Psychosocial risks at work: 5 steps to take action in your organization

How to prevent psychosocial risks at work

A team may receive help managing stress while continuing to face an unrealistic workload. Management also needs to examine the tasks, resources, deadlines and practices that create or increase pressure.

Which psychosocial risks should you examine

Work-related psychosocial risks can affect physical and psychological health. CNESST identifies situations involving violence, harassment and exposure to a potentially traumatic event, as well as organizational factors to address through prevention. Read CNESST’s guidance - French resource

The five factors below provide a starting point for examining daily work. Consider them together: limited decision-making autonomy, for example, may make an already heavy workload harder to manage. See the factors presented by CNESST - French resource

Do you recognize several of these situations in your team? An initial conversation can help clarify which factors to examine and the next steps.

What are the prevention obligations in Quebec

The Act respecting occupational health and safety provides for the protection of workers’ health and physical and psychological integrity. Psychosocial risks must be included in the prevention process. The required mechanism depends on the establishment, its workforce and any applicable special rules.

CNESST’s general guidelines are:

• 19 workers or fewer: an action plan, subject to situations requiring a prevention program;
• 20 workers or more: a prevention program;
• membership in a prevention mutual group: a prevention program is required, even in a small establishment.

Other situations, including the multi-establishment approach or a CNESST requirement, may affect the assessment. Specific rules also govern how workers are counted. Check the applicable prevention and participation mechanisms - French resource and situations requiring a prevention program - French resource.

The process must be applied in daily work: documents help organize and monitor the measures. To discuss your prevention framework, explore our occupational health and safety support.

The 5 steps to prevent psychosocial risks in your organization

The following steps are a management approach proposed by Exact HR. Adapt them to the risks present and the obligations that apply to your establishment.

1. Gather facts and consult staff

Start with what you can observe: periods of overload, absences, departures, overtime, incidents or recurring difficulties. Compare this information with staff feedback and the participation mechanisms in place.

Ask questions about the work: “When does the workload become difficult to absorb?”, “Which requests conflict?” or “What support do you need to complete the task?”.

2. Analyze the causes in how work is organized

Repeated delays may result from excessive volume, an unnecessarily lengthy procedure, insufficient training or conflicting expectations. Understand what explains the situation before choosing a solution.

Distinguish facts from interpretations. “Three people wait for the same approval every Friday” provides a more useful basis for analysis than “the team lacks autonomy.”

3. Prioritize risks and assign actions

Assess risks based on their severity, frequency of exposure and existing measures. Prioritization helps organize the work; it does not justify delaying necessary protection when there is a danger.

For each measure, assign someone with the authority and resources to carry it out. Define what must be done and when results will be reviewed.

4. Change the conditions that contribute to the risk

Choose a measure that addresses the observed cause: redistribute urgent requests, clarify priorities, adjust deadlines or define which decisions the team can make independently.

Individual support and assistance resources remain valuable. A persistently excessive workload also requires decisions about volume, resources or task organization.

5. Check the impact and adjust the measures

Ask whether the measure works in practice. Are urgent requests better distributed? Do approvals still hold up tasks? Is overload decreasing without shifting to another team?

CNESST reminds employers to implement their action plan, follow up and verify the effectiveness of measures. Read the guidance on implementing an action plan - French resource

An example of a measure and follow-up for recurring overload

This fictional example concerns a team receiving too many requests labelled urgent. Adapt the measures, roles and dates to each organization’s circumstances.

You have identified concerns, but choosing measures is proving difficult? Exact HR can help structure your approach and clarify priority interventions.

How an organizational assessment can help

A questionnaire or assessment can reveal perceptions and situations that a management meeting does not capture. Its value depends on how the results are analyzed, explained and used.

Exact360 is an initiative powered by Exact HR. Depending on the approach selected, the tool can support an organizational overview and help prioritize action. Collection methods, access to responses and how results will be presented should be clarified before the process begins.

Explore the Exact360 self-assessment for psychosocial risks

Such a tool does not replace a harassment investigation, legal analysis or clinical assessment. A report of concern requires appropriate handling, even while a survey is underway.