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Psychosocial working environment factors

A good and inclusive psychosocial working environment is important because it promotes job satisfaction and productivity. Conversely, a poor psychosocial working environment can lead to serious health and social consequences and reduce safety on board. The psychosocial work and living environment affects productivity, job satisfaction, health, and work ability. The employer is responsible for ensuring a fully safe working environment, but everyone on board contributes—consciously or unconsciously—to how you feel at work. Therefore, both employees and leaders must work together to create a good and safe working environment.

  • A psychosocial working environment refers to the relationships between  colleagues, between employees and leaders, and the experience of mastering the work.

    All social, interpersonal, and organizational factors that affect our work ability, health, and well-being constitute the psychosocial working environment. Organizational factors concern how your tasks are organized. This can include procedures, routines, responsibilities, and demands on the individual, your department on board, and the entire vessel.

    The social and interpersonal environment at the workplace is influenced by:

    • Emotional demands and strains in work involving people
    • Experience of well-being
    • Cohesion
    • Leadership
    • Communication
    • Stress
    • Isolation
    • Conflicts
    • Bullying and harassment
    • Violence and threats of violence

    The organizational work environment may include:

    • How the work is arranged and organized, including but not limited to
      - unclear or conflicting demands and expectations
      - workload and time pressure that result in an imbalance between the work to be done and the time available
      - support and assistance in the work
    • Degree of involvement and opportunity to influence the work
    • Opportunities to participate in the planning of specific tasks, choice of tools/equipment, who you work with, etc.
    • Monotonous or varied work
    • How routine tasks, burdensome tasks, and more exciting tasks are distributed
    • Work and rest time
    • Predictability, i.e., relevant information at the right time

  • Factors such as recognition, a sense of community, the opportunity to use one's skills, and the opportunity to learn new things are highly significant for employees on board. It means a lot to seafarers that the superior is willing to listen to problems, that the shipping company is open to listening, and that ship management is able to pass on important information.

    There are 10 key points that shipping companies and ship management should be aware of, which are critical for job satisfaction on board:

    1. Feeling motivated and engaged in the work.
    2. The immediate superior is willing to listen to individual work-related problems.
    3. Feeling recognized.
    4. Being part of a community both during leisure time and working hours on board.
    5. Having good relationships with the shipping company.
    6. The shipping organization on land responds/reacts to crew suggestions and requests.
    7. Trust that the crew does good work, is receptive to suggestions and wishes, and shows trust in the employees on board.
    8. Feeling well-informed.
    9. Having the opportunity to learn new things through work.
    10. The right balance of demands and challenges in the work (not too much pressure, but not too little), as well as opportunities for development.

    (Source: Sea Health & Welfare)

  • The mental work environment is the sum of everyone working on board, and everyone has a responsibility to contribute to a good working environment.

    1. Remember that your contribution is important: Be aware of your own influence. Everyone can impact their work environment. You have both the responsibility and the opportunity to contribute positively to a good workday for everyone.
    2. Take initiative: Notify your leader if there is something wrong in the work environment. Take initiative and suggest improvements if you feel they are needed.
    3. Contribute to good dialogue: Talk with your leader and colleagues about the challenges you face. This way, you can create an open and positive dialogue, with room to address problems.
    4. Share knowledge: Share experiences, information, tips, and advice with your colleagues.
    5. Take time: Make time for those around you. Good social support from colleagues and leaders helps us handle larger challenges and is an important buffer against stress, overload, and illness.
    6. Contribute to a good feedback culture: Give constructive feedback—and accept feedback constructively. Everyone can improve, and feedback offers opportunities for learning and development.
    7. Show recognition: Everyone needs to be seen and appreciated to thrive at work. Listen to others and show interest in the work your colleagues are doing. Recognize your colleagues for the work they do.
    8. Follow common rules: Follow the rules and routines that have been agreed upon in your workplace.
    9. Distance yourself from bullying: Do not accept bullying or exclusion. Contact the safety representative if you are unsure about what to do.
    10. Be inclusive: Speak kindly about others. Talk to people, not about people. A strong sense of community is an important characteristic of a healthy and good working environment.

    (Source: Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority)

  • Presentation at the Maritime Safety Conference 2023 by Torsten Mathias Augustsen, Sea Health & Welfare, Denmark

  • From the Maritime Safety Conference 2023: Presentation of the tools "A Good Day at Work" by Elisabeth Goffeng, STAMI, and "Work Environment Assistance" by Ingrid Litleskare, Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority

Tools for Developing and Improving the Work and Leisure Environment