Back in 2013, the Canadian Standards Association identified 13 factors that impact psychological health and safety in the workplace (see: CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-803/2013 (R2022)):
- Organizational Culture
- Psychological and Social Support
- Clear Leadership & Expectations
- Civility & Respect
- Psychological Demands
- Growth & Development
- Recognition & Reward
- Involvement & Influence
- Workload Management
- Engagement
- Balance
- Psychological Protection
- Protection of Physical Safety
Organizational behaviours, structures and ideas related to each of these risk factors have the potential to increase or decrease psychological health and safety.
That was 12 years ago, and the world has undergone significant changes since then. With the rise of COVID, some have suggested that there should be new risk factors indicated for workplace mental health. Others have suggested that certain industries, such as healthcare, should have additional risk factors identified. Additionally, some have advocated for the removal of the term “Civility” from psychosocial risk factor #4 above due to its colonial connotations.
Notwithstanding the excellent work that has gone into the development and continual evolution of the Standard, there is an important aspect that has been overlooked: conflict management.
To understand why conflict management should be added as a psychosocial risk factor, we must first determine why the other categories have been identified as such. Each of these categories addresses areas where a lack of fairness and equity can lead to psychological harm for workplace participants.
According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), for example, Organizational Culture is a risk factor because when it is lacking:
A negative culture can undermine the effectiveness of the best programs, policies and services intended to support the workforce. An unhealthy culture creates more stress, which lowers employee well-being. A culture of profit at all costs and constant chaotic urgency can create an environment in which burnout is the norm.
See: https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/mh/mentalhealth_risk.html
According to the CCOHS, there are negative impacts on psychological health and safety for workplace participants when each of these 13 psychosocial risk factors is lacking.
Let’s now examine conflict management. Conflict begins with a “perceived injurious event” (See: “The Emergence and Transformation of Disputes: Naming, Blaming, Claiming . . .” Law & Society Review Vol. 15, No. ¾).
A perceived injurious event is almost always psychological in the workplace setting (although it can be physical as well). By its very nature, conflict causes psychological harm. This makes conflict a risk factor for psychological harm.
The management of conflict, therefore, should take on the same characteristics as the management of the other 13 psychosocial risk factors. The most effective conflict management is proactive – it is preventative. It reduces the risk of perceived injurious events from arising. To put it another way: The best-managed conflict is a conflict that never happened!
Just like the other 13 psychosocial risk factors, conflict management can:
- Reduce the risk of psychological harm through effective communication, collaboration, and proactive measures.
- Increase trust in workplace processes and structures, reducing the risk of perceived injurious events.
- Minimize the effect of silent and manifest conflict by using a trauma-informed and intersectional approach.
Where conflict management is lacking, the risk of conflict escalation increases, and individuals who attempt to engage with a system that is ineffective may be further traumatized. This can occur due to a lack of psychological safety, resulting in conflict remaining silent. Silent conflict causes stress, burnout, and a lack of trust. Conflict management measures like mediation, coaching, investigation or even grievance administration can cause psychological harm if they are not conducted with fairness and transparency using a trauma-informed approach.
Conflict management does not simply fit within one of the other psychosocial risk factors. Beyond clear leadership and expectations, or respect, or organizational culture, conflict management must be deliberate, proactive, inclusive, and safe for all those who engage in the processes intended to manage conflict.
Therefore, a clear understanding of conflict should lead to the conclusion that conflict management is a psychosocial risk factor that requires the same protection and promotion within the organization as the other 13 factors.
At Workplace Fairness International, we have developed a whole program for organizations that intend to treat conflict management seriously as a psychosocial risk factor.
We invite you to ask us about it! And, if you’ve taken the course, let’s keep the conversation going!