Psychosocial Dx Survey

Uncover and Act of Psychosocial Risks with Confidence

FAQs

1.) What is a psychosocial hazard and how does the Job Demands‑Job Resources-Worker Outcomes (JD-JR-WO) model explain it?
A psychosocial hazard is any aspect of work design, management, environment, plant, or workplace behaviour that can cause psychological or physical harm (e.g., high job demands, low control, poor support, bullying, violence, traumatic events).

The JD-JR-WO model shows job demands (e.g., workload, time pressure, role conflict) drive strain and health impairment, while job resources (e.g., autonomy, clarity, support, justice) drive motivation and engagement and buffer the impact of demands.

2.) What are the most common psychosocial hazards Australian employers need to manage?
Common hazards include high/low job demands, low job control, poor role clarity, inadequate support, workplace conflict, bullying/harassment (including sexual/gender‑based), violence/aggression, traumatic events, poor organisational change management, inadequate recognition, and remote/isolated work.
JD-JR-WO evidence links demands to burnout and resources to engagement, across multiple occupations.

3.) How do psychosocial hazards cause harm and what worker outcomes should we track?
Prolonged or intense stress from psychosocial hazards can cause psychological harm (e.g., anxiety, depression, PTSD, sleep disorders) and physical harm (e.g., fatigue‑related injuries, musculoskeletal issues).

In JD-JR-WO terms, demands → burnout/exhaustion while resources → engagement; burnout mediates the path to health problems, whereas engagement links to positive outcomes (e.g., lower turnover intention, better service quality).

4.) What are our legal duties in Australia and how does JD‑JR-WO help prove “reasonably practicable” risk management?

PCBUs must eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks, consult workers, apply the hierarchy of controls, and review controls—obligations now explicit in codes and regulations (e.g., NSW Code of Practice).
Using JD‑JR-WO, you systematically identify demands/resources, assess interactions, then control by redesigning work to reduce demands or increase resources first (higher‑order controls), before relying on training/EAP (lower‑order).

5.) How does FEFO Consulting apply the JD‑JR-WO model in Australian workplaces?

• JD‑JR Rapid Assessment: Classify psychosocial factors and existing controls as Demands, Resources, Job Resources or Worker Outcomes; map hot‑spots by business unit; consult workers in line with the Code.
• Control Bundles: Pair demand‑reduction (e.g., workload levelling, change pacing) with resource‑boosting (e.g., role clarity, supervisor capability, procedural justice) for durable risk reduction.
• Governance & Metrics: Build board dashboards around JD‑JR pathways—Demands → Burnout/Incidents and Resources → Engagement/Performance—to evidence continuous improvement.

Refer to the Psychosocial Risk Assessment webpage to understand how to use diagnostic surveys to inform risk. 

Refer to the Psychosocial Performance Assessment webpage to understand how to use diagnostic surveys to inform how to combine survey data with other inputs for a holistic understanding of your organisation’s psychosocial performance.