If this question gets you looking a little 😬 , 🥴 or 🫣 , it might be time to share your experience so it can be part of making workplaces healthier and safer!
Work Shouldn’t Hurt (WSH) is a national survey on workers’ experiences with health and safety – and we want to hear from you.
An opportunity to speak up
The 2025 survey is the fourth wave of Work Shouldn’t Hurt, with the first survey being conducted in 2021, followed by 2022 and 2023.
Now run every two years, the surveys are an opportunity for thousands of workers to speak openly about their health and safety experiences and concerns at work. All responses are strictly confidential.
The long-term aim of the surveys is to identify any shifts or stagnations in health and safety issues, so union members can bring to light what workers need in order to build healthier and safer workplaces. The responses frame conversations with employers and governments and contribute to developing campaigns to drive positive change.
Previous results reveal sobering realities
2021
One in five workers reported experiencing some form of gendered violence or harassment at work, and only 31% of workers who took some form of action after an incident felt satisfied with their employer’s response. Three out of 10 workers took no action, citing fear of a backlash or lack of faith in the process.
Since then, union members have won new laws that mean sexual harassment is now prohibited and employers have a positive duty to take all reasonable and proportionate steps to eliminate sexual harassment from their workplaces.
2022
More than a third of workers in insecure jobs reported having gone to work while suffering from a work-related injury or illness. Around 40% said it was simply too difficult to arrange a cover or to catch up on work later.
This was just a symptom of a larger problem: understaffing, with 46% saying that they couldn’t do their work safely due to insufficient staffing levels. In frontline industries – such as health, education, and retail – more than 30% said their employer did not prioritise worker safety above production, output or service.
2023
Nearly 7 in 10 workers in insecure work reported that they did not take time off because they could not afford to. At the time of the survey, there were over half a million casual workers in Australia who preferred to have a permanent job, but less than 5% of those could secure one.
Since then, union members won new laws that introduced a commonsense definition of casual employment and a fairer pathway for long-term casual workers to convert to permanent work! More workers in permanent jobs mean fewer workers having to make the impossible decisions between showing up sick or missing out on a day’s pay.
Health & Safety Reps are key
While concerning conclusions were clear from all surveys, they also consistently show that the presence of Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) in workplaces have a positive influence on health and safety.
HSRs are elected or chosen by workers and have the right to be trained by their union every year. They have powers to inspect records and investigate incidents and employers are legally required to consult them and workers about all matters relating to health and safety, including any changes to the way that work is conducted.
Be part of the change in 2025
No matter if you’re a first-time participant or you’ve taken part before, don’t miss your chance to have your say. The survey closes 31 October.
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How safe is your workplace, really?