Workplace cultures that promulgate the image of "bulletproof" workers that need to be tough to do their jobs can magnify the "insidious" effects of vicarious trauma, a top complex trauma expert says.
The employer of a worker who suffered a "severe overload" injury has unsuccessfully attempted to block his entitlements by making the novel claim that its inability to provide enough staff constituted reasonable administrative action.
Up to half of working parents in Australia are experiencing psychologically harmful workplace discrimination, showing policies delivering inclusivity for those with caring responsibilities are urgently needed, researchers say.
Increasing conflict between workers and employers, over getting teams back into the office, means it is more important than ever for organisations to invest in "happy" workplaces, a workplace change specialist says.
A workplace manager did not bully a worker, but their employer dealt with the worker's grievances "clumsily", allowing misconstrued interactions to build up to a point where the mental health of both employees was affected, a commission has found.
A quick coaching program can show supervisors how often they unnecessarily interrupt their staff, to the detriment of staff members' health, and help them "redesign" working arrangements, according to Swiss researchers.
A commission has rejected a worker's allegations that she was forced to resign because her employer failed to shield her from vicarious trauma and its approach to psychological safety was "stuck in the 1990s".
Some high physical and mental workloads can be unmodifiable and lead to poor health outcomes, but altering direct and indirect factors can influence a worker's perception of their workload, facilitating their wellbeing, researchers say.
A major law firm is targeting body, mind, culture and place through a holistic wellbeing program with strategies ranging from "desk stretch cards" to vicarious trauma training, and its employees are reaping the rewards with reductions in depression, stress and anxiety.
A company director who bullied a subcontractor for four years, and abused him for raising safety concerns to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, has been convicted of workplace health and safety contraventions.