What we have noticed over time is a progressive and now rapid decline in how they respond. The typical replies used to include a mix of: ‘doing great’s’ and ‘going well’, to ‘Ok’ or ‘all right’s’. More recently, people are silent for longer, sitting very still, and in a firm quiet voice they say things like: ‘I’m done’, ‘That’s me’, ‘I’m over it’, and ‘I’m busted!’. It is a privilege to hold space for them to be heard, seen and allow them time to share what is needed most.

Multiple studies are validating these feelings of despair. Burnout is at an all-time high, the highest rates for entry level, people working remotely, and managers of managers; whilst wellbeing and engagement are at record lows, with four out of five Australian employees feeling disengaged from work. (Infinite Potential 2023, AHRI 2023, Gallup 2023).

The impact on performance and productivity are concerning enough, however the impact on employee psychosocial health is alarming.

New international standards (ISO 45003) and the updated Safe Work Australia health and safety Code of Practice (the Code) for managing the risk of ‘psychosocial hazards’ at work has been implemented across Australia under the OHS & WHS Acts. Now prevention and risk mitigation obligations for all staff, leaders, and the organisation are the same for both physical and psychosocial injuries.

When people say ‘I’m Done’, it is a time to pay attention, listen deeply and take action. However, at great risk to organisations and individuals, many organisations are taking a compliance approach. We propose the next two years should be aimed at culture, not compliance. We call it BAC UPS.

Building A Culture of Unifying Psychosocial Safety (BAC UPS) is an integrated and innovative approach that successfully builds a psychosocial safety culture that sustains productivity.

BAC UPS has been developed over 10 years of experience and working with more than a thousand people from CEO to entry level in a broad range of industries and sectors.

BAC UPS is a culture where every ‘one’ backs each other up when they raise their voices about the psychosocial hazards outlined within the Code. A culture where people are seen as the greatest asset and critical partners to ensure the work is backed up, and engaged in plans and strategies to adapt to challenges and changing contexts so there are back-ups in place to sustain performance and productivity.

A culture where people have each other’s backs and are seen as resourceful, intelligent, adaptable, and have agency to identify risks and hazards, implement controls and develop better solutions at the team and broader systems level. One that normalises times of struggle (for individuals, teams and organisations), people know they can ask for help, people know how and when to support bouncing back up.

We invite you to try this exercise:

Reflect how often you ask—‘How are you, at present?’

How do you listen to their answer?

What are the responses?

What are the consequences of these responses?

Finally, try the above exercise for yourself—who is listening to you?

We’ll be sharing more of Roderick’s insights into psychosocial safety and BAC UPS in the lead up to our conversation with him on July 23rd, 2025. Register to the event and join us live by following this link.