Psychological Demands

Mar. 1

Written By Worker's Compensation Board Of Nova Scotia -

Includes the emotional and interpersonal demands of work, and the requirement for organizations to assess and ensure a good fit between workers’ interpersonal and emotional abilities and requirements of the position they hold.

What are psychological demands?

Psychological demands of any given job are documented and assessed in conjunction with the physical demands of the job. Psychological demands of the job will allow organizations to determine whether any aspect of the job might be a hazard to the worker’s health and well-being. When hazards are identified, organizations can consider ways of minimizing risks through work redesign, analysis of work systems, risk assessment, etc.

The assessment of psychological demands should include:

· Assessment of time pressures (including time constraints, quotas, deadlines, machine pacing, etc.)

· Breaks and rest periods

· Incentive systems (production bonuses, piece work, etc.)

· Job monotony and the repetitive nature of some work

· Hours of work (overtime requirements, 12-hour shifts, shift work, etc.)

An organization with a good psychological demands assessment process for its workers would be able to show that the organization:

Considers existing work systems and allows for work redesign.
Assesses worker demand and job control issues, such as physical and psychological job demands.
Assesses the level of job control and autonomy afforded to its workers.
Monitors and addresses behaviours that impact workers and the workplace.
Values worker input, particularly during periods of change and the execution of work.
Monitors the level of emphasis on productivity or errors committed.
Reviews its management accountability system that deals with performance issues and how workers can report errors.
Emphasizes recruitment, training and promotion practices that aim for the highest level of interpersonal competencies at work.

This video was developed by The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in partnership with Ottawa Public Health with content adapted from The Mindful Employer.

Why is attention to psychological demands important?

Interpersonal and emotional competencies refer to skills related to managing emotions and relationships, including effectively solving challenging people problems at work. When there is a strong fit between workers’ psychological skills and strengths and the requirements of the position they hold, physical and mental health complaints and challenges may be reduced and workers may gain greater self-esteem and a more positive self-concept. One’s emotional and interpersonal skills, and the job that they do can also lead to enhanced performance, job satisfaction and employee retention.

When a workers’ psychological capabilities and the requirements of their position do not match, it can result in job strain. This may cause emotional distress, overthinking, defensiveness, fatigue and grief. For the workplace, this can result in a reduced applicant pool, lack of employee engagement and enjoyment, reduced productivity, greater interpersonal conflict and increased turnover.

FAQs

• When hiring or promoting an individual, consider interpersonal and emotional skills on top of technical skills and knowledge. Interpersonal and emotional competencies refer to skills related to managing emotions and relationships, including effectively solving challenging people problems at work.
• Provide opportunities for employees to enhance their emotional intelligence skills. Ensure it is a necessary attribute when hiring, recognizing, rewarding or promoting.
• When hiring or promoting, involve appropriate employees in the selection process.
• Provide training and interview guidelines for evaluating an applicant’s potential interpersonal and emotional fit with the specific position, as well as with the overall organization.
• Orient new workers to the interpersonal and emotional competencies needed for their jobs.
• Provide training in the interpersonal and emotional skills required for one’s job, particularly in the case of highly-demanding positions.
• Provide reinforcement and praise when workers demonstrate effective emotional and interpersonal competencies and skills.
• Perform regular check-ins with workers that are collaborative in nature and include constructive feedback about interpersonal and emotional behaviour.
• Where appropriate, consider a process that allows employees to explore internal positions that may better match their interpersonal or emotional competencies (e.g. via job-shadowing or career-development discussions).
• Create detailed job descriptions that clearly describe required interpersonal and emotional competencies.
• In job ads and interview process, include information about interpersonal and emotional requirements of jobs.
• Provide a probationary period of employment for new hires to ensure a mutually acceptable fit and provide further feedback, training and support as needed.
• Conduct job analyses where, in addition to physical, knowledge or skill requirements, the interpersonal and emotional competencies needed to succeed in a role are identified.

Next Steps

Giving consideration to psychological demands in the workplace

A work environment where there is a good fit between employees’ interpersonal and emotional competencies and the requirements of the position they hold.
• Enhanced performance and overall productivity.
• Greater job satisfaction.
• Increased retention of skilled staff.
• Enhanced recruitment success.
• Do issues related to psychological demands present a greater risk to particular groups of employees (e.g. new employees, certain jobs, shift workers, etc.)?
• What are the strengths in your workplace in terms of considering psychological demands (e.g. what do you do well and what should you continue doing)?
• What could your workplace do to improve in this area (e.g. what could you do more of and what could you do less of)?