{"id":6024,"date":"2026-03-19T14:10:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T13:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.corporatehealthservices.ch\/?p=6024"},"modified":"2026-04-14T10:51:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T08:51:38","slug":"psychosocial-risks-a-silent-challenge-that-weakens-organizations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corporatehealthservices.ch\/en\/psychosocial-risks-a-silent-challenge-that-weakens-organizations\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychosocial risks: a silent challenge that weakens organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Everything rarely starts with a crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, it begins with a temporary overload that slowly becomes permanent. Then other subtle signs appear: a colleague who seems more irritable than usual, repeated absences, a team that gradually loses its energy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Psychosocial risks often take hold progressively, but their effects quickly become visible: disengagement, tension, burnout, or an increase in resignations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Switzerland, nearly one-third of workers report experiencing high levels of stress (SECO, 2022), and nearly half of all absences are believed to be stress-related. These figures remind us that psychosocial risks are not a secondary issue: they directly impact employees\u2019 health and the stability of organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with these challenges, companies can no longer remain passive. Preventing psychosocial risks requires rethinking how work is organized and seeking a sustainable balance between performance and well\u2011being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding Psychosocial Risks: Balance at the Heart of Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Psychosocial risks are not the result of individual weakness. They emerge when the balance between professional demands and the resources available to employees breaks down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excessive workload, unclear objectives, lack of autonomy, insufficient recognition, ongoing conflicts\u2026 Taken separately, these factors may seem manageable. But when they persist over time, they end up weakening employees\u2019 health and the collective dynamic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research in work psychology highlights two major types of imbalance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first relates to the relationship between job demands and the degree of control employees have over their work. When pressure is high, autonomy is low, and support is insufficient, the risk of stress increases significantly. This is illustrated by the demands\u2013control model developed by Robert Karasek (1979).<\/strong> According to this model, it is not only the amount of work that creates strain, but also the lack of control over how that work is organized and carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The second imbalance concerns the relationship between the effort invested and the recognition received. According to the effort\u2013reward model developed by Johannes Siegrist (1996), <\/strong>when the effort put into work is not adequately acknowledged \u2014 whether through salary, appreciation, or career prospects \u2014 a sense of unfairness may arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, this imbalance can weaken employees\u2019 engagement and increase the risk of burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Identifying the Signs Before They Take Hold<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Psychosocial risks often emerge through subtle changes that are important to recognize early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n