If you find yourself feeling stressed while at work, or if you get home and feel tense from the day, you probably need to assess how much of an impact work is having on your health.

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself to assess if there’s something that needs to change:

AM I…
  • having trouble keeping unpleasant thoughts about work out of my mind?
  • detaching from certain parts of my work?
  • feeling emotionally exhausted; lacking energy or emotional resources?
  • feeling very anxious, even ‘jumpy’ or having trouble getting or staying asleep?
  • losing confidence or starting to question my own ability or accomplishments?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you might have been exposed to a psychosocial hazard. Your body is telling you that something is wrong, and you should not ignore it.

What is a Psychosocial Hazard?

In the work of T&Is where we can often be dealing with stressful situations, it can get harder and harder to know the difference between what is a ‘normal day’, and what is a risk to our health. In our work as T&Is, we are much more likely to suffer psychological harm than physical harm. That is why it’s important that we can identify what psychological harm is and when it’s happening. Situations at work that can cause psychosocial harm are called psychosocial hazards.

What Should I do to Address These Problems?

As a worker, you must take reasonable care for your own psychological and physical health and safety. This means that if you experience unsafe things in your workplace, you have a right and a responsibility to speak up. Head to the TIA WHS Hub for more information and the steps you should take to address the issues with the support of your union and healthcare providers.

Go to TIA WHS Hub

As T&Is our work is often solitary, but as union members, we are never alone.

If you require immediate emotional support, call lifeline any time on 13 11 11.