Practical guide: managing psychosocial risks (PSR) in the workplace

Psychosocial risks (PSR) — stress, harassment, burn-out, workplace violence — have become the leading occupational health challenge in France and Belgium. This guide provides you with an operational methodology.

What are psychosocial risks?

Psychosocial risks include:

• Occupational stress: imbalance between job demands and available resources
• Moral or sexual harassment
• Internal or external violence (incivility, aggression)
• Burn-out and professional exhaustion
• Chronic interpersonal conflicts

Methodology in 5 steps

Step 1 — Diagnosis

Conduct an anonymous internal survey to measure employees' risk perception. Validated questionnaires (Karasek, Siegrist) allow for standardised assessment.

Step 2 — Identify at-risk units

Cross-reference survey data with objective indicators: absenteeism, turnover, stress-related accidents.

Step 3 — Integration into the risk assessment document

PSR must appear in your risk assessment document. Kitry integrates dedicated PSR categories to facilitate this step.

Step 4 — Action plan

Distinguish between actions addressing causes (work organisation, management) and actions addressing effects (psychological support, training).

Step 5 — Monitoring and evaluation

Renew the survey annually and measure the effectiveness of the actions implemented.

The legal framework

Employers have an obligation of results regarding mental health protection. In the event of inaction found during an inspection, employer liability may be engaged.