Aiming for reasonable workloads

Work places a physical, mental and social load on the employee. A reasonable workload supports health, work ability, work motivation and work performance. The amount, type and intensity of the load and the related effects on the employee’s health and work ability must be monitored sufficiently often. However, if the employee becomes overburdened by the workload in a way that poses a danger to their health, the employer must without delay take measures to identify the workload factors and to avoid or mitigate the health risk.
This publication compiles the tasks of the occupational safety manager(you will be directed to another service) and occupational safety representative (you will be directed to another service)in the management of psychosocial workloads in the workplace. The purpose of this publication is to support a new operator’s orientation to their role and to act as a checklist going forward. While the text focuses on the management of psychosocial workloads, many of the aspects are also applicable to other types of workloads.
Table of contents of the page
Workload and resource factors at work
Psychosocial workload factors refer to the characteristics or features of work tasks, work dimensioning and planning, work arrangements, management, work community operations and interaction, working environment and organisation that affect people. These are factors that cause strain regardless of the person performing the work. Workload factors are present at all workplaces, regardless of the size and sector of the workplace. Some of the workload factors are shared by sectors, and some are emphasised in set sectors and workplaces. Psychosocial workload factors can make up a harmful load if they are dimensioned inappropriately, managed poorly or appear in unfavourable circumstances.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has produced a summary of psychosocial workload factors(you will be directed to another service) for occupational safety inspectors to use. Please note that the summary is not exhaustive. It does not cover all workload factors, such as organisational change, which may cause strain, or external workload factors.
Workload factors related to work arrangements relate to the planning and sharing of work and work tasks and to ensuring the conditions for working.
- Unclear job descriptions or responsibilities
- Unrealistic or unreasonable goals
- Excessive workload in relation to the working hours
- Working outside of the actual working hours
- Irregular working hours, shift work or night work
- Deficiencies related to the working equipment or work environment or disruptions in operations
- Factors that negatively affect concentration at work
Workload factors related to the work content refer to factors related to the tasks and the nature of the work.
- Lack of variety at work or monotonous work
- Acting on the basis of unclear instructions or expectations
- Excessive amount of information or uncontrolled flood of information
- Doing multiple things at the same time
- Constant interruptions of the work
- Major responsibility at work
- Challenging or difficult work tasks
- Challenging or difficult situations with customers
- Threat of violence related to the work
Workload factors related to the social functioning of the work refer to factors that have to do with co-operation and interaction within the work community.
- Problems with the co-operation and interaction between employees
- Lacking support for doing the work from co-workers
- Problems with co-operation and interaction with the supervisor
- Lacking support for doing the work from the supervisor
- Harassment or other repeated inappropriate treatment in the work community
- Discrimination based on factors such as age, health, background or opinion
There are also positive factors related to work, i.e. resources. They help with meeting the requirements of the work and reduce the experience of strain at work. The resources may have to do with the workplace in general, the work tasks and arrangements or how the work community or supervisor operate. Employees also have their own personal resources.
Tasks: clear basic task, meaningfulness of work, ability to adapt the work, successes at work
Work arrangements: clear division of labour, reasonable goals, flexible working hours
Work community and supervisor: appreciation, psychological safety*, functioning management and leadership practices, giving and receiving support
Workplace: certainty of the work, the operating culture and models, practices that support the balancing of the work and other areas of life
Personal resources: resilience, flexibility, tolerance of uncertainty, feeling of being in control of one’s own life
Edited from Moilanen, S. & Mäkinen, P. (2023).Well-being at Work Card® – competence and motivation for development through training.
*Psychological safety refers to the employee’s feeling of being accepted and appreciated as their own self in the work community and being able to raise concerns, questions and ideas without fear of negatively affecting the personal relations at the workplace or their own position or career.
Continuous activity at the workplace
Discuss straining situations, resources, recovery and ways for preventing harmful workloads with supervisors and employees.
Encourage the supervisors to discuss straining situations, the reduction of workload factors and the strengthening of resources with employees in their area of responsibility.
Encourage employees to take initiative to improve the working conditions. If necessary, remind them to make safety notifications, incl. reporting deficiencies.
Regularly arrange safety sessions around the topic of psychosocial workloads in the workplace. For instance, you can use the Centre for Occupational Safety’s Safety Moment(you will be directed to another service) materials.
Advise supervisors and employees on workplace practices, such as the operating models of early care or active support, reporting of harmful workloads, and operating models in case of harassment or other inappropriate treatment.
If necessary, bring it up at the workplace that, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the employees must be provided with training and guidance on the prevention of work-related harm and dangers and of work-related factors that pose a health risk.
If necessary, bring it up at the workplace that the supervisors’ duties, responsibilities and obligations in identifying, preventing and reducing harmful workloads must be defined in sufficient detail and that the supervisors must provided with training on their duties.
Prepare for and participate in the occupational safety and health inspection and workplace survey regarding psychosocial workloads.
Identification of workload and resource factors
The principles and manner of investigating risks and hazards at the workplace must be discussed in co-operation. This applies to, for example, factors generally affecting the safety and health of employees that have come up in connection with the aforementioned investigation or a workplace survey carried out by an occupational health care organisation.
Acquaint yourself with the operating methods and tools for the identification of workload and resource factors used at the workplace. In addition to the identification and assessment of hazards(you will be directed to another service) in the work, these include
- joint discussions in the work community about work-related matters
- workplace visits by the occupational safety and health co-operation staff
- occupational health care workplace surveys and reports
- working time documents
- work atmosphere survey and other personnel surveys.
Help supervisors to identify psychosocial workload and resource factors at work. Also help with the identification of factors in the working conditions that pose a risk for work performance and work community disruptions. You can make use of the materials published by the Centre for Occupational Safety(you will be directed to another service) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration(you will be directed to another service). Please remember that a workplace can also have other workload factors than the ones mentioned here. For example, occupational accident risk and physical workload can also be psychosocial workload factors either on their own or by contributing to other workloads.
Participate in the planning and implementation of the risk factors and hazard identification and assessment as per the Occupational Safety and Health Act. During the assessment, it could be a good idea to divide the employees into smaller groups in order to recognise the workload factors in their work, if necessary. The workload factors should also be identified for the supervisors.
Check together, for example in the occupational safety and health committee, that the hazard assessment method used at your workplace can sufficiently extensively identify psychosocial workload factors. When reviewing near misses and occupational accidents, attention should be paid to how the workload has contributed to the situation or the incident.
If necessary, suggest the performance of a targeted workplace survey so that the occupational health care particularly assesses the psychosocial workload, the operations of the work community or workload related to the working hours, for example.
Assessment of the impact on health of workload factors
A workload factor does automatically pose a health risk. The amount, type and intensity of the load and the related effects on the employee’s health and work ability must be monitored sufficiently often.
Acquaint yourself with the reports on workplace surveys. In a workplace survey, the occupational health care provider assesses the impact of the workload factors and resources on the employees’ health and work ability.
Also acquaint yourself with the methodology manual(you will be directed to another service) for the psychosocial workload factors survey. In the manual, the researchers of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health describe the affect of various workload factors on employee health. Please note that the psychosocial workload factors survey should not be used as the sole method for assessing the impacts on health. If your own workplace competence is not adequate for the assessment of the health impacts of the workload factors, external experts should be used, occupational health care in particular.
Identification of employee strain
A reasonable workload supports well-being at work, helps to focus at work, keeps up motivation at work and promotes work performance. An excessive workload, monotony, prolonged working and insufficient opportunities for recovery all contribute to a harmful workload.
Please note that individuals can experience the same workload differently, for example, based on their own work ability, competence and other resources and life situation.
Acquaint yourself with the operating methods and equipment used at the workplace in the identification of employee strain, such as the operating models of early care and active support. Also keep in mind the Centre for Occupational Safety’s Workload Assessment Tool(you will be directed to another service) application and the tools offered by the occupational health care provider.
Please note that an employee can explain their situation vaguely because they may not know or want to admit that their situation constitutes a harmful workload or harassment or other form of inappropriate treatment, for example. Acquaint yourself with what constitutes harassment or other inappropriate treatment(you will be directed to another service) and what does not.
Map the employee’s situation by asking them and encouraging them to put their feelings into words. Help them with discerning facts from feelings.
Keep in mind that the employee may get caught up in the circumstances or their own situation, in which case they cannot identify or understand their harmful workload or do not have the resources to make a change. Help them with finding possible solutions.
Encourage the employee to take their own workload situation up with their supervisor. If necessary, also guide them to contact the occupational health care provider in order to assess their work ability.
If necessary, explain that the employee can ask a support person to accompany them in occupational health care discussions and other discussions regarding their workload. As an occupational safety representative, you can ask whether the employee wishes for you to act as their support person.
Lightening the workload
Matters affecting the safety, health and work ability of employees, to the organisation and dimensioning of work or to any essential changes in these should be discussed in co-operation.
Make suggestions for reducing workload factors and for supporting the resource factors.
Participate in the priorisation of measures that reduce the workload. Primarily, you should address the workload factors that constitute the largest health risk. Make use of conclusions and suggestions for measures from workplace survey reports.
Check together, for example in occupational safety and health committees, that the occupational safety and health action policy also covers the psychosocial working environment. The objectives of the occupational safety and health action policy must also be discussed in co-operation.
Help employees and supervisors to structure workload situations, discern connections and investigate the root causes of issues and events. For example, deficiencies in co-operation and the flow of information often arise from unclear job descriptions and responsibilities.
Tell employees and supervisors which occupational health care services are used at your workplace.
Build an understanding of what predictive and corrective operating models your workplace has for the management of psychosocial workloads. Make suggestions as to the development of the operating models and practices either in the occupational safety and health committee or directly to the employer.
Monitoring
Monitor and assess the effectiveness, adequacy and purposefulness of the selected measures.
If necessary, suggest added measures for reducing workload factors and for supporting resource factors.
Keep in mind that statistics and other follow-up information relating to the work, working environment and the state of the work community and describing safety and health at work should be discussed in co-operation.
Remember your own well-being at work
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- Published by:
- Centre for Occupational Safety
- Content:
- Seija Moilanen
- Release year:
- 2025
- Sectors:
- Cross-cutting topics
- Topic:
- Occupational Health and Safety Occupational Health and Safety Manager Occupational Health and Safety Representative Psychosocial workload Work ability
- Formats:
- Digital publication