Undeniably, the world of work has been through significant upheaval in the last 3 years during, and in the wake of, the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst our orderly work worlds have been thrown into disarray, and as we’re still waiting to see how the dust settles, I’m optimistic that progress is being made in the right direction, for both Australian businesses and employees.

The pandemic can be blamed for many things, but one thing we can thank it for is ripping the lid off underlying workplace issues –  challenging our work cultures and environments, and our wellbeing at work, including the rapidly increasing rates of chronic stress and burnout.

Precipitously, back in 2018, Safe Work Australia undertook a review of the model Work Health and Safety laws (the Boland Review). While organisations were responsible for managing psychological health under the existing laws, the review found that organisations had limited understanding of their specific duties and responsibilities under these laws.

Hence the WHS Regulations were amended, to include: ‘how to identify psychosocial risks associated with psychological injury, and the appropriate control measures to mitigate those risks’.¹  

The amendments came into effect on April 1, 2023.