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Work Health and Safety (Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work) Code of Practice 2024
Controlling lack of role clarityControlling lack of role clarity
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Controlling lack of role clarity
Note: These are examples only. You must identify and implement control measures that eliminate or minimise the risks in your workplace, so far as is reasonably practicable.
| Job/work design | - Provide position descriptions that clearly outline all key tasks, responsibilities and role expectations.- Design management structures with clear reporting lines.- Provide workers with a single immediate supervisor.- Detail reporting lines in an organisational chart. |
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| Physical work environment | - Provide a workplace which is compatible with workers responsibilities (e.g. seat workers with their teams).- Provide systems, tools and equipment which is compatible with workers’ responsibilities (e.g. IT systems with profiles set up for different users and access to programs they need for their role). |
| Providing role clarity | - Provide clear work instructions and expectations, explain why roles, responsibilities and tasks have been allocated, and ensure workers understand.- Ensure workers assigned to the same task understand who is doing what.- Change tasks or processes that frequently create conflict, confusion, or result in frequent mistakes (e.g. provide clearer explanations or redesign the tasks).- Update job descriptions and any role expectations following changes.- Implement regular check-ins and encourage open discussion among team members to ensure they are clear about who is doing what.- Provide all workers with an induction and ensure they understand their role.- Provide clear guidelines for what to do when expectations do not align (e.g. between workers, workers and supervisors, or workers and clients).- Implement systems to help workers identify issues or conflicts and resolve them. |
| Safe work systems and procedures | - Talk to workers to ensure they understand their role, your expectations, who they report to and the organisations work more broadly.- Encourage feedback on changes that affect workers’ job tasks- Design a performance feedback system where employees receive regular feedback and provides them an opportunity to raise concerns about role clarity.- Check with employees to ensure they understand any additional or different responsibilities or duties following an organisational change or restructure. |
| The worker | - Encourage workers to talk to their supervisor or manager early if they are unclear about the scope or responsibilities of their role.- Provide a realistic job summary and overview during recruitment and selection processes so applicants are aware of the role, expectations and responsibilities. |