A worker’s response to stressors at work may be positive or negative for worker wellbeing, depending on a number of



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www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

1300 362 128

The eight risk factors for work-related stress are interrelated so 

it is best not to consider them in isolation.  There is a greater 

risk of work-related stress when a number of these stressors or 

risk factors act in combination.

The following eight risk factors have been identified as being 

associated with work-related stress related ill health. 

1. Work demands

Everyone has a given capacity for work and if a person’s 

capacity is exceeded the person may experience 

work-related stress. 

Some common work demands include:

•  time pressure including inadequate time and resources to 

complete jobs satisfactorily, working too hard or too fast 

and difficult targets.

•  high mental task demands such as work that requires 

high-level decision making or prolonged periods of 

concentration.  

•  work that is monotonous and dull or does not utilise a 

worker’s range of skills or previous training.

•  high emotional task demands, including work that 

is emotionally disturbing or requires high emotional 

involvement.

•  working long hours or overtime, working through breaks 

or taking work home.

•  shift rosters that are unpredictable and/or affect amount 

and quality of sleep, or make it difficult to balance work 

and family life.

2. Low levels of control

The risk factor of ‘control’ refers to how much influence a 

person has in how they meet their task demands and how 

they perform their work in general (also known as autonomy). 

Unnecessary levels of supervision and surveillance, excessive 

responsibility but little authority or decision making and little 

or no say in how work is done can all lead to a stress response. 

A person’s tasks need to be meaningful, varied and allow for 

an appropriate degree of autonomy. It is possible for everyone 

in an organisation (not just those in senior positions) to feel 

they have input into their work simply by the communication 

and consultation strategies that are utilised in the work team.

3. Poor support from supervisors and/

or co-workers

This important risk factor covers aspects such as whether 

workers feel they are given constructive feedback, whether 

they can talk to their supervisor and peers about work 

problems, whether their supervisor helps fix work problems, 

whether peers help out when things are tough and whether 

it is possible to talk to, and form relationships with, work 

colleagues. The way workers are supported is key to reducing 

or moderating work-related stress. For instance, support may 

be provided through practical assistance in performing tasks 

or through the provision of information. It can also come in 

the form of emotional support, which refers to non-tangible 

assistance such as talking over a problem with a worker, 

providing positive feedback/encouragement or informally 

congratulating a member of a team for a job well done.

Risk factors for work-related stress are aspects of work that are associated 

with psychiatric, psychological and/or physical injury or illness.

Risk factors for work-related 

stress

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland



Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

04

www.worksafe.qld.gov.au



Department of Justice and Attorney-General

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

Support provided by peers and supervisors can ‘cushion’ the 

stress responses people might otherwise experience where their 

jobs are demanding and they feel that they are not in control. 

This gives them greater coping resources in times of high work 

demand.

4. Lack of role clarity



Role confusion arises when workers do not have clarity 

regarding their work objectives and key accountabilities, their 

co-workers’ expectations of them and the overall scope and 

responsibilities of their job. A wide range of situations can 

create confusion, for instance beginning a new job or starting 

in a new organisation, a transfer, a new supervisor or manager 

or a change in the structure of a work unit.

Role conflict occurs when a worker is required to perform 

a role that conflicts with their values or when they are torn 

between incompatible job demands. The greater the role 

conflict, the higher the likelihood of a worker experiencing 

work-related stress.  

The risk of work-related stress can be reduced by ensuring 

workers understand their role within the organisation and that 

any expectations placed on them do not conflict.   

5. Poorly managed relationships

Colleagues can be important sources of support but they can 

also be potential sources of stress. Relationships with bosses, 

peers and subordinates can positively or negatively affect the 

way a worker feels and it is likely that wherever groups of 

people work together, some conflict will arise from time to 

time. This is normal and in some cases can provide positive 

impetus for innovation and growth. Conflict becomes a risk 

factor however, where it remains unresolved or becomes 

particularly intense. This may include prolonged friction and 

anger between colleagues, strained relationships or bullying. 

It is important that proactive steps be taken by the individuals 

and/or by management to resolve conflict early.

6. Low levels of recognition and 

reward


Rewarding workers’ efforts and recognising individual and 

team contributions and achievements within the organisation 

is important when trying to minimise the risk of work-related 

stress. Appraisal and recognition can be achieved through 

tangible rewards or through feedback on task performance and 

providing opportunities for the development of skills.     

Worker recognition is a communication tool that reinforces 

and rewards the actions and behaviours you most want people 

to repeat. Providing worker recognition by saying “thank you” 

encourages more of the same actions and thinking. Workers 

who feel appreciated are more positive about themselves and 

their ability to contribute.

7. Poorly managed change

This risk factor refers to how organisational change (large or 

small) is managed and communicated in the organisation. 

Change can be related to alterations in individual work 

conditions such as a change of role or shift roster or the 

introduction of new technology, or can be related to work-

team or organisational level changes such as mergers, 

acquisitions, restructures or downsizing. Poor management 

of this process can lead to workers feeling anxious and 

uncertain about aspects of their work or employment status.  

Communicating what the organisation wants to achieve 

through the change and involving and supporting workers 

throughout the process is crucial.  

8. Organisational justice

Organisational justice refers to perceptions of fairness about 

work procedures and how they are enacted. Procedural fairness 

generally relates to how procedures are implemented within 

the organisation. For example, procedures are regarded as fair 

when they are unbiased, consistently applied, use accurate 

information and are open to appeal processes.

Relational fairness refers to the degree of dignity and 

respect afforded to a worker during a process. It is important 

for employers to promote a positive and fair working 

environment, with the experience of injustice being potentially 

harmful to both the individual and the organisation. 

© The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2014.

Copyright protects this document. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, but asserts its right to be recognised as author of the original material and the right to have the material unaltered.

The material presented in this publication is distributed by the Queensland Government as an information source only. The State of Queensland makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness 

of the information contained in this publication, and the reader should not rely on it. The Queensland Government disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including, without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, 

losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason.

AEU 14/5347

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland 



www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

1300 362 128

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

Work demands

Possible solutions

Decisions need to be made about what practical solutions 

(control measures) will be used in the workplace to prevent

eliminate or minimise the effect of work-related stressors on 

worker health. 

Time pressure 

When there is a demanding workload:

•   Ensure workers have adequate time to complete their 

tasks and allow them to have input when determining the 

timing and pace of their work.

•   Consult with workers when determining performance 

targets, set targets that are realistic and achievable, 

and take into account existing workloads when setting 

targets. Team-based targets are an effective measure for 

improving overall performance against the organisational 

goals and building effective teams.

•   Regularly review workloads to ensure workers have 

sufficient resources (in terms of time, administrative 

support or equipment) to cope. Workloads can be 

reviewed during team meetings, through an informal 

check-in with the supervisor or by undertaking worksite 

assessments.

Work demands are one of the most common sources of work-related 

stress. While workers need challenging tasks to maintain their interest and 

motivation, and to develop new skills, it is important that demands do not 

exceed their ability to cope. Workers can usually cope with demanding work 

if it is not excessive, if they are supported by supervisors and colleagues, 

and if they are given the right amount of autonomy. 

At the organisational level, controls target the work 

itself and focus on job design, work environment and 

working conditions. 

For the risk factor ‘high work demands’, organisational 

level solutions address time pressure, long or irregular 

working hours, mental demands, physical demands 

and emotional demands.

05

www.worksafe.qld.gov.au



Department of Justice and Attorney-General

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

•   Monitor workloads during periods of peak demand (e.g. 

Christmas, school holidays or seasonal peaks) and provide 

additional support where required.

•   Assist workers in the development of personal work plans 

to help them prioritise their tasks.

•   Negotiate reasonable deadlines for completing tasks. 

During periods where deadlines are tight, inform workers 

of the reasons behind the deadlines and why it is 

important they are met.

•   Encourage workers to speak up at an early stage if 

they feel their task demands are excessive and to seek 

guidance from management about priorities if there are 

insufficient resources to effectively complete the tasks.

When there are under- or over-qualified workers:

•   It is important workers are competent at their job and 

that their work is rewarding, therefore:  

 

-  design jobs to be within workers’ capabilities 



 

-   consider workers’ skills and abilities when allocating 

tasks 

 

-   provide training and skill development when needed.



•   Develop a system to keep training records up-to-date, 

ensuring workers are competent and comfortable in 

undertaking the core functions of their job.

•   Limit giving workers tasks that under-utilise their skills. 

They may feel frustrated and unmotivated if they are not 

being challenged in their work.  

•   Consult with workers about the opportunity to broaden 

the scope of their job by expanding the range of job tasks 

and responsibilities assigned to them.

•   Avoid repetitive and monotonous work by rotating job 

tasks.

When there are demanding hours of work, including 



overtime and shiftwork:

•   Ensure sufficient cover for workers who are on annual 

or sick leave. If overtime is necessary, plan ahead so that 

workers can schedule their activities around it.

•   Develop a system to notify workers of unplanned tight 

deadlines and any exceptional need to work long hours.

•   Ensure adequate work breaks and, where practicable, 

allow some flexibility in the timing of breaks.

•   Strive to make working hours regular and predictable. 

•   Avoid encouraging workers to regularly work long hours, 

take work home or work through breaks. 

•   Ensure workers have adequate time management skills 

and provide training where needed. 

•   Promote a work-life balance and encourage workers to 

take annual leave or holidays when they are due.

•   Ensure shift rosters are agreed to by workers and provide 

communication and consultation when designing or 

changing rosters. 

•   Educate workers about the early warning signs of stress 

and fatigue. Encourage them to report their tiredness and 

take breaks when they need to.

•   Ensure the roster provides for a continuous seven to eight 

hours sleep in each 24 hours, and at least 50 hours sleep 

for every seven days.

•   Limit overtime and do not allow workers to regularly 

exceed a 12 hour shift.  

•   Minimise safety critical tasks during the early hours of 

the morning (3 am to 5 am).

•   Have a policy on second jobs – ensure that the worker 

understands the need to get sufficient sleep.

Mental demands

There are a number of ways to manage work that requires 

lengthy periods of concentration:

•   Rotate tasks and schedules so that workers are not always 

assigned jobs that require an extreme focus of their 

attention.

•   Give workers some control over the way they do their 

work including work pace and order of tasks (see Tip 



Sheet 6: Solutions – Low levels of control for more 

information).

•   Allow sufficient time for breaks.

For work that requires complex and high-level decision 

making:

•   Provide sufficient information to enable workers to 



perform tasks competently, including adequate support 

and resources for decision-making.

•   Provide additional practical assistance when workers are 

doing challenging tasks.

•   Allow workers sufficient time to perform the tasks 

assigned and provide suitable equipment which is 

appropriately maintained.

•   Evaluate and review workers’ competency and capability 

and provide additional training where needed.

•   Have systems in place to support workers when they are 

required to make difficult decisions or when there are 

negative consequences to decisions they have made (e.g. 

child safety workers).

Refer to the Managing Fatigue guide for practical 

information about managing fatigue in the workplace.


Physical demands

•   Manage environmental hazards such as noise, vibration, 

poor lighting or poorly designed equipment.

•   Make the physical environment as comfortable as 

possible and designed specifically for the tasks being 

undertaken (e.g. make changes to the work station, tools 

or equipment, or the way a job is done where needed).

•   Allow workers to take regular breaks away from 

physically demanding work and where practicable, rotate 

repetitive tasks between workers.

•   Ensure workers are well trained and capable of 

undertaking the required tasks.

Emotional demands

Some forms of work are inherently high in emotional 

demands, including work that is emotionally disturbing, 

requires high emotional involvement or requires workers to 

regularly hide their emotions (e.g. customer service work).

For work that is emotionally demanding:

•   Where possible, allow workers greater control over their 

jobs (e.g. empowering workers to make decisions that will 

reduce emotional demands such as giving a refund for a 

product).

•   Give workers the opportunity to get some distance from 

work that is emotionally demanding and encourage 

regular breaks or ‘time out’.

•   Provide training to workers on how to diffuse difficult or 

confronting situations (e.g. conflict management skills) 

and ensure they have available support from supervisors.

•   Provide additional training and support to workers 

who are required to interact with clients (e.g. patients, 

customers, children, passengers or guests) and who may 

have to spend more time regulating their own emotions 

or display a higher variety of emotions at odds with their 

true feelings.

•   Assess the risk of client-initiated violence and aggression 

and develop and implement systems to manage this risk 

where workers are exposed.

•   Make psychological/medical support available to workers 

who are directly and indirectly involved in a traumatic 

event or in other emotionally demanding work.

•   Where emotional demands are an unavoidable part of 

a workers’ role, ensure these are captured in a position 

description and that applicants are informed at the pre-

selection stage (e.g. at interview) of the demanding nature 

of the role.

© The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2014.

Copyright protects this document. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, but asserts its right to be recognised as author of the original material and the right to have the material unaltered.

The material presented in this publication is distributed by the Queensland Government as an information source only. The State of Queensland makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness 

of the information contained in this publication, and the reader should not rely on it. The Queensland Government disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including, without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, 

losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason.

At the individual level, solutions are aimed at 

assisting individuals to cope or build resilience. 

Appropriate activities to be considered at this level of 

intervention include:

•   corporate induction programs

•   access to employee assistance programs

•   training about resilience

•   health and wellbeing programs

•   counselling/therapy for people experiencing 

distress from sources both in and outside of the 

workplace.

AEU 14/5347

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland 

www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

1300 362 128


Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

Levels of control

Some jobs are inherently low in control–for example call 

centres–but it is possible for all organisations to enhance 

workers’ control over their work in a number of ways.

Possible solutions

Decisions need to be made about what practical solutions 

(control measures) will be used in the workplace to prevent, 

eliminate or minimise the effect of work-related stressors on 

worker health. 



Choice/self direction

•   A worker’s tasks need to be meaningful, varied and allow 

for an appropriate degree of self direction. 

•   Let workers have a say in how their own work is 

organised rather than imposing direction. Allow them to 

have input on:

 

—   how job tasks should be completed (where the order 



and timing of tasks are not critical to the outcome)

 

—   how problems should be tackled



 

—   the pace of their work. 

•   Ensure workers have the skills required to achieve 

most of their goals. Where skills are lacking, discuss 

opportunities for development.

•   Use performance reviews as a positive opportunity for 

workers to have input into the way they do their work, 

rather than focusing only on inadequate performance.

•   Provide opportunities for job rotation to enable skill 

development and job variation. 

This risk factor addresses the level of influence workers have on how they meet 

their task demands and the way they perform their work in general. Low levels 

of job control, where there is high work demand and low support from  

co-workers or supervisors, can increase the likelihood of worker strain occurring.

At the organisational level, controls target the work 

itself and focus on job design, the work environment, 

and on working conditions.

For the risk factor ‘low levels of control’, organisational 

level solutions address levels of self direction, allowing 

input into decision making, fostering consultation and 

communication and supervising workers appropriately.

06

www.worksafe.qld.gov.au



Department of Justice and Attorney-General

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

Input into decision-making 

Everyone in an organisation should feel they have input 

into their work — not just those in senior positions. There 

are a number of ways an organisation can ensure everyone 

contributes to decision-making:

•   Hold regular team meetings during which workers can 

have input into decisions that concern their work.

•   Involve workers in the allocation of responsibility for 

tasks within teams and in determining work objectives 

and anticipated outputs, roles, timeframes and resourcing.

•   Provide training to develop supportive leaders who 

delegate and encourage participation and welcome new 

ideas.

•   Encourage a participative approach to management 



through all of the above.


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