Social support from colleagues

According to Eklöf (2017), social support from colleagues can be divided into a number of different components:

Instrumental support in the form of practical help

Emotional support, i.e. being able to process emotional stress at work together with co-workers

Information support, e.g. gaining access to information so that you can do work tasks which require that information

Acknowledgement and feedback from colleagues. This is important, among other things, so that you feel like you are making a significant contribution.

Social support from colleagues is important for involvement at work, lower inclination to change jobs, motivation, being able to do a good job, health, and sick leave.

Examine your own work situation using this tool.

Quickcheck tool

Social support from colleagues

  • At this workplace, there are one or more individuals who:
  • Need practical help from others, but rarely get it
  • Need to talk about concerns or tough workplace experiences, but are rarely able to
  • Can rarely get input from others about how good of a job they are doing
  • Need information and knowledge that others have, but rarely get it
  • Work among colleagues who are tense, stressed and irritated
  • Work under a manager who is tense, stressed and irritated
  • Are made to feel guilty or are shamed when they ask for/receive support

When does this happen? How often does it happen? Which situations and which individuals does this apply to? You can investigate support from colleagues and from the manager/employer.

Eklöf M. Psykosocial arbetsmiljö: Begrepp bedömning och utveckling. Studentlitteratur, 2017 Lund.

Action

Discuss with your colleagues, your safety representative and your manager how you can reduce any unhealthy impact from work. The measures that should be chosen depend on what conditions make the work mentally stressful.

References

Eklöf M. Psykosocial arbetsmiljö: Begrepp bedömning och utveckling. Studentlitteratur, 2017 Lund.

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