The way work is structured has a profound effect on wellbeing, engagement and productivity. With thoughtful design, HR leaders can reduce risks like burnout while lifting performance across the business.

HR leaders are often tasked with solving diverse and complex challenges – boosting engagement, reducing turnover, improving productivity and supporting mental health. 

While many strategies target these issues in isolation, there is one structural lever that can influence all these outcomes at once – one that remains surprisingly underused. 

That lever is work design.

Work design is fast emerging as one of the most powerful tools at HR’s disposal.

The way work is structured – including what people do, how they do it and how they connect with others – deeply influences both mental health and organisational outcomes. 

When work is designed well, it can foster purpose, autonomy, collaboration and clarity – all of which support the wellbeing and effectiveness of individuals, teams and organisations. 

Conversely, poorly designed work – often marked by high demands, low control, unclear roles and weak social support – is a major contributor to burnout and psychological distress. It can also quickly undermine performance, innovation and retention.

The business case for better work design

Addressing mental health in the workplace isn’t just the right thing to do. It also makes good business sense. 

For HR leaders, this isn’t just a wellbeing issue – it’s an economic one. And it’s something that can be influenced through thoughtful work design and a commitment to mentally healthy workplaces.

We know that poor working conditions can have a significant impact on mental health. Superfriend’s 2023 survey of 10,000 workers found that:

• 38 per cent reported high or very high levels of psychological distress
• Nearly one in three experienced symptoms of burnout
• Among those with a lifetime mental health condition, almost half said their workplace had either caused or contributed to their poor mental health.

A recent national poll by Beyond Blue paints a similar picture. It shows that one in two Australian workers is currently experiencing burnout, with the top drivers being inappropriate workloads (49 per cent), a lack of management support (32 per cent) and inflexible working conditions (21 per cent). These are not isolated experiences – they are structural issues, and they are solvable.

The economic impact is also clear. The Productivity Commission estimates that mental ill-health and suicide cost the Australian economy $70 billion each year. More than half of that – $39 billion – is due to lost productivity and workforce participation. 

People experiencing work-related mental health issues also take five times longer off work than those with other injuries. Mental health conditions are also among the most costly workplace injuries. 

On the flip side, mentally healthy workplaces benefit everyone. When people have reasonable workloads, clarity in their roles, influence over how they work and feel respected and recognised – all hallmarks of good work design – they’re more likely to feel engaged, supported and able to contribute. 

“Work design is the missing link between mental health and business performance. It’s not just about preventing harm. It’s about unlocking potential.”

Work design is more than job descriptions

Work design extends far beyond a job description. Effective work design is about shaping the experience of work by clarifying expectations, enabling autonomy, fostering connection and ensuring demands are manageable.

Professor Sharon Parker, Director of the Centre for Transformative Work Design at Curtin University, has conducted extensive research into the profound impact job design has on wellbeing and productivity. 

Based on this, she has devised a practical framework for employers known as the SMART Work Design model:

• Stimulating work that challenges and engages
• Mastery through clear goals and feedback
• Autonomy to shape how work is done
• Relational connection with colleagues and teams
• Tolerable demands that don’t overwhelm.

These elements aren’t just theoretical. They’re backed by decades of research and have been applied in sectors ranging from transport to aged care. And they’re actionable levers that HR practitioners can use to improve both wellbeing and performance.

Read more about the SMART work design framework here.

Practical design strategies for HR leaders

So, how do you embed better work design across your organisation? 

Here are five strategies to consider:

1. Make work design a strategic priority
Elevate work design from routine position descriptions to a core part of your people strategy. Designing work well shouldn’t be set-and-forget. It’s a continuous process and a key competency for all HR practitioners and people leaders. Link it to your goals around engagement, innovation, retention and productivity.

2. Audit your work design risks
Use employee feedback, exit interviews and psychosocial risk assessments to regularly identify hotspots. The goal is to understand risks or stressors as early as possible in the planning and design process. For example, roles or teams where demands are too high, autonomy is too low, poor role clarity or lack of flexibility. 

3. Build capability in your leaders
Equip managers with the skills to have regular, meaningful conversations about workload, priorities and role clarity. These aren’t just check-ins – they’re design opportunities.

4. Co-design solutions with employees
The easiest way to understand whether you’ve designed good work is to ask your employees. Engage employees at all levels in identifying challenges and shaping improvements. 

When frontline staff and managers collaborate to redesign roles and workflows, the result is often reduced stress, clearer responsibilities and stronger team cohesion. Co-design fosters genuine participation and gives employees a sense of ownership, boosting job control and autonomy (the ‘A’ component of the SMART model).

5. Align AI and tech with human-centred design
AI can reduce demands, but it can also intensify them. Before rolling out new and emerging tech, ask: will this help people do their jobs better? Will it support autonomy, clarity and connection? How can we support our staff to develop the skills to use new technology effectively?  How might we need to re-design work? 

If you can’t answer these questions, it might be better to rethink implementation until you can. 

A mindset shift

Work design is the missing link between mental health and business performance. It’s not just about preventing harm. It’s about unlocking potential.

For HR leaders, the challenge is clear. The question is no longer whether work design matters. It’s how you’ll lead the change.

Greg Jennings is the Chief Engagement Officer and workplace mental health expert at Beyond Blue, a leader in workplace mental health and behavioural change for more than 20 years.
Beyond Blue’s early intervention service, Before Blue, provides proven mental health support for workers. For more information visit www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/before-blue.

Other resources

• Dr Sharon Parker’s SMART Work model S.M.A.R.T Work model – Resources
• Beyond Blue’s Think Again podcast interview with Dr Sharon Parker.
• Beyond Blue’s Burnout Check-In Tool https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/work/burnout/burnout-check-in-tool
• Work and mental health www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/work.

If you or someone you know needs mental health support, reach out to Beyond Blue’s free 24/7 service on 1300 22 4636 or chat to a Beyond Blue counsellor online www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support.

Explore strategies to design, implement and assess targeted wellbeing interventions with AHRI’s Implementing Wellbeing Initiatives short course.