Organisational literature shows that PsychoSocial Climate, the value of safety and emotional tone of all staff, predicts less burnout, absenteeism, and better engagement
The research by Amy Edmondson on Psychological Safety in the workplace refers to team culture where people feel safe to speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes, and engage openly. This in turn fuels innovation and learning.
Duty of Care
The concept of Duty of care is a legal obligation requiring employers to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of their employees and others in the workplace.
The core legislation underpinning duty of care is the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, which applies in most Australian jurisdictions. This means that employers must:
- Provide a safe work environment.
- Ensure safe systems of work.
- Maintain facilities for employee welfare.
- Provide information, training, instruction, or supervision necessary to protect from risks.
- Monitor the health of workers and the conditions at the workplace
These duties extend to both physical and psychological health and safety, aligning with modern understandings of workplace mental health.
Positive Duty
At Salutegenics, our work takes this legislative position and works within an overarching Culture of Care model.
The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 was amended in December 2022 (effective December 2023) following the Respect@Work Report to include a positive duty. A Positive Duty in workplaces shifts the focus from a reactive model (responding to complaints) to a proactive obligation to prevent discrimination, harassment, and victimisation before they occur.
Organisations must proactively take steps to eliminate:
- Sexual harassment
- Sex-based harassment
- Discrimination on the ground of sex
- Victimisation related to complaints
The Positive Duty is the new gold standard, requiring active prevention of discrimination and harassment. It's about setting up culture, systems, and leadership that prevent harm, not just respond to it.
