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What the Code of Practice means by job demands
The Code of Practice describes job demands as intense or sustained high mental, physical or emotional effort required to do the job. The hazard also covers the other end of the scale, where work is monotonous, repetitive or under-stimulating.
The word that matters is sustained. A busy end of month or a late night before a deadline is part of most jobs. The hazard is a workload that stays too high, or too low, for weeks or months without relief.
Note: In NSW, job demands sit within the role overload and underload category of the Code of Practice. Fatigue is listed as a separate hazard in the 17, but it often follows directly from sustained high demands.
Why job demands matter now
- Around 4,500 serious claims for mental stress were caused by work pressure in 2024-25
- 34.8 weeks is the median time off work for a mental health claim, compared with 7.0 weeks for other serious claims
- $68,600 is the median compensation paid on a mental health claim
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2026. Time lost and compensation figures are for 2023-24.
Work pressure sits alongside harassment and bullying as one of the two leading causes of mental stress claims in Australia. Unlike many hazards, it is built into how work is planned, which means it is also within an employer's power to change.
In NSW, the stakes rose on 1 July 2026. Under section 26A of the WHS Act, where the Minister approves a code of practice, a business must manage the hazard to a standard equal to or higher than the code. In our recent technical briefing on the new NSW psychosocial risk laws (watch the replay here), workplace lawyer James Mattson explained that codes were always material a prosecutor could rely on, but they now carry far greater weight.
The NSW psychological injury reforms James covered in the same briefing name excessive work demands as one of four relevant events for a psychological injury claim, alongside bullying, sexual harassment and racial harassment.
Info: Reasonable management action remains a defence to a compensation claim. As James noted, a finding that no compensation is payable does not remove an employer's WHS duty to provide a safe workplace from that point on.
What high and low demands look like
High demands
- Constant tight deadlines and long hours that never ease
- People rushing, skipping breaks or regularly working late
- Emotionally heavy work with no recovery time between cases, clients or customers
- Peak periods that have quietly become the normal workload
Low demands
- Monotonous, repetitive tasks with little variety
- Skilled workers left with too little to do for long periods
- Roles stripped back to tasks well below a person's capability
Psychologist Kelly Hunt, who also presented at our technical briefing, described the pattern behind high demands. It is not the occasional late night or early start, but the constant, excessive workload that leads to fatigue, then anxiety, and can end in depression and disengagement.
The flip side is just as real. As Kelly put it, "We all have toys for our dogs at home because it keeps them stimulated throughout the day. We don't want our dogs to get bored. It's the same with our workers. We need them to be engaged and involved."
The warning signs appear before the claim
In our technical briefing, psychologist Kelly Hunt said she rarely sees psychological hazards present as one neat issue. It is usually a cluster of problems, and the common thread is that nobody identified or addressed them early enough. Two kinds of evidence help you see job demands building.
Behaviour change
- Late-night or very early emails from someone who used to keep regular hours
- Missed deadlines from a worker who was previously reliable
- Cameras off, withdrawal from team conversations or growing disorganisation
Organisational data
- Rising sick leave and unplanned absence in one team
- Overtime and annual leave balances that keep climbing
- Heavier EAP use concentrated in one area of the business
Tip: Pull overtime hours and leave balances by team once a quarter. A team where nobody takes leave and overtime keeps rising is showing you a job demands risk long before anyone lodges a claim.
Practical ways to manage job demands
Balance workload with resources
Reprioritise non-urgent work, reassign or bring in extra staff for peak periods, and set deadlines people can sustain without working in constant crisis mode.
Note: An Employee Assistance Program is one control, not a substitute for managing workload. If the work itself stays unsustainable, support services can only treat the effects.
Review and redesign the work
Streamline processes and remove low-value tasks. Where roles are monotonous, rotate tasks or add variety so people stay engaged. Kelly's suggestion is to check in directly and ask whether the work feels a bit dull, and whether they would like to take on a new task.
Protect rest and boundaries
Make breaks, reasonable hours and no after-hours email expectations the norm, and have leaders model the right to disconnect so staff feel able to follow it.
Consult and close the loop
Ask workers where the pressure sits and what would ease it, then tell them what you have changed. Kelly told our technical briefing that failing to close the loop is something she sees a lot, and that it leads to ongoing insecurity and fear.
Tip: Ask your team one question at your next meeting: what one word describes your workload right now? The answers will show you where to look first.
A five-minute workload check for managers
Run through these questions for each person in your team:
- Could they finish their core work within normal hours over the past month?
- Have their overtime, leave balance or after-hours activity changed noticeably?
- Are they spending long stretches on work well below their skills?
- When their workload last spiked, did anything come off their plate?
An uncomfortable answer to any of these is a reason to assess that role properly and talk with the person, not a reason to wait for the next quiet period.
How Actevate can help
Our mental health training helps managers recognise early warning signs and handle the conversations that follow, and our Employee Assistance Program gives your people access to qualified clinicians who understand your business.
If you would like to talk through job demands or other psychosocial risks in your workplace, request a callback and our team will be in touch to book a time to meet.
Sources
- Safe Work Australia, Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2026
- Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice (February 2026)
- Actevate, New NSW Psychosocial Risk Laws technical briefing
Disclaimer
This article is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Obtain independent advice specific to your organisation before acting on any information presented.
