Psychological injury is a common problem in the 21st century. People face this issue mostly in their workplace. The stress-level runs high in offices. It gives rise to trauma and it in turn leads to psychological injury. As per Schultz and Brady, there are three kinds of psychological stress:
a) Mental stress. It is also known as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
b) Neuropsychological injury
c) Pain-related injury.
It includes a variety of cognitive, behavioral and emotional symptoms. The symptoms affect the life of a worker adversely. It also affects the way they feel, think or interact with each other. The residents of Australia are particular about it.
Many psychological injury lawyers are available in Perth of Australia. Companies like Foyle Legal do not charge a single penny from their clients until they win the case. Such lawyer firms have high ratings. Their motto is to help the customers win. The lawyers appointed by such organizations ensure that the organizations pay compensation for causing psychological injury.
Psychological injury in the workplace:
Many people who are working in the corporate sector have targets to meet. They receive no support from their superiors during trying times. So, the stress level runs high. People are required to work overtime, so that they may meet their targets.
The expectations of companies are high from employees. They work hard in return of a meager salary, but the treatment they receive in return becomes traumatic. Certain personality types are also more prone to psychological injuries than others.
The guide mentioned below helps us understand the common causes of psychological injury.
The causes are as follows:
1. Insecurity related to job:
A research revealed that insecurity related to job impacted the psychological health more than cigarettes. If the job-related insecurity becomes overwhelming, people may start looking for another job which is less taxing on their mental health. Lack of proper employee appraisal and a salary hike at regular intervals may also lead to a feeling of worthlessness. The feeling of uselessness may in turn lead to psychological injury.
2. Work overload:
When the workload is high, many people are made to overwork. Too much work makes people feel confused and overwhelmed. They are required to stay back after office hours and do overtime. It leaves them with little time for family life or social life. Targets to achieve, meetings to attend and reports to prepare become an overload for people. So, work overload may lead to psychological injury.
People often find they have no time for their family members or themselves. The employees fear to talk to their manager freely, if they feel the targets are affecting their psychological health. Such work-related stress has become an occupational hazard. People find it impossible to unwind and relax after working hours because of their pressure. The work-life balance takes a hit.
3. Bullying and Harassment:
Certain adults are as susceptible to bullying and harassment as children. They feel a sense of relief after bullying their colleagues and juniors. Bullying may result from mocking a colleague to abusing the person verbally. Harassment may be anything starting from making a person stretch after working hours to body-shaming the person. Bullies are found in all the offices and they make anybody weak. Sometimes, such bullies do understand the impact they leave on the minds of the victims. There have been instances when the victims have been traumatized to leave their work and undergo treatment as the aftermath of bullying.
Bullying may even cause social anxiety among victims. If the bullies are on a higher post, the victims feel even more powerless. Examples of bullying include asking for sexual favors, threatening another employee or playing mind games. Sexual harassment is a classic example of harassment. The only solution to this is to communicate such issues to the HR of the organization. In case they do not take any action, the dark deeds should be published in the media, along with concrete evidence.
4. Shift Duty:
The human body takes a few days to adapt to particular timing. Many private sectors compel employees to work for rotational shifts. It takes a toll on their physical health. Moreover, many employees suffer from psychological injury as a result of frequent changing of shift. It is wise for them to seek a job that offers fixed shifts. Many people find it physically challenging to accept the rotational shift. Such physical challenges bring about mental blockages as well. A regular night shift interferes with the Circadian rhythm of a human being. This disruption in turn leads to exhaustion and lapse of memory. Hence, shifting duty brings about psychological trauma.
Prolonged sleeplessness leads to anxiety and irritability. It affects the team’s bonding as well. The performance takes a hit too, as a result of psychological trauma. The solution is to provide flexible working schedules for employees. Their shift should not change frequently.
5. Tacking difficult customers:
Many people are timid or shy by nature. They find it difficult to tackle irate or sarcastic customers. The team leaders or managers take advantage of the situation by forcing them to resolve more issues. Such employees face psychological injury. They feel stressed out because they cannot perform their duty. Financial insecurity adds fuel to the fire. The fear of getting sacked as a result of lack of performance worsens the psychological trauma.
The employees who feel they are on the verge of psychological injury, because of difficult customers need to seek training on handling them. They may attend soft skill classes online to overcome a lack of confidence.
6. Lack of cooperation:
Many projects require teamwork. Often, the mentality of the team members is poles apart. As a result, certain team members suffer from jealousy and inferiority complex. There is total non-co-operation as a result of a divergent mentality. A few employees, whose mentality doesn’t match with others feel isolated. It leads to psychological injury and depression. The best way to prevent it is to divide the work in such a way that all the members feel their talent has been utilized in some way or the other.
Conclusion:
Psychologically injuring an employee in professional life is considered a legal offense in many countries like Australia. Organizations may be required to pay as much as $6 billion for a psychologically injured employee. Environmental and organizational factors lead to psychological injury.