What is a work environment assessment and why does your organization need one?

Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S): A psychologically healthy and safe workplace is “A workplace that actively works to prevent harm to the psychological health of workers in negligent, reckless, or intentional ways, and promotes psychological well-being” (CSA Z1003).

Whether you have heard the term Work Environment Assessment before or not, there’s a good chance you may be asking yourself “What exactly is it?” and “How does it work?”. Fear not, it’s simpler than it sounds and there are many benefits to getting one.

What is a work environment assessment?

Plainly speaking, a PH&S Work Environment Assessment reviews how an organization aligns (or not) with the CSA Z1003 Standard (CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-803/2013).

This Standard is the first standard of its kind in the world and informed the development of the ISO 45003 international standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. CSA Z1003 is a voluntary standard that specifies requirements for a documented and systematic approach to developing and sustaining a psychologically healthy & safe workplace.

The alignment to the standard is measured by assessing organizational strengths and areas for improvement across the thirteen psychosocial work environment factors that are known to impact Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) :

•Organizational Culture
•Psychological and Social Support
•Clear Leadership and Expectations
•Civility and Respect
•Psychological Demands
•Growth and Development
•Recognition and Reward
•Involvement and Influence
•Workload Management
•Engagement
•Balance
•Psychological Protection
•Protection of Physical Safety

Once strengths and areas for improvement are identified, the purpose of the assessment is to create an achievable plan to help enhance and promote PH&S, with the intended outcomes of making improvements to employee psychological health, increasing overall workplace psychological safety, and enhancing organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

This assessment also helps to identify high-risk indicators, highlight discrepancies between leader and employee perceptions and outline priority recommendations to implement change.


What do work environment assessments involve?

Work Environment Assessments involve a structured process of data gathering, quantitative and qualitative review, coding/ratings, and interpretation of data, which include some or all of the following: 

1. 1:1 Key Management Stakeholder semi-structured interviews
2. Electronic consultation with Union/Bargaining Unit Leaders
3. Review of existing objective organizational data (e.g., PH&S-relevant data/metrics, including employee engagement/survey data) 
4. Review of existing organizational policies, procedures, programs, structures, resources, and other relevant organizational factors/initiatives as they pertain to PH&S

All of the data is collected in order to:
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• Identify hazards within the work environment according to the tenets of CSA Z1003 best practices
• Provide recommendations and suggestions around mitigation measures to eliminate and/or control identified risks
• Provide a written report and presentation of findings analysis, conclusions and recommendations that identifies: risk factors and recommendations to enhance conformance to best practices for PH&S.

What are the benefits of a work environment assessment?

By following the plan laid out by your PH&S Work Environment Assessment, organizations can experience enhanced recruitment and retention, improved employee engagement, enhanced productivity, increased creativity and innovation, and higher profit levels. Other positive impacts include a reduction of several key workplace issues including the risk of conflict, grievances, turnover, disability, injury rates, absenteeism and performance, and morale.

Why does your organization need a work environment assessment? 

There is a growing awareness at the national and global level of the critical imperative to manage psychosocial risks at work as part of a comprehensive occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system. 
This imperative is strengthened by the recognition that mental health issues are the leading cause of worldwide disability. The unique demands of the modern-day work environment have further highlighted the critical importance of attending to worker mental health across every industry and sector.

There are four main converging factors that underscore the business case for addressing PH&S:

1. Risk mitigation
2. Cost effectiveness
3. Recruitment & retention
4. Organizational excellence & sustainability
   
   

National and global best practices for PH&S provide a framework for a documented and systematic approach to develop, sustain, and continually improve a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, which includes:
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1. Identifying and eliminating workplace hazards that pose a risk of psychological harm to a worker
2. Assessing and controlling workplace risks associated with hazards that cannot be eliminated
3. Implementing structures and practices that support and promote PH&S in the workplace
4. Fostering a culture that promotes PH&S in the workplace

Reach out to our MyWorkplaceHealth team to learn more about conducting a PH&S Work Environment Assessment.

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Note: Dr. Joti Samra, CEO & Founder of MyWorkplaceHealth, is a Founding/Ongoing Member of the Technical Committee which created CSA Z1003, The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace.