Definition: Work demands refer to the quantitative and qualitative requirements placed on workers, including the volume of tasks, the pace at which work must be completed, the cognitive complexity involved, and the emotional labour required. When demands consistently exceed capacity, they become a significant psychosocial hazard.
Overview
Work demands are among the most commonly cited psychosocial hazards in both Australian and New Zealand research. They include not just how much work someone is expected to do, but how difficult it is, how quickly, and under what emotional conditions.
High quantitative demands mean workers have more tasks than time allows. High cognitive demands mean the work requires sustained concentration, problem solving, or complex judgement. Emotional demands arise when workers must manage or suppress their feelings as part of their role, such as in healthcare, education, or customer-facing environments.
Demands become hazardous when they are chronic, unpredictable, or accompanied by insufficient resources, support, or autonomy to manage them. The risk is compounded when workers feel unable to speak up about unrealistic expectations.
Many organisations underestimate the cumulative effect of sustained high demands. Workers often adapt by working faster, skipping breaks, or extending hours, masking the hazard until burnout or breakdown occurs.
Why it matters
Excessive work demands are consistently the second largest driver of psychological injury claims in Australia, accounting for around 24% of mental health compensation claims. They are strongly associated with burnout, anxiety disorders, cardiovascular disease, and reduced cognitive performance. Research from Safe Work Australia indicates that workers in high-demand, low-resource environments are significantly more likely to take extended sick leave. Under the WHS Model Regulations and Victoria's OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025, work demands are explicitly listed as a psychosocial hazard requiring proactive management.
Warning signs
Signs this is managed well
- Workers can complete their work within standard hours without regularly extending
- Deadlines are realistic and adjusted when scope changes
- Workers feel able to raise concerns about workload without negative consequences
- New tasks are not added without removing others or extending timelines
- Emotional demands in customer-facing or caring roles are explicitly acknowledged and resourced
Signs this is a risk
- Consistent unpaid overtime across teams or departments
- Frequent reports of workers feeling overwhelmed or unable to keep up
- High rates of errors, near misses, or quality issues linked to pace
- Workers skipping meals, breaks, or annual leave to manage the load
- Onboarding of new work without headcount or timeline adjustments
Control measures
- 1Conduct workload analysis across teams to identify chronic demand-capacity mismatches
- 2Build workload review into change management processes before new work is assigned
- 3Establish clear protocols for how workers can flag unrealistic demands
- 4Set explicit expectations around after-hours availability and response times
- 5Rotate emotionally demanding tasks, such as complaints handling or trauma exposure, to prevent accumulation
- 6Include 'demand reduction' as a standing agenda item in team manager meetings
Legal context (Australia and New Zealand)
In Australia, work demands are explicitly named as a psychosocial hazard in the Model Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work (2022) and in Victoria's Compliance Code: Psychological Health. PCBUs are required to identify and control excessive demands using the hierarchy of controls, not just provide support resources. In New Zealand, the HSWA's duty to ensure worker health encompasses mental health, and WorkSafe NZ's 2024 guidance identifies workload and work pace as primary hazard types requiring proactive management.
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Regulatory timeline
How this factor has been formalised in Australian and New Zealand workplace health and safety frameworks.
Regulatory timeline
- 2022
Model Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work explicitly names excessive work demands as a hazard requiring systematic control.
- 2023
Safe Work Australia data shows work pressure accounts for 24.2% of serious mental health claims, second only to harassment and bullying.
- 2025
Victoria's OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 come into force, requiring employers to implement higher-order controls for excessive demands, not just support resources.
Related factors
- Schedule and Hours →The arrangement of working time and its effect on health and recovery.
- Support →Whether workers receive adequate support from their manager and colleagues.
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.