviours, corporate culture is key.

This is because an organisation’s corporate culture will drive behaviours in the workplace.

It needs to be developed by a PCBU in consultation with its workers so the cultural factors that drive poor interpersonal behaviours in the workplace can be identified and targeted.

It is recommended that a ‘zero tolerance’ approach be adopted with the

  • targeted behaviours being clearly defined, and

  • resultant culture being:

    • communicated clearly throughout the workplace, and

    • embedded across the entire organisation.

To help build a positive interpersonal culture, a PCBU should consider reinforcing behaviours such as civility, trustworthiness, and perspective-taking.

In relation to bullying

To make sure your corporate culture supports your WHS obligations, it is helpful to understand the three ‘domains’ of bullying as this will identify the types of behaviours your corporate culture should address.

The three domains of anti-bullying strategies

The three domains of anti-bullying strategies have been described² as:

  1. Preventing future bullying behaviour.

  2. Stopping incidents of bullying behaviour.

  3. Promoting others to act.

Some behaviours that match these domains

So, keeping in mind that corporate culture drives employee behaviour, the following types of behaviours that correlate each of those domains could include:

  • Everyone – behaving in a respectful manner towards each other while at work.

  • Management – having an open-door policy and acting in a timely and transparent manner in accordance with the business’s workplace bullying policies and procedures.

  • Workers and others in the workplace – ‘looking out’ and ‘stepping up’ for one another.

These are the behaviours that need to be kept in mind when developing your culture statements.

Maintenance of a good corporate culture will be underpinned by having the remaining Level #1 – Organisational control measures in place along with Level #2 – Job and Level #3 – Individual control measures.

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²Pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, accessed 24 February 2025.

Workplace Policies and Procedures

Generally

The purpose of having a policy in place is to clarify the standards of behaviour that are expected in the workplace.

They form only part of the overall strategy for controlling psychosocial risks.

It is important for the unacceptable behaviour to be defined. If it isn’t, then workers may feel that their behaviours are not being monitored and any complaints about certain types of behaviours will be left unaddressed.

This makes it less likely for workers to report poor behaviours, which may have the result of placing a PCBU in breach of their H & S Duties.

To be effective, the policy should:

  • Be developed via consultation – to ensure it is tailored for the PCBU’s workplace both as a whole and for different cohorts within the workplace.

  • Contain mechanisms for identifying and targeting cultural factors that enable poor behaviours to occur in the workplace.

  • Contain very clear steps about:

    • Who to contact.

    • How to make a complaint.

    • What to expect – in terms of

      • How a complaint will be considered,

      • What happens in relation to the investigation, and

      • How their anonymity will be protected.

  • Be communicated and promoted throughout the workplace – examples include having posters, and raising topics relating to their contents during team meetings

  • Be consistently and fairly applied – ensuring that all investigations (and resultant punitive action taken) is impartial and follow the principles of natural justice.

A policy for ‘unacceptable behaviours’

Such behaviours should include behaviours such as stigma and social isolation because they can be harmful and can include behaviours taking place outside work hours (for example, on social media).

The advantage of this approach is that unreasonable behaviours can be addressed before they escalate into workplace bullying.

Risk management

Fortunately, risk management is already a well-understood obligation under WHS laws.

However, when it comes to managing psychosocial risks, having management commitment (a good corporate culture) and consultation processes in place not only complement the risk management process, but are themselves also control measures for poor workplace behaviours.

Other matters that may not be obviously a psychosocial hazard should be considered, for example:

  • physical aspects of the workplace – hot, cramped, crowded, noisy and workers having to share tools and equipment, and

  • organisational change – whether it be budget cuts, technological change or restructuring.

Awareness raising
(known as ‘social marketing’)

It is essential that every PCBU clearly communicate its stance on bullying, harassment and poor behaviours (such as stigma and social exclusion) in general.

It is also important for a PCBU to reinforce the fact that reasonable management action, if done reasonably, is not bullying behaviour or an example of interpersonal conflict.

These communications should be developed from the end user’s perspective.

Training and support

Leaders should be provided with training so they can understand the types of behaviours which increase the risk of psychological harm.

When it comes to managers and supervisors, training in ‘soft skills’ is important. This includes training in relation to communicating effectively, managing difficult conversations, providing constructive feedback both formally and informally, conflict management, effectively managing workloads and performance, and diversity and tolerance.

Training and support should be provided to workers, especially if they are at the ‘coalface’ of these behaviours. It is important to include training that encourages self-reflection (such as awareness of the impact certain behaviours can have on others).

It is also worthwhile to consider providing training to workers so a PCBU can establish a peer contact network in the workplace.

Conclusion

It is important that PCBUs understand that multiple factors can create psychosocial hazards and that risks are best managed by adopting a multi-level approach.

Although there are different models which describe how psychosocial hazards are created, it is useful to know that the control measures outlined in this guide are common to all.

Diagram illustrating how a PCBU manages its risks.