Psychosocial Hazards Focus:
Leadership & Management Support
In the latest instalment of our Psychosocial Hazards Series, we explored the crucial role of leadership and manager support.
In today's fast-paced work environment, the importance of leadership and manager support cannot be overstated. Effective manager support not only enhances employee well-being but also significantly impacts organisational productivity and culture. Effective leadership and strong manager can reduce the adverse effects of high job demands, acting as a buffer against stress and psychosocial risks. Conversely, poor leadership and lack of support can become major sources of chronic stress and heightened psychosocial risk.
We discussed:
- Manager support from a psychosocial risk perspective
- Key leadership qualities that impacted employees' psychological health and safety
- Essential competencies managers needed to support their teams effectively
To access the full content, please watch the recording of the session below.
Definition of Manager Support
Manager support encompasses two main dimensions: emotional and instrumental support.
Emotional Support
This involves empathy, active listening, and demonstrating genuine care for employees.
Instrumental Support
This includes providing actionable assistance or advice and implementing accommodations when necessary.
Understanding these dimensions helps organisations and managers create a supportive environment where employees feel valued and understood.
Source: Karatepe, O. M., & Kilic, H. (2015). Does Manager Support Reduce the Effect of Work–Family Conflict on Emotional Exhaustion and Turnover Intentions? Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 14(3), 267–289.
From a psychosocial risk perspective, Manager Support is a Job resource.
The Impact of Manager Support
Manager support is a critical job resource and a psychosocial protective factor. Research highlights its significant impact on employee well-being and organisational outcomes:
Mental Health Impact
For 69% of people, managers had the greatest impact on their mental health, on par with their partner.
Source: The Workforce Institute at UKG (2023). Mental Health at Work – Managers and Money
Mitigating Work-Life Conflict
Manager support can mitigate the negative impact of work-life conflict and reduce turnover intentions
Source: Karatepe, O. M., & Kilic, H. (2015). Does Manager Support Reduce the Effect of Work–Family Conflict on Emotional Exhaustion and Turnover Intentions? Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 14(3), 267–289.
Reducing Emotional Exhaustion
Manager support can reduce emotional exhaustion and poor wellbeing caused by high job demands in lean settings
Source: Huo, M.-L., Boxall, P., & Cheung, G. W. (2022). Lean production, work intensification and employee wellbeing: Can line-manager support make a difference? Economic and Industrial Democracy, 43(1), 198–220.
Enhancing Well-being
Manager support and the perceived importance management places upon mental health issues had a positive effect on employee mental health in Australian emergency services, even for those employees with a mental disorder
Source: Petrie, K., Gayed, A., Bryan, B. T., Deady, M., Madan, I., Savic, A., Wooldridge, Z., Counson, I., Calvo, R. A., Glozier, N., & Harvey, S. B. (2018). The importance of manager support for the mental health and well-being of ambulance personnel. PLOS ONE, 13(5), e0197802.
Leadership Qualities and Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC)
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Psychosocial Safety Climate can be defined as:
= the organisational climate for employee psychological health, wellbeing, and safety.
= shared employee perceptions of an organisation’s policies, practices, procedures and systems for the protection of psychological health and safety, and the level of support and endorsement of these within the organisation (Dollard & Bakker, 2010)
Why Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) matters
- Â A 10% increase in PSC should lead to a 4% decrease in job demands, a 4.5% decrease in burnout, an 8% increase in job resources, and a 6% increase in engagement (Dollard et al., 2012)
- Â Elimination of low range PSC in Australian workplaces could lead to a 14% reduction in job strain, and a 13% reduction in worker depression (Bailey, Dollard & Richards, 2015).
- Elimination of low and mid-range PSC could lead to a 43% reduction in sickness absence and a 72% reduction in presenteeism (Becher & Dollard, 2016).
Reflection Questions
To assess the effectiveness of your senior leadership in managing psychosocial risks, consider the following questions:
- Does senior management understand psychosocial risk?
- Does senior management take active steps to manage psychosocial hazards?
- Does senior management act quickly to correct problems affecting employees' psychological health?
- Does senior management see staff well-being as a priority?
- Does senior management consider employee psychological health as important as productivity?
Manager Competencies
Effective manager support requires specific competencies.
Two frameworks outline these competencies:
Framework 1. Petrie et al. (2018)
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My line manager:
1. pays attention to my feelings and problems, and notices if I’m not feeling well.
2. shows that they appreciate the way I do my job.
3. helps me with a certain task if necessary.
4. gives me advice on how to handle things if necessary.
5. would be someone I would speak to if I was experiencing workplace stress.
6. is considerate when managing team members.
7. involves me in decision-making.
8. is accessible and approachable to people in the team.
9. remains objective when an issue between staff members arise.
Framework 2. HBW Manager’s Toolkit: Psychosocial Risk Management
My line manager:
1. understands what psychosocial hazards are and how they impact mental health
2. understands when the risk of compensation claims/stress leave arises and how to mitigate it
3. identifies the signs of stress and poor mental health in staff and in themselves
4. has effective and regular conversations with staff about psychosocial hazards and mental health
5. sets in place appropriate controls and interventions to manage workplace stress
6. puts in place appropriate measure to manage one’s own mental health
7. understands the support available in the organisation, makes use of it and shares it with staff
8. enacts positive behaviours that promote psychological health and safety
For more details, please watch the recording of the live webinar below:
