Workplace Issues, can push you past your breaking point

Do you dread going in to work each day because of a situation in your workplace? Are the workplace issues taking over your day to day? Forget work accidents for a moment, today there is a higher danger of experiencing injury due to psychological abuse while you are at work. Experts realize that worry, fear, anxieties and other emotional reactions can exact a toll on even the most dedicated workers.

Some people internalize workplace issues to the point that they suffer from physical conditions such as headaches, GI upsets and nervous tics. It is easy to feel isolated and hopeless when dealing with stress and pressures that are associated with unresolved conflicts at work.

You do need to understand that you are not alone; there are many others who are suffering the fallout of stressful workplace issues. It could be an abusive boss that makes you feel helpless to change the situation; or perhaps you are being singled out as a target of gossip and bullying. No matter what type of situation you are facing, there is help at hand.

Workplace Issues in Australia

There are now more psychological injuries being reported that are due to workplace issues that have gotten out of control. These monetary claims are costing more money to resolve, but the true cost of such incidents is measured in the amount of emotional damage to the workers who are the targets of systematic harassment and bullying.

Australian jurisdictions are being particularly challenged by these types of job claims. The help that these workers need, and the damages that are inflicted are proving to be more costly to resolve than cases that involve more traditional work related injuries.

Within the public arena of the Commonwealth public claims of psychological injuries are showing a decrease in number. While one would like to think the drop is due to better prevention of workplace issues and effective early intervention practices the truth is much different.

A 2007 Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act allow workers to obtain payment for psychological problems that are due to issues in the workplace. This has still not eliminated or solved the problem because now there are more workers who are leaving their jobs, chalking up excess absences at work and claiming muscular-skeletal damages relating to their employment.

Bringing about Positive Change in the Workplace

Employers in Victoria and Queensland are required to have risk managers on hand who should be able to identify and deal with psychosocial dangers that arise within the confines of the workplace. Bullying and harassment issues are the two main problems that are generally scrutinized.

The risk managers have been charged with creating early intervention programs that can be used to handle the situations. It is also necessary to identify and address any workplace factors that are contributing to the development of such problems.

Take Action

The best thing that you can do is to seek out qualified help for the workplace issues that are troubling you. No matter what the problems may be there are individuals who want to help you resolve the situation.

The worst thing you could do is to keep quiet and try to ignore the problem. Workplace issues are going to cause emotional and physical damages if they are not addressed and handled in a suitable manner. You are being strong, not weak, when you stand up and speak out. Never be afraid to ask for help and assistance if troubling issues at work are creating problems for you as an individual.

Finding Help

You can find the help you need by checking with your risk management team or personnel office. If these options are not available to you then you may want to talk with a counselor that is experienced in conflict resolution and workplace issues.

Final Thoughts

Early intervention has proven to be highly effective at identifying and resolving many workplace issues. In Australia the 2000 Beyondblue initiative brought about more public awareness of depression. In today’s workplace settings this treatable mental condition is being identified earlier and there are specific practices and treatment strategies that are available to employees.

Management of workers who suffer from different mental health problems has become easier thanks to Kitchener and Jorma’s Mental Health First Aid Initiative that was first introduced ten years ago. Today techniques from Mental Health First Aid have proven to be helpful in both public and private workplace settings.
Workplace issues must be addressed before the work environment is going to change. No matter what you feel is an issue or concern it cannot be remedied unless it is first brought out and placed on the table.

This means clearing the air by speaking out; identifying the real problems; opening the lines of communication; being willing to change and then taking the appropriate steps to initiate these changes.