Psychological aspects of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)..

In Kenya, the Ministry of Labour's Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) offers guidelines and training to safeguard the well-being of employees and the overall workplace environment. Various standardized assessments are carried out to confirm that the workplace environment minimizes risks and identifies potential hazards to prevent harm.

When it comes to risk assessments, factors like psychosocial risk factors, which involve the daily interactions among individuals, may need a unique approach. This is because there are non-physical elements that can impact the workplace as much as, if not more than, physical factors such as noise, toxins, or heat. The following points illustrate how these factors can pose hazards in the work environment:

Insufficient Social Support (from employees and supervisors) - Ensuring that job roles are clearly defined in alignment with the company's mission and vision helps to unify everyone in the organization towards common objectives. A breakdown in communication within the organizational hierarchy can lead to frustration and hinder productivity among employees. Both employees should improve their listening skills and utilize the resources available within the organization to articulate performance expectations in a non-critical manner.

Significant Job Demand - These demands can manifest in different ways, including quantitative requirements typically outlined in each employee's Key Performance Indicators. Additionally, cognitive demands necessitate extensive memory retention, innovative thinking, and challenging decision-making for the benefit of the department or organization. Various factors, such as interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts, may remain unnoticed but significantly affect the quality of work produced. Recognizing these aspects plays a crucial role in determining our responses to such demands.

Interpersonal relationships and leadership

Clarity in the objectives and expectations form part of the leadership qualities that human resource managers and supervisors can engage in. One of the core aspects of creating a wellness culture and environment is allowing for input from ask employees and guiding them when necessary. To the extent that a leader is able to guide the team in a phase of crisis, to the extent that trust is build, which is essential to productivity.

Offensive behavior

Sexual harassment, threats of violence, physical violence, unwelcome teasing, gossip, and slander are all examples of offensive conduct in the workplace. These behaviors indicate deeper issues that both the victims and the offenders should confront, particularly in a secure and non-judgmental setting, from a therapeutic or psychological perspective.

Psychological factors also encompass the health and wellness of employees, including burnout, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, and somatic stress (such as stomach aches, palpitations, and muscle tension). These factors play a role in influencing workplace productivity, an area that our products, such as the Excavate Program, address.

By addressing these psychological aspects, it is possible to cultivate a healthier and more productive workforce. Should you have any specific inquiries or require further information, please do not hesitate to ask!