In high-demand professions, especially those in social work, psychology, counselling, law and related fields, managing workplace stress is crucial for maintaining both mental health and professional effectiveness. Employees often face immense pressure from trauma exposure, time constraints, and demanding workloads, making it essential to foster an environment that promotes well-being and resilience. This self-assessment tool will help you evaluate how well you and your team are navigating the challenges of your work environment. By identifying strengths and areas for improvement, you can take proactive steps to enhance your team’s well-being and reduce the risk of mental health issues.
How Well Are You and Your Team Doing?
Employees in high demand jobs need to have some control and adequate resources to be able to manage demands and reduce the risk of mental ill health.
How well are you and your team doing? Use the following team self-assessment to reflect on key workplace factors that positively impact mental health and job satisfaction. For each statement, answer Yes or No.
| WORKPLACE FACTORS | COMMENTS | YES/NO |
| TRAUMA EXPOSURE | ||
| Low or no exposure to trauma | Trauma exposure increases the risk of PTSD but the majority of employees will not develop symptoms. | |
| DEMAND AND CONTROL | ||
| Manageable work demands | The physical, emotional and cognitive demands of the work are manageable. | |
| Manageable time pressure | High time pressure and low control leads to high work strain. | |
| Job control | Job control affects sense of satisfaction and positive work engagement. | |
| RESOURCES AND ENGAGEMENT | ||
| Supportive management supervision | Person-centred leadership increases confidence to manage workplace change. | |
| High-quality feedback | This Is associated with work engagement and wellbeing. | |
| Skill variety | Especially with trauma work, it is important to work on a range of tasks. | |
| Learning opportunities | Professional development keeps employees engaged. | |
| JOB CHARACTERISTICS | ||
| Task identity | This is being connected to a whole piece of work rather than a fragment, allowing absorbed engagement in the work. | |
| Task significance | It is important for people to feel that they are doing meaningful work. | |
| High control over work/autonomy | People are happiest where they have discretion to make decisions. Crafting their own work helps with engagement. | |
| High quality feedback | Feedback from others and the work itself encourages engagement. | |
| Role clarity | This includes role boundaries and awareness about role expectations. | |
| Contact with others | Connectivity through collaboration or stakeholder engagement. | |
| Valued social position | People feel respected and valued for their work and in themselves. | |
| Career outlook | Is there job security (e.g. a permanent contract). | |
| Financial security | Is there financial security with job security. | |
| Equity | Where tasks are allocated fairly within the team. | |
| External pressure to perform is manageable | Work will sometimes be hectic but is there unreasonable pressure put on employees beyond their ability or responsibilities. | |
| TEAM FACTORS | ||
| Support from colleagues and managers | Where employees experience comradeship and team morale, and perceived support from wider organisation. | |
| Good interpersonal relationships | Where employees engage well with each other at work and personally. | |
| ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS | ||
| Workplace stability | Where organisational change is minimal and employees feel secure.e | |
| Perceived organisational support | Where employees feel that their leaders ‘have their back’. | |
| Work recognition | Demonstrating staff value through formal means. | |
| Organisational climate | An environment where an employee feels safe, comfortable i.e. NOT toxic. | |
| Perceptions of justice | Distributive justice: How fairly are resources allocated? Interactional justice: How much respect & information do employees receive from managers? Procedural justice: Fair processes that benefit all. | |
| Workplace safety | Where an organisation adheres to Worh health and Safety legislation including ‘Psychosocial Safety’ and ‘Right to Disconnect’. | |
| Physical environment | Where the physical environment is conducive to good work e.g. windows, proximity, access to café/s etc. | |
Ref: Creating Mentally Healthy Workplaces. Mentally Healthy Work Alliance, UNSW, Black Dog Institute and Aust. Gov’t. National Mental Health Commission (2014)
Conclusion
Taking time to assess the factors affecting workplace well-being is essential for promoting a healthy team environment. By recognising areas for improvement, you can advocate for the resources and support necessary to foster resilience and mitigate stress in high-demand roles. The well-being of your team is not just an individual responsibility but a shared commitment that benefits everyone involved.
About Melinda Austen
Melinda Austen is a clinical supervisor and workplace and leadership coach with over three decades of clinical experience working with refugees, asylum seekers, Defence veterans, Police and couples. She now helps the helpers. Melinda supports colleagues, including social workers, clinicians and other professionals such as lawyers and allied health who work with vulnerable clients. In her supervision and workplace coaching practice at person2person Consulting, she is driven by a desire to help people foster healthy, productive teams and thrive in their work. www.person2personconsulting.com