In the last few years there has been an increased focus on psychosocial hazards in the workplace. 

To support this, there are now Workplace Health and Safety laws which outline the duty of care businesses have to manage psychosocial risks in the workplace.

This new level of legislation is intended to create psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. While this move is primarily geared to support staff wellbeing, workplaces that manage psychosocial risk factors tend to have healthier, happier employees, with common benefits for the employer, including improved productivity, performance, client satisfaction, and higher retention. 

One underestimated psychosocial hazard defined by Safe Work Australia is lack of role clarity, which occurs when an employee isn’t clear on their role, responsibilities or expectations. It could be that a worker's responsibilities overlap with another’s, or there are conflicting and often changing expectations, deadlines and instructions or unclear work priorities. 

But why does clarity matter? A Gallup poll in 2022 found half of workers in the US were psychologically detached from their jobs, with lack of job clarity cited as one of the fundamental drivers of this widespread disengagement and a leading factor behind the “quiet quitting” trend. 

Research from people2people Recruitment’s 2023 Annual Salary and Employment Report found employees would be seven times less likely to look for a new job if there was clarity on their work priorities. 
While role clarity is vital once an employee is onboarded and has begun their day-to-day tasks, clarity can also play an essential part in the recruitment process. 

At Dorado Property we have used symbolism, to create an internal vision document which succinctly explains our founding values. The vision not only shows the type of organisation we desire to be and what we aim to achieve but also outlines the type of person we invite to join our team. By achieving clarity before we begin the recruitment process, we can recognise the type of person who would thrive in our organisation. 

Additionally, by outlining our vision in the recruitment process, we can also see if this resonates with applicants and helps attract the type of people whose principles and values align with ours. We have discovered that this recruitment strategy, while resulting in less qualifying candidates, leads to much higher success levels and boosts retention. 

There is of course the need to ensure clarity at the strategy level across any organisation. The first step is to ensure overall staff clarity regarding an organisation’s objectives and goals – why they are important, what success looks like and how success will be measured. 

Crucially, on a more granular level, individuals must have clarity around their role. 

There are various ways to measure and track individual role clarity, alignment, accountability and job satisfaction. In our case we employed software that establishes baselines across these factors and then with regular engagement and measurement, enables individuals and the entire organisation to track progress. The software platform is complemented by continually engaging in open dialogue with staff to discuss the findings, as well as regular staff surveys, which help us gain further insights.

I believe the pay-off for clarity is saving massive amounts of time for management. 

Not having to constantly remind staff of their accountabilities and tasks, lessens the burden on management, allowing them to concentrate on task management and avoid task drift.

For staff, having role clarity means they have better focus, and can fully devote their time and effort to the work at hand. Additionally, clarity allows staff to see how, and why, the work they do, ties in the bigger picture of the organisation’s goals and strategies.

Having clarity instilled in an organisation greatly improves the recruitment and induction process. 

If someone knows where they fit in an organisation, and if they are aligned with the organisation’s goals and objectives from day one, the transition into a productive team member is swifter and more effective.  

Clarity benefits the entire organisation, from the CEO through to individual team members, across all levels. It leads to not only a more engaged and happier team but a more successful and enduring business.  

Ultimately, clarity makes the most efficient use of your greatest resource – your people.