KUALA LUMPUR: Employers must take psychosocial risks at the workplace seriously, as issues such as excessive workloads, bullying, harassment and discrimination carry severe consequences for employees, families and organisations, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Mental Health Advisory Council member stated that psychosocial risks are increasingly becoming a critical occupational safety issue despite being less visible than physical hazards.
“Every employer has a responsibility to identify, assess and manage psychosocial risks as part of their overall workplace safety and health responsibilities,” he said in a statement on Friday (Aug 14).
Lee emphasised that a safe workplace must extend beyond preventing physical accidents to ensure employees feel psychologically safe, respected and supported.
He urged employers to proactively identify hazards such as excessive demands, unreasonable working hours, workplace bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, job insecurity, interpersonal conflicts and inadequate management support.
Lee also stressed the importance of fostering an organisational culture where staff feel safe to speak up without fear of being labelled weak, troublesome or incapable.
Noting that social stigma remains a major barrier to addressing mental health at work, he urged employers to establish confidential reporting channels and provide access to counselling services.
He called for supervisors and managers to be trained to spot early warning signs and for complaints involving workplace bullying or harassment to be investigated thoroughly.
While acknowledging that employees should support colleagues in distress, Lee affirmed that primary responsibility for maintaining a psychologically safe environment rests with employers.
“We must move away from the mindset that workplace mental wellbeing is solely an individual’s problem. It is a shared workplace responsibility, and employers must be part of the solution,” he said.
Lee added that as Malaysia places greater emphasis on occupational safety and health, psychosocial risks should receive equal priority to physical hazards to prevent employees from reaching breaking point.
