Season 07 Episode 11: From ‘Command & Control’ to ‘Customer Service’ – Beyond ‘hazard salad’ in psychosocial risk management.

The team revel in debate about the new Queensland state and Commonwealth government literature on psychosocial risk management. Sara is relieved to see updates to regulations on psychosocial risks (Work Health and Safety [Psychosocial Risks] Amendment Regulation 2022) because of their focus on work design. Trajce explains aspects of The Commonwealth Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work (Dec 2023) which includes “intrusive surveillance” as a psychosocial hazard, requiring employer risk management and interventions. The team reference Season 01 Episode 05: Kozorov and The Need for Purpose – an episode devoted to discussions on vicarious trauma in the workplace.

Much to Alan’s amusement, Sara reveals her anthem song, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” by the Spin Doctors, while lamenting common central office approaches to operate like ‘command and control centres.’ “That might work in times of conscription,” she says, “but it fails to incorporate service design to recognise employees as internal customers to the work experience.” She references Dart Lindsey in his view of “Work as a Product,” an idea populated in his recent Harvard Business Review publication.