PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK FACTORS AT WORK - JOB - 2025

The psychosocial risk factors at work involve those conditions in the workplace that may harm the health of workers, causing stress and more long - term illnesses.

The concept of psychosocial risks is different from that of psychosocial factors, since the latter encompasses both negative and positive conditions in the workplace that can affect the employee. Instead, psychosocial risks only focus on events, situations or states of the body that have a high probability of affecting the health of workers.

Thus, it is understood that if companies are dysfunctional, they will give rise to responses of tension, stress and adaptation problems that can later endanger the health of the worker, as well as their performance at work.

However, the effects of psychosocial risks may be different for each worker. That is why it is said that it is something subjective, since the same conditions can be very annoying for one individual, while for another they are acceptable.

Fortunately, preventive strategies are currently being implemented in companies with the aim of avoiding and / or eliminating possible psychosocial risk factors.

What are the psychosocial risk factors at work?

Probably not everything works perfectly in the workplace, however, if several psychosocial risk factors accumulate, workers may begin to feel frustrated and unmotivated.

There are a wide variety of ways in which an organization or company can be dysfunctional and cause stress for its members. Here you can read a classification of psychosocial risk factors:

Issues regarding job content

For example, it refers to routine work, performing tasks that do not make sense or unpleasant, low use of skills, high uncertainty about the mode of execution, etc.

Degree of responsibility or control

It is about the level of control that the individual perceives that they have over how to achieve the objectives of their work and over the actions of the organization.

For example, that the worker is not taken into account in the decisions made by the company, so that he has no control over the changes that take place there. A few are those who are in charge of distinguishing what is best for the company and what is not, ignoring the voices of other workers.

Nor can they decide on the load or speed of work, their schedules, breaks, quantity or variety of tasks, etc. Just as they have little freedom in choosing how to achieve their job goals.

Conflicts associated with schedules

Other risk factors are associated with work hours. That is to say, that the schedule is very inflexible, that many hours are worked in a row, not having moments of rest, unpredictable or changing hours, working at night, etc.

Work rate or overload

This is one of the most stressful risk factors for workers. It refers to overwork, having to do tasks very quickly and in a limited period of time, very intense work that requires a lot of energy, urgent and strict deadlines for the completion of tasks, etc. This also includes the pressure to work overtime.

Bad teams and bad atmosphere

It can also cause significant discomfort if the instruments or equipment being worked with is reduced or not in good condition. That the physical environment is uncomfortable, lack of space, little light, a lot of noise, etc.

Lack of organization

Some examples are the lack of communication between the members of the company, the lack of support, poorly defined and chaotic tasks and objectives, etc.

Relationships

It is about social or physical isolation, little relationship or distancing from bosses, lack of social support, conflicts between workers…

This category also includes the help that, offered by other colleagues or superiors, or a poor disposition of these to attend to the worker's problems.

Role problems

The worker may have difficulties or doubts regarding their role in the organization or the degree of responsibility they have over other workers.

For example, there may be a phenomenon called role ambiguity, which means that the individual does not know what the company expects of him, since his role is not defined, and, therefore, he does not know if he is doing the job properly or no.

It can also happen that the worker has to adopt two incompatible roles or that two groups in the organization expect different behaviors in the same person. The latter is called a role conflict.

Personal or career development

In this case, there is a career stoppage or uncertainty about it. Although it includes the case that the work being performed is socially little valued.

It is also a threat to perceive that there is no possibility of promoting in the same company, even if it improves. It may also happen that the worker feels that he receives a remuneration that is not adequate for the training he has.

Relationship between work and family

That there is no support from the family, or that there are family and work demands that are conflicting or incompatible.

That is, it refers to the existence of difficulties in maintaining a balance between the demands of the family and the demands of work. The lack of this balance has been found to be related to a decrease in job performance.

On the other hand, if there are conflicts between family and work, it may be likely that the person affected will leave the company. This is because he will perceive it as an impediment to attend to his family responsibilities.

Contractual insecurity

Regarding the contract, it may happen that the work is temporary, that it creates a feeling of uncertainty in the individual, that it is precarious, or that the worker perceives that the remuneration is not sufficient.

In this sense, the person finds himself in a feeling of significant uncertainty about his future work, mainly due to the consequent economic insecurity for himself and his family.

Another frequent phenomenon is anticipation stress. That is, the worker does not stop thinking about the problems he will have if he loses his job, which generates high levels of stress that can be more harmful than the loss of a job itself.

In France and Spain, temporary jobs have been found to be associated with more occupational accidents (Benach, Gimeno and Benavides, 2002). In addition to the risk of increased mortality, morbidity and poor quality of life.

Consequences of psychosocial risks

Currently the psychosocial risk factors are accentuated by the existing economic situation in which precarious employment prevails, insecurity, irregular hours, work overload, etc. Therefore, more and more workers are affected.

This is important, since the costs derived from psychosocial risks are exaggeratedly high; in addition to influencing the quality of life of workers, the development of the organization, and individual and global productivity.

Some of the consequences that psychosocial risks have for workers are:

Work stress

It is a consequence of psychosocial risk factors and, at the same time, a cause of other associated problems. For example, job stress is the leading cause of sick leave and absenteeism, right after the flu.

According to the European Commission, it is defined as the pattern of emotional, physiological, cognitive and behavioral reactions to harmful conditions of the organization, content and work environment. It is characterized by a high level of excitement, accompanied by the feeling of not being able to face it.

Stress in itself is not a disease, but a natural response to certain demands of the environment that surrounds us. The problem is triggered when stress is prolonged and extends over time, causing multiple health hazards.

Burnout syndrome or wasting

This syndrome differs from work stress in that emotional exhaustion, rather than physical, is the main symptom.

It arises from a state of chronic stress; and generates a significant lack of motivation, negative attitude towards work and clients, frustration, and a feeling of wasting their abilities as a professional.

Poor performance at work

Due to discontent and stress, the individual cannot perform his job properly. If, in addition, other health problems begin to appear, such as depression or muscle aches, it is very likely that productivity will decrease since it is not in optimal conditions.

Little sense of community or belonging to a group

The workers do not feel part of the company and, therefore, are little involved in its actions.

Violence

The various unpleasant feelings caused by dissatisfaction with work can lead to different types of violence against other colleagues, bosses and users or clients.

Violence is any conduct at work that can cause physical or psychological harm to people in or outside the organization. Immediate injuries are included as physical violence, while within psychological violence there can be moral, sexual or discriminatory harassment.

In this area, workplace harassment or mobbing is also frequent, where the worker suffers a real psychological torture by another or other members of the company, with the aim of tormenting him, and forcing him to leave the job.

Health problems

When in the long term the demands of the job are not adapted to the needs or capacities of the worker, or their work is not rewarded, health problems can appear.

Mainly they are more likely to appear if several factors accumulate such as dissatisfaction with working conditions, stress, burnout syndrome, or receiving workplace harassment.

It is widely proven that psychosocial risks endanger the health of the affected person, both physically and mentally.

Mental health

Regarding mental health, chronic stress is the main consequence. Stress is manifested by high levels of fatigue and physical and emotional exhaustion. Another sign is that it generates high levels of frustration.

Coupled with this, it is common for depressive or anxiety disorders, low self-esteem, apathy, substance abuse problems, insomnia, lack of concentration, hopelessness, etc. to appear.

The presence of parasuicidal (or self-destructive, such as abusing drugs, not following medication or engaging in risky sexual relationships) is also very common. On many occasions, suicidal ideas arise that in the long term can lead to an actual suicide attempt.

Another increasingly common mental disorder in the workplace is post-traumatic stress disorder.

This condition appears in a traumatic situation for the person, which causes extreme fear or pain. Finally, the affected person avoids any situation that reminds them of that trauma, although it sometimes appears intrusively in their thoughts or dreams.

At work it usually appears in cases of having been the victim of violent behavior, sexual harassment or mobbing.

Tiredness and aches

More specifically, they cause chronic fatigue, so that those affected always feel physically tired, muscle aches mainly in the back and neck, headaches, psychosomatic conditions (when stress, or other problems of a psychological nature cause physical symptoms such as pain).

References

1. Role ambiguity as a psychosocial risk. (sf). Retrieved on November 2, 2016, from PsicoPreven.
2. Psychosocial risk prevention guide. (November 2014). Obtained from the Basque Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.
3. INTRODUCTION. WHAT ARE PSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS? (sf). Retrieved on November 2, 2016, from Conecta Pyme.
4. Rodríguez-Muñoz, A., Moreno-Jiménez. B., Sanz-Vergel, AI, & Garrosa, E. (2010). Posttraumatic symptoms among victims of workplace bullying: exploring gender differences and shattered assumptions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
5. Taylor, K. &. (2015). Psychosocial risk factors: what are they and why are they important? Obtained from Wellnomics.