Industry Thriving Score: Progress over Time
The overall thriving index for the Electricity, gas, water and waste services (EGWWS) is well above the national average of 65.6, and overall the industry is ranked 6th in Australia (out of 19) in terms of workplace mental health and wellbeing. These results reflect the increased focus on psychological safety and systems-level change through industry frameworks developed by AMMA and WSAA over the last 12 months.
Leadership and capability continue to increase, with leadership in particular seeing substantial increases relative to 2018. More than half (55.6%) of industry workers have indicated they feel their workplace supports their mental health, However, the overall thriving score for EGWWS has dropped relative to last year, likely driven by decreases in the policy and culture domains.
What can you do?
To continue to thrive, workplaces in the EGWWS industry can leverage the newly developed industry frameworks to inform visible policy development and drive positive cultural change. If you’re not sure where to start, consider using SuperFriend’s Wellbeing Audit to understand your policy gaps and areas of opportunity.
Within this industry…
Psychosocial Risk Profile
Inappropriate workload
Low recognition
Poor change management
Poor management support
Low job control
Poor role clarity
Poor workplace relationships
Poor working environment
Traumatic events
Key:
Table – Psychosocial Risk Profile for Electricity, gas, water and waste services industry
Highest Psychosocial Risk
The highest psychosocial risk facing the Electricity, gas, water and waste Services Industry is inappropriate workload.
How can you manage this risk?
Managing workload is vital to make sure workers don’t experience burnout. Taking a look at how roles are deigned to ensure there are enough resources and support to manage workloads can help reduce this risk. Some other things you can do are:
- Avoid extended periods of long or irregular working hours
- Regularly review workloads and ensuring appropriate staffing levels are available to complete tasks
- Rotate tasks that are highly repetitive or monotonous
- Encourage staff to speak up and have input into the timing and pace of work
- Make sure targets are realistic and achievable and allow for staff feedback, and
- Give staff the ability to choose how and when they complete tasks.
