About COPSOQ Australia

The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) is an internationally recognised tool for assessing psychosocial factors at work. Used in 48 countries, it provides a reliable, evidence-based way to understand risks and protective factors, helping organisations create safer, healthier and more productive workplaces.

What is COPSOQ?

The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III) is an internationally validated tool designed to assess psychosocial factors at work. It provides an evidence-informed framework for identifying both risks and protective factors in the work environment.

Developed through international collaboration, COPSOQ III is applied across sectors including health, education, public service, aged care, manufacturing, mining, construction, oil and gas, and knowledge industries.

In Australia, COPSOQ guides evidence-based action that improves psychosocial conditions, strengthens employee wellbeing, and goes beyond compliance with workplace health and safety obligations. Suitable for organisations of any size, it helps identify key risks, set priorities, and take preventive action.

COPSOQ questionnaire is a  clientifically backed tool

Why use COPSOQ?

  • Internationally validated → backed by over two decades of research and applied in 48 countries.

  • Comprehensive yet practical → measures both psychosocial risks and protective factors, not just minimum WHS requirements.

  • Benchmarking → compare results across units, organisations, sectors, and professional groups.

  • Track change over time → monitor improvements and evaluate the impact of interventions.

  • Applicable to all workplaces → suitable for any industry or organisation, regardless of size.

  • Action-oriented insights → provides results that guide practical strategies to improve work environments.

  • Beyond compliance → supports healthier, safer workplaces while meeting (and exceeding) WHS obligations.

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COPSOQ Assessment Tool
  • Quantitative Demands
  • Work Pace
  • Cognitive Demands
  • Emotional Demands
  • Demands for Hiding Emotions

Quantitative DemandsQuantitative demands refer to the amount of work that needs to be completed within a given timeframe. This includes workload volume, deadlines, and the pace at which tasks must be accomplished.

Work PaceWork pace measures the speed and intensity at which employees must work to meet their job requirements and organizational expectations.

Cognitive DemandsCognitive demands encompass the mental effort, concentration, and decision-making required to perform job tasks effectively.

Emotional DemandsEmotional demands involve managing one's own emotions and dealing with emotionally challenging situations in the workplace.

Demands for Hiding EmotionsThis refers to situations where employees must suppress their true feelings and maintain a professional demeanor despite personal emotional states.

  • Work Structure
  • Responsibilities
  • Autonomy
  • Task Variety
  • Role Clarity

Work StructureWork structure defines how tasks and responsibilities are organized within the workplace, including hierarchies, workflows, and communication channels.

ResponsibilitiesThis covers the scope and nature of duties assigned to employees, including accountability for outcomes and decision-making authority.

AutonomyAutonomy refers to the degree of independence and self-direction employees have in planning and executing their work tasks.

Task VarietyTask variety measures the diversity of activities and skills required in a job role, contributing to job enrichment and engagement.

Role ClarityRole clarity involves understanding one's job responsibilities, expectations, and how the role fits within the broader organizational context.

  • Predictability
  • Recognition
  • Role Clarity
  • Role Conflicts
  • Illegitimate Tasks
  • Quality of Leadership
  • Social Support from Colleagues
  • Social Support from Supervisors
  • Sense of Community

PredictabilityPredictability deals with the means to avoid uncertainty and insecurity. This is achieved if the employees receive the relevant information at the right time.

RecognitionRecognition deals with the recognition by the management of your effort at work.

Role ClarityRole Clarity deals with the employee's understanding of her or his role at work, i.e., content of the tasks, expectations to be met, and her or his responsibilities.

Role ConflictsRole Conflicts stem from two sources. The first source is about possible inherent conflicting demands within a specific task. The second source is about possible conflicts when prioritising different tasks.

Illegitimate TasksIllegitimate Tasks cover tasks that violate norms about what an employee can properly be expected to do because they are perceived as unnecessary or unreasonable; they imply a threat to one's professional identity.

Quality of LeadershipQuality of Leadership deals with the next higher managers' leadership in different contexts and domains.

Social Support from ColleaguesSocial Support from Colleagues deals with the employees' impression of the possibility to obtain support from colleagues if one should need it.

Social Support from SupervisorsSocial Support from Supervisors deals with the employees' impression of the possibility to obtain support from the immediate superior if one should need it.

Sense of CommunitySense of Community at Work concerns whether there is a feeling of being part of the group of employees at the workplace, e.g., if employees' relations are good and if they work well together.

  • Commitment to the Workplace
  • Work Engagement
  • Job Insecurity
  • Insecurity over Working Conditions
  • Quality of Work
  • Job Satisfaction
  • Work Life Conflict

Commitment to the WorkplaceCommitment to the Workplace deals with the degree to which one experiences being committed to one's workplace.

Work EngagementThis dimension deals with the attachment the employee feels to the task independently of how they experience their workplace.

Job InsecurityJob Insecurity deals with aspects of security of the employment of the employee, e.g., regarding the risk of being fired or the certainty of being reemployed if fired.

Insecurity over Working ConditionsInsecurity over Working Conditions deals with aspects of security of working conditions such as the content of work, e.g., if one is reallocated within the company, change of working hours, or deterioration of pay.

Quality of WorkQuality of Work deals with the employee's experience of the immediate output of one's work, e.g., the product made, the service accomplished, etc.

Job SatisfactionJob Satisfaction refers to an employee's level of satisfaction with various aspects of their work.

Work Life ConflictWork Life Conflict deals with the possible consequences of work on privacy or on personal and family life and includes conflict regarding energy (mental and physical energy) and conflict regarding time.

  • Vertical Trust
  • Horizontal Trust
  • Organisational Justice

Vertical TrustVertical Trust deals with whether the employees can trust the management and vice versa.

Horizontal TrustHorizontal Trust deals with whether the employees can trust each other in daily work or not.

Organisational JusticeOrganisational Justice in the workplace is about if workers are treated fairly. Four aspects are considered: First the distribution of tasks and recognition, second the process of sharing, third the handling of conflicts and fourth the handling of suggestions from the employees.

  • Self-rated Health
  • Sleeping Troubles
  • Burnout
  • Stress
  • Somatic Stress
  • Cognitive Stress
  • Depressive Symptoms

Self-rated HealthSelf-rated/perceived health is the person's assessment of her or his own general health.

Sleeping TroublesSleeping Troubles deal with sleep length and quality.

BurnoutBurnout concerns the degree of physical and mental fatigue/exhaustion of the employee.

StressStress here is defined as a psycho-physiological state in which the person feels that the demands placed on him/her are greater than the resources available to him/her.

Somatic StressSomatic Stress concerns the psychosomatic stress related to the body and stress in physical form.

Cognitive StressCognitive Stress relates to stress connected to mental activities.

Depressive SymptomsDepressive Symptoms relate to emotional and mental states.

  • Self-Efficacy

Self-EfficacySelf-Efficacy is the extent of one's belief in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals. Here, self-efficacy is understood as global self-efficacy, not distinguishing between specific domains of life.

  • Gossip and Slander
  • Conflicts and Quarrels
  • Unpleasant Teasing
  • Cyber Bullying
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Threats of Violence
  • Physical Violence
  • Bullying

Gossip and SlanderGossip and Slander refer to whether an individual has experienced such occurrences in the workplace.

Conflicts and QuarrelsConflicts and Quarrels refer to whether an employee has experienced such occurrences at the workplace.

Unpleasant TeasingUnpleasant Teasing refers to whether an individual has experienced this type of behavior in the workplace.

Cyber BullyingCyber Bullying refers to if an individual has been subjected to work-related harassment in social media.

Sexual HarassmentSexual Harassment refers to if an individual has experienced this at the workplace.

Threats of ViolenceThreats of Violence refer to an employee's experience of threats of violence at the workplace.

Physical ViolencePhysical Violence refers to if an individual has experienced this act at the workplace.

BullyingBullying is defined as being exposed repeatedly over a longer period to unpleasant or degrading treatment and not being able to defend oneself against this treatment.

Using COPSOQ

Two people engaged in a conversation at a business meeting, with one person gesturing with their hands and the other smiling.

COPSOQ in Workplaces

COPSOQ is a powerful tool for assessing the organisational and social work environment, widely recognised for its effectiveness in risk assessment and organisational development. It is typically used in collaboration with various stakeholders, including employee representatives, occupational health services, HR departments, consulting firms and company management.

A COPSOQ survey, when combined with relevant reference values, can help identify key areas for improvement, providing a clear overview of specific challenges within an organisation, department or professional group. The detailed insights gained from the survey allow organisations to pinpoint areas for action, enhancing both workplace well-being and organisational performance (such as reducing absenteeism, turnover, and other related metrics).

Importantly, COPSOQ is not solely focused on identifying risks—it also highlights health-promoting factors in the work environment. This means that a COPSOQ survey can help organisations not only identify areas for improvement but also recognise strengths that should be preserved and built upon for future development.

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COPSOQ in Research

COPSOQ has been translated into over 25 languages and is used globally, contributing to a growing body of knowledge. One prominent example of international collaboration is the COPSOQ III study, which gathered data from Sweden, Germany, Turkey, France, Spain, and Canada, and was published by researchers within the international COPSOQ network. COPSOQ is also employed in intervention research, generating valuable insights that inform practical change initiatives in workplaces.

Based on research, COPSOQ measures key aspects of occupational health and safety theories, ensuring reliable data collection. This research foundation not only guarantees that COPSOQ measures the right factors, but also provides a relevant basis for comparison, helping organisations identify significant differences to act upon.

COPSOQ Australia Team

Studies and Publications

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