Quick answer: Housekeepers are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #289 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 39.4/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control.
Housekeepers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands28.9 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden39.8 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands44.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control43.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony54.6 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment24.9 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for housekeepers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, housekeepers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (43.1 vs 24.5 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is time pressure at 72.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 71.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for responsibility burden (39.8 vs 60), physical environment (24.9 vs 38.2) and precision and monotony (54.6 vs 67.7), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for housekeepers
- 1Pace and demands
Time Pressure
72.5/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
65.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 3Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
54.2/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 4Physical environment
Physical Proximity
50.2/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 5Emotional demands
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People
49.2/100
All-occupation average: 50.4
All 22 stress factors for housekeepers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
28.9 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People11 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People49.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations26.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
39.8 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results40 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety54.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results38 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error19 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others47.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
44.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure72.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week49 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment20 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making41.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition40.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
43.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions44.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work41.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
54.6 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks43.5 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate65.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
24.9 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable20.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting6.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures2.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections44.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity50.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for housekeepers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Housekeepers: how stressful is the job?
Housekeepers rank #289 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 39.4/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 8.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for housekeepers?
The highest-scoring hazards are time pressure (72.5/100), importance of being exact or accurate (65.8/100) and responsible for others' health and safety (54.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control.
Which stress factors are lower for housekeepers?
Housekeepers score below the national average for emotional demands (28.9 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (39.8 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (44.8 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (54.6 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (24.9 vs 38.2 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for housekeepers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.