Team Wellbeing & Psychosocial Risk
Recognise and address workload, isolation, and stress before they become crises.
Learning objectives
- 1.Identify psychosocial risk factors in your team
- 2.Use institutional support resources appropriately
- 3.Design workload and ways of working that are sustainable
EC competencies developed
Full framework →Managers as wellbeing stewards
DG HR and occupational health frameworks recognise psychosocial risks: excessive workload, role conflict, lack of autonomy, poor social support, violence and harassment. Managers are not therapists — but they control many risk levers: priorities, clarity, fairness, recovery time.
- Regular workload check-ins (not only at appraisal)
- Clear priorities when everything cannot be urgent
- Encourage use of leave and breaks
- Refer to medical/OHS services when appropriate
- Address bullying and overload structurally
Remote and hybrid wellbeing
Teleworking flexibility is valuable but can blur boundaries and isolate staff. Agree core availability, encourage social connection, and watch for 'always on' norms in chat channels.
Ask periodically: 'What would make your workload sustainable over the next three months?' Listen to the answer.
Critical incident response
Teams may face traumatic events — security incidents, sudden colleague death, high-profile media attacks on their work. Know how to activate support, communicate with compassion, and temporarily adjust expectations.
Practice
Hands-onApply this lesson before you move on. Your work is saved in your personal workbook.
One structural wellbeing fix
Resilience tips are not enough. Commit to one structural change that reduces overload or isolation in your team.
Key takeaways
- ★Wellbeing is a management competency with legal and human dimensions
- ★Structural fixes beat individual resilience rhetoric
- ★Know institutional support channels before you need them
You haven't finished the practice block yet. You can still mark the lesson complete — or finish the practice first (recommended).