Why psychosocial risk assessments are failing leaders

Senior HR and health and safety leaders are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that psychosocial risks are being identified, assessed and managed effectively.
 

Risk registers may exist, assessments may have been completed and methodologies may align on paper. Yet many organisations are still struggling to answer a simple question: how confident are we that we have a true picture of risk and harm?
 

Too often, psychosocial risk assessment outputs do not resonate with executives, boards or frontline leaders. Severe but infrequent risks can be understated, while frequent lower-level stressors can dominate risk profiles without a clear line of sight to actual psychological harm. When risk ratings do not feel credible, they weaken prioritisation, decision-making and confidence in the overall approach.
 

This paper explores why many existing psychosocial risk assessment approaches are not fit for purpose, how traditional likelihood x consequence models can misrepresent psychosocial harm, and what organisations can do to develop risk insights that better support action.
 

Download this EY resource to understand how the EY psychosocial risk assessment tool can support clearer prioritisation, stronger assurance and more confident decision-making.