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Too often people go into work and suffer through their shift because they think that the work demands and stress they face are “just part of the job.” Few organizations actually acknowledge the toll that workplace psychological demands have on employees. Even fewer acknowledge workplace psychological demands at all. Organizations that fail to address workplace psychological demands are putting their workers at risk for psychological harm and subsequently putting the organization itself at risk. It’s time that we discuss this frequently overlooked but incredibly important aspect of workplace safety.
Workplace psychological demands are the mental, emotional, cognitive and interpersonal demands that are present in your workplace. Every workplace has varying psychological demands, with varying degrees of impact on your psychological well-being. Depending on your job and its specific requirements, certain psychological demands might be more taxing than others. Some might not even be present at all. Regardless, it’s important to know what workplace psychological demands are, so you can identify the ones that have the most impact on your psychological health.
Some examples of workplace psychological demands include:
Unmanaged or unreasonable workplace psychological demands are considered workplace psychological health and safety hazards. If left unchecked, these hazards can pose a serious risk to worker’s psychological safety and well-being. Hazards can range in level of psychological risk, depending on the organization and its demands. The most serious of risks are burnout (a psychological syndrome that stems from repeated and chronic stress) and psychological injury (harm or damage to a worker’s psyche due to a traumatic event or prolonged burnout.)
Ignoring workplace psychological health and safety also has detrimental impacts on the organization itself as well. Workplaces with high psychological demands and low consideration for psychological safety are prone to various issues and grievances. Employees at such organizations – especially those experiencing burnout or psychological injury – are more likely to call in sick, find other employment or otherwise have low morale and engagement at work. Therefore, organizations have a real business case to prioritize or improve worker psychological health and safety.
Effectively managing psychological demands in the workplace is a collaborative effort between staff and management. Both parties have a responsibility to ensure that the existing psychological demands are realistic and that psychological hazards are properly addressed.
For workers and employees, it might seem like you’re powerless when it comes to commanding your work environment and your job’s demands. It’s important to acknowledge what you can control and advocate for change in the areas that you can’t. Taking inventory of the psychological demands present in your job and identifying the ones that cause you the most stress can help you address them with your organization. It can also help to pinpoint effective stress relievers and coping mechanisms. Physical movement such as working out, lifting weights or even going for a walk during your lunch break can significantly improve psychological stress. Breathing exercises can also help centre your mind in times of stress and alleviate some of the pressure you might be feeling. Finding a task organization routine that works for you is a good way to help you manage your workload, organize tight deadlines and reduce anxiety surrounding time stressors. Lastly, talk to someone within your organization when you feel overwhelmed with work. Be open with your manager or organizational leaders about the psychological demands that you struggle with and consider asking for training or guidance to improve your work skills so you can handle them better.
Managers and other leadership positions have significant power to make real change in the workplace. Advocating for a psychologically safe work environment and implementing policy changes that reflect psychologically safe beliefs are great first steps. We recommend that organizations consider implementing a Psychological Health and Safety Management System to help facilitate the process of incorporating psychologically safe work practices into policy. Open and honest communication can also help manage the risk of psychological demands. Management should actively listen to employee concerns about their position and its psychological demands. Being open to input from employees means being able to address severe risks and hazards in a timely manner, before they can actively harm employees. During the hiring process, hiring managers should be forthcoming about the associated demands with the job to ensure proper competency from the beginning. Routinely reviewing psychological demands and other job-related stressors at a managerial level is also important for identifying harm and mitigating its risk.
Workplace psychological demands may be unavoidable, but the stress and harm they can cause are not. Gray Matter Health will always advocate for the psychological safety and well-being of workers. We believe that organizational change is possible and that all companies have the capacity to be a psychologically safe place. Click here to contact us if you need help creating a Psychological Health and Safety Management System for your organization.
What are some of the workplace psychological demands you experience and how do you effectively manage them? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment below!
References
The Canada Life Assurance Company. (2020, December 1). Evidence-based actions for psychological competencies and demands. Workplace Strategies for Mental Health.
CSA Group and BNQ. (2013, January). CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-803/2013 (R2022), Psychological health and safety in the workplace.
Kirkk, V. (2024, June 12). 6 management tips for supporting employee wellbeing at work. Harvard Extension School.
University of Ottawa. (n.d.). Psychological competencies and demands. uOttawa.
Western University. (2025, June 17). Psychological factors. Human Resources.
WorkSafe Saskatchewan. (2020, November 25). Psychological demands. WorkSafe Saskatchewan.
By Shelbie Lyle, GMH Communications & PR Intern
Marci Gray is the lead psychotherapist and CEO of Gray Matter Health. She is an experienced speaker and corporate trainer as well as consultant and author who specializes in mental health and anti-racism work which is the focus of her PhD research. READ MORE
