Case Studies

Sophie works in a large public sector team where one senior staff member frequently belittles junior colleagues during meetings. He often makes sarcastic remarks about their competence and dismisses their contributions. The behaviour is often visible to the rest of the team and never challenged by leadership. Sophie has reported feeling unsafe expressing her views and has started disengaging from team discussions. A colleague has gone on stress leave citing a “toxic work culture.” Psychosocial Hazards: Poor workplace interactions and behaviour (bullying) Poor organisational justice (lack of response to inappropriate behaviour) Inadequate support from leadership Impacts: Damage to mental wellbeing and workplace engagement Increased staff turnover and sick leave Legal and compliance risks under WHS obligations How do you offer support?

Tom is a remote field officer for a resource management company in the NT. He works mostly alone in remote areas, conducting environmental compliance inspections. He can go days without seeing a colleague in person and has limited mobile coverage. While Tom enjoys the work, he often feels disconnected from the broader organisation and unsure if his contributions are noticed. Recently, Tom expressed feeling "out of sight, out of mind" and unmotivated. Psychosocial Hazards: Remote and isolated work Poor organizational support and communication Lack of role clarity (uncertain about expectations or priorities) Impacts: Reduced motivation and work satisfaction Heightened risk for mental ill-health due to isolation Risk of safety incidents due to lack of support systems How do you offer support?

Emma is a project coordinator at a growing engineering firm. Over the past six months, the firm has increased its project load significantly without hiring additional staff. Emma now regularly works 60-hour weeks, including weekends, to meet deadlines. She feels guilty asking for help, as her manager often remarks on how "busy everyone is." Emma has recently started experiencing sleep issues, anxiety, and has taken several sick days due to stress. Psychosocial Hazards: High job demands Poor managerial support Inadequate reward and recognition (effort not acknowledged) Impacts: Risk of burnout and longer-term psychological injury Increased absenteeism and reduced productivity Potential turnover and loss of organisational knowledge How can you help?

Your mate Clint just looks sad. You know his marriage ended a few years back but your are not sure how to help.

Your daugther Louise has become withdrawn, when you attempt to communicate with her it results in a yelling match.