Quick answer: Sales Assistants (General) are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #157 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 47.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and lack of control.
Sales Assistants (General) 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 demands45.9 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden52.8 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands50.5 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control31.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony71 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment31.7 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for sales assistants (general)
Compared with the average Australian occupation, sales assistants (general) score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (45.9 vs 37.9 average), lack of control (31.1 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (71 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is frequency of decision making at 78.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 70.7.
The occupation scores below the national average for responsibility burden (52.8 vs 60), physical environment (31.7 vs 38.2) and pace and demands (50.5 vs 56), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for sales assistants (general)
- 1Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
78.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
78.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 3Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
75.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 4Emotional demands
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People
72/100
All-occupation average: 50.4
- 5Physical environment
Physical Proximity
68.5/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
All 22 stress factors for sales assistants (general)
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
45.9 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People13.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People72 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations52 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
52.8 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results46.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety42.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results75.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error34 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others65.2 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
50.5 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure60.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week42.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment3.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making78.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition67.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
31.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions39.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work23 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
71 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks63.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate78.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
31.7 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable28 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting19.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures23.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections19 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity68.5 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for sales assistants (general) map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
- Learning and Stimulation →Whether work offers enough challenge, variety, and opportunity for growth.
- Work Monitoring →How worker performance is measured, observed, and reported.
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
Sales Assistants (General): how stressful is the job?
Sales Assistants (General) rank #157 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 47.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 50.5% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for sales assistants (general)?
The highest-scoring hazards are frequency of decision making (78.8/100), importance of being exact or accurate (78.8/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (75.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, lack of control and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for sales assistants (general)?
Sales Assistants (General) score below the national average for responsibility burden (52.8 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (50.5 vs 56 average) and physical environment (31.7 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 sales assistants (general). 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.