Managing the Work Environment

To define “organisational and social work environment,” you can divide it into two parts;

People should not have to get sick due to unhealthy workload or discrimination at work. Since 2016 the regulations call for managers and supervisors to have knowledge about unhealthy workloads and discrimination, how to prevent them, and how to manage the problems if they occur. 

The organisational work environment is how the work is managed, arranged, and communicated, and how decisions are made. The social work environment is how we interact with and are influenced by, the people around us, such as employees and managers. It also includes digital communication, such as emails and text messages. The physical, and the organisational and social work environment are closely linked.

Like all other work environment issues, the organisational and social work environment is included in Systematic Work Environment Management, SAM. 

The Importance of Workload Balance

The workload is the balance between the requirements that are set based on the task, and what resources (such as time, knowledge and personnel) we have to solve the task. An unhealthy workload is when the demands of work more than temporarily exceed resources. This imbalance becomes unhealthy if it becomes long-lasting and the chances of recovery become insufficient.

To restore balance, the employer can either lower the requirements or add resources. There is a risk that an employee under a lot of stress starts using different shortcuts to finish a task faster. The shortcuts may lead to dangerous situations, like accidents damaging both people and machinery. 

Stress

The definition of stress is the bodily reaction triggered by a physical or mental strain. The reaction aims to adapt to the body's organs and systems to these new requirements or conditions. In general, it can be said that "just" a lot of stress, i.e. a stimulating environment, makes you function effectively. 

However, there is a considerable individual variation around optimal stress, e.g. depending on personality factors. Both too little and too much stress impairs performance - too little stimulation can be as stressful as having too much to do, which is important to keep in mind when, e.g., monotonous tasks. There is a clear connection between self-control and the influence over the work situation and stress. If the opportunities for control and influence over one's work are minimal, this can lead to so-called negative stress. If, on the other hand, there is the possibility of influencing the work situation through one's influence and one's own decisions, then a stressful work situation can also be perceived as positive. Everyday phenomena such as friendship, community, appreciation, and belonging can increase the tolerance of stress, and mitigate the consequences.

Social support is of great importance in human interaction in the workplace. Most people tolerate a lot of stress periodically if they have access to social support and rest. Sleep is vital for the body to cope with the stresses that recurring stressful periods entail. Stress for a long time, with insufficient recovery, negatively affects the person, regardless of whether it is perceived as positive or negative.

Organised Work

When planning workplaces and work organisations, it is crucial to take into account the basic human functions. Both experience and research show that the following factors must be taken into account to avoid harmful stress:

The workers also need opportunities to influence their work and to express their views freely. The physical and psycho-social environment must be good. Therefore there needs to be a zero-tolerance for violence, threats, discrimination, or other abusive treatment. To avoid a harmful amount of stress, it must be possible to utilise one's competence, and there must be opportunities for further development.

Offensive Discrimination

Offensive discrimination, in everyday speech adult bullying, is a severe work environment problem. This includes such things as discrimination, sexual harassment, and social exclusion. The employer is obliged to prevent such tendencies and take measures to solve problems that have already arisen. The cause of harassment can often be found in the company's organisation. A pace that is too high, unclear internal organisation, and dissatisfied employees increase the risk of scapegoat-thinking and rejection. Our mental and social work environment is as important as the physical one. The attitudes in abusive acts are characterised by gross disrespect and violate general notions of honour and morality about how people should be treated.

Measures of Offensive Discrimination

The employer must ensure that there are routines for how abusive discrimination is to be handled. The routines must state:

Who receives information that abusive treatment occurs, what happens to the information, what the recipient should do, and how and where those who are vulnerable can quickly get help? The employer must make the routines known to all employees. Offensive discrimination creates a feeling of discomfort, unease, comprehensibility, and injustice and is characterised by degrading treatment in words and/or deeds: