Psychosocial risks (PSR): 10 difficult everyday situations and how to respond

Here are ten of these ordinary scenes, described as they occur. For each: what is really happening behind the behavior, the spontaneous reaction that worsens the situation, and the course of action to take — with the exact words to say, the posture to adopt, and what to put in place to prevent it from happening again. The goal is not to make you a therapist, but to make you useful at the right moment, in your role and within its limits.

1. He no longer says anything in meetings

Monday team meeting. A usually proactive collaborator has not said anything for a few weeks. He arrives, sits at the back, looks at his screen, and no longer speaks. When you ask him, he responds with “I'm fine with that”, and nothing more. No one has reported anything.

What is happening: social withdrawal is one of the earliest and most underestimated warning signs of RPS. According to the National Institute for Research and Safety (INRS), withdrawal and decreased involvement are among the possible manifestations of suffering at work. It is not necessarily disengagement: it can indicate overload, a latent conflict, a feeling of no longer being heard, or a personal difficulty. Interpreted as demotivation, this silence leads to reproaches that accelerate the withdrawal. The classic trap is to wait: one thinks that the person will eventually come back on their own, or that insisting would be intrusive. However, the longer the withdrawal lasts, the more it solidifies, and the harder it becomes to talk about it without the conversation taking on the appearance of a summons.

1. Name the fact, not the intention. In a one-on-one, never in front of the team: “I noticed that you are speaking less these past few weeks. I wanted to check in on you.”
2. Open up, then let silence do its work. Ask an open question — “How are you doing at work these days?” — and be silent. Count to five before rephrasing.
3. Don't try to solve everything in the exchange. Your role is to open the door, not to diagnose. “What would help you, concretely?” is better than ten pieces of advice.
4. Propose a dated follow-up point. “Shall we check in again on Friday?” shows that the attention was not just a one-off.

To prevent this from happening again: establish regular, short, and predictable individual check-ins, even when everything is going well. A collaborator who is used to a space for exchange does not wait until they are unwell to speak, and the withdrawal becomes noticeable much earlier.

❌ To avoid: “You don't seem motivated right now” — a judgment that puts the person on the defensive and closes the conversation before it starts.

2. She cracks and bursts into tears

End of the day, your office. You approach a delayed file in a normal tone, and your interlocutor starts to cry, without you having seen it coming. She immediately apologizes: “sorry, it's silly, it will pass.” You don't know what to do with your hands.

What is happening: tears are a release, rarely related to the file itself. They often signal an accumulated overflow — workload, tensions, personal difficulties spilling over into work. The reflex to minimize (“it's nothing”) or to want to resolve the file at all costs adds pressure at the moment when it is least needed. Crying in front of your manager is often experienced as a shameful loss of control: how you welcome this moment will determine whether the person will dare to come back to talk to you later before reaching that point.

1. Immediately suspend the subject. “Let's put the file aside, it can wait. Right now, we're talking about you.”
2. Allow the emotion. “Take the time you need, there is no problem.” Offer a tissue, remain calm, do not dramatize.
3. Don't ask why too quickly. Wait for calm to return, then: “Would you like to tell me about it, or would you prefer to talk about it later?”
4. Guide if necessary. Remind them of the existence of occupational health, the listening unit, or the HR service: “You are not obliged to carry this alone, there are people whose job it is.”

To prevent this from happening again: once calm has returned, seek what caused the overflow — often an accumulation, rarely the current file. Addressing the cause upstream (workload, deadlines, recognition) is better than waiting for the next overflow.

❌ To avoid: “Come on, it's not that serious” or “you need to put it into perspective” — phrases that invalidate the feeling and teach the person not to show anything.

3. “It's fine, I can handle it” — signs of exhaustion

For weeks, he arrives early, leaves late, responds to emails in the evening and on weekends. He seems irritable, forgets things, says he is “overwhelmed but it's fine.” You hesitate: he is your most reliable team member, and he never complains.

What is happening: it is often among the most invested that professional exhaustion settles most silently. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes burnout as a syndrome related to unmanaged chronic work stress, combining exhaustion, mental distance from work, and decreased effectiveness. This is not a diagnosis you make — that is for the doctor — but a set of signs you can identify and report.

1. Start with concrete observations, not a feeling. “I’ve seen emails from you at 11 PM several nights, and you mentioned two forgetfulness incidents this week. That concerns me.”
2. Question the actual workload, not the willingness. “Let's look together at your workload: what can be postponed, delegated, or abandoned?” The problem is organizational before it is individual.
3. Act on what depends on you. Prioritizing, removing a task, framing connection hours: these are managerial levers, not favors.
4. Guide towards occupational health without waiting for a complaint: “I suggest you make an appointment with occupational health, it's confidential and it can help clarify things.”

To prevent this from happening again: monitor discreet indicators — late emails, unused vacation, worked weekends — and set collective disconnection rules. What truly protects is not the individual vigilance of the manager, but a work organization that does not rely on constant overextension.

❌ To avoid: praising the overload (“thankfully I can count on you”) — a reinforcement that pushes the person one step further towards exhaustion.

4. Two colleagues no longer speak to each other

Two team members are avoiding each other. Exchanges are happening via email, in visible copy, in a terse tone. Others are starting to choose sides. The atmosphere in the open space has cooled, and two meetings have been unnecessarily tense.

What is happening: an untreated interpersonal conflict is a recognized psychosocial risk factor. The Gollac report (2011), a reference in France on RPS factors, identifies degraded social relations at work among the major families of risk factors. Left without intervention, a conflict between two people contaminates the entire team and transforms into collective suffering.

1. Meet each separately first. Objective: understand the facts, not to arbitrate. “I’ve sensed some tensions. I’d like to hear how you are experiencing the situation.”
2. Stay on the facts and the effects on work. This is not a tribunal of personalities: “What, concretely, is blocking work between you?”
3. Set a common framework, not a forced reconciliation. We do not ask to like each other, but to cooperate. Formalize clear operating rules.
4. Request a third party if the conflict exceeds your scope: HR, mediation. If you suspect harassment, the situation changes in nature (see situation 9).

To prevent this from happening again: clarify in advance the roles, responsibilities, and operating rules of the team. Many conflicts arise from ambiguity — about who decides, who does what, who is accountable for what — much more than from incompatibility of characters.

❌ To avoid: letting things happen hoping that “it will settle down,” or publicly siding with one — two mistakes that permanently establish camps.

5. Recurring delays and absences

A punctual collaborator for years is accumulating delays and short absences for two months. He provides justifications, apologizes, but the reason remains unclear. Some team members are starting to find it unfair.

What is happening: a change in behavior in a reliable person is a signal, not an offense to be sanctioned outright. Delays and micro-absences can indicate a professional difficulty (loss of meaning, apprehension of a task, conflict) or personal (health, caregiving, family situation). The immediate disciplinary reflex closes the door to the only useful thing: understanding.

1. Observe without accusing. “Over the last two months, I’ve noted several delays, which is unlike you. Is something going on?”
2. Distinguish the framework and the person. You can remind the rules while remaining attentive: the two do not oppose each other.
3. Look for a concrete and temporary solution if a need arises: schedule adjustments, revised priorities, referral to an appropriate interlocutor.
4. Document the exchange and the agreed follow-up. A factual report protects everyone and prevents the situation from drifting in one direction or another.

To prevent this from happening again: address the issue as soon as the first deviations occur, without waiting for them to become a source of tension in the team. A kind and early exchange almost always defuses what a late and harsh reminder only exacerbates.

❌ To avoid: the allusive collective reprimand in a meeting — humiliating, ineffective, and unfair to those who are not concerned.

6. He lost his temper in front of everyone

In a meeting, a colleague raises his voice, interrupts, slams a file on the table, and leaves. Silence falls. A few minutes later, he returns to sit down as if nothing happened. The team is waiting for your reaction.

What is at stake: a sudden outburst from someone who does not usually behave this way is almost always an overflow, not malice. Irritability and loss of emotional control are among the possible manifestations of overwhelming stress described by the INRS. The behavior must be framed — it is not acceptable — but the person must be understood.

1. Do not address anything in the heat of the moment, nor in front of the team. Bring back calm: “Let’s take a ten-minute break and resume.”
2. Meet the person one-on-one, a little later. “What happened earlier is not like you. I wanted to understand.”
3. Address the two aspects separately. The framework: “That tone, in front of the team, is not possible.” The listening: “And at the same time, I see that something is wrong.”
4. Address the cause, not just the incident. An isolated overflow can be corrected; a repeated overflow must lead to exploring the workload, tensions, and, if necessary, directing to occupational health.

To prevent this from happening again: an outburst in public is often the symptom of pressure that has been building for a long time. After addressing the incident, revisit the workload and daily irritants: this is where prevention takes place, not in reminding about the rules.

❌ To avoid: responding with pure authority in front of witnesses (“calm down immediately”) — this humiliates, escalates, and teaches nothing about the cause.

7. “Can I talk to you?” — the confidence

End of the day. A colleague closes the door, hesitates, then confides a heavy personal difficulty — separation, grief, health issue, a loved one in great difficulty. He ends with: “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

What is at stake: when a person confides in their manager, it is not to obtain a solution, but to be heard and feel less alone. The danger is twofold: to evade (“that’s not my role”) or, conversely, to take on a therapist role that is not yours and for which you are not trained. The right positioning is to receive the words warmly while staying in your place: you do not have to solve the person's private life, nor act as if it does not exist. What you can offer is real listening, work-related adjustments, and a bridge to those whose job it is.

1. Welcome the confidence. “Thank you for sharing this with me, I realize it’s not easy to say.” That’s already a lot.
2. Listen without advising or judging. Reformulate to show you are following: “If I understand correctly, it’s very heavy to carry right now.”
3. Stay in your role: work. “On my side, I can see with you what we can adjust at work. For the rest, there are people whose job it is.”
4. Direct concretely. Occupational health, psychological listening unit, workplace social worker. In case of acute distress or worrying statements, direct without delay (see the alert below).

To prevent this from happening again: make known, in advance and to the whole team, the available support systems — occupational health, listening unit, social service. When these resources are visible and normalized, everyone knows where to turn without having to approach the manager as a last resort.

❌ To avoid: promising absolute secrecy, or sharing your own story to “sympathize” — this shifts the focus onto you and can put you in difficulty.

8. She never takes her leave

At the end of the year, you notice that a colleague has accumulated a balance of leave that she has not taken. She responds: “I prefer to be here, otherwise it accumulates and it’s worse when I return.” She is always reachable, even in the evening.

What is at stake: over-investment and presenteeism are warning signals, just like absenteeism. Never taking a break can indicate a fear — of not being up to par, of being replaceable, or of facing an unmanageable workload. Being pleased with this constant availability feeds the mechanism that leads to burnout.

1. Value rest, not presence. “Taking a break is also a way to do your job well over the long term. I care about that for you.”
2. Explore what the lack of rest protects. “What worries you about the idea of being absent?” The answer often reveals an overload or lack of support.
3. Organize continuity. A partner, clear handover, a real right to disconnect: remove the reason not to leave.
4. Lead by example. A manager who sends emails on Sunday implicitly allows the whole team to never disconnect.

To prevent this from happening again: anticipate leave balances throughout the year rather than in December, and ensure that each position has a real backup. A team where one can be absent without feeling guilty is a team where presenteeism has no reason to exist.

❌ To avoid: “Thank goodness you are always here” — the phrase that turns a warning into a model to follow for everyone.

9. You are reported inappropriate remarks

A team member comes to see you, embarrassed: a colleague is making repeated, hurtful remarks towards another person — comments, mockery, exclusion. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but it makes me uncomfortable.”

What is at stake: you are entering an area where the employer has a legal obligation to prevent and protect. In France, the Labor Code requires the employer to take necessary measures to prevent acts of moral and sexual harassment. Qualifying facts as “harassment” is not your role; collecting, protecting, and transmitting is.

1. Take it seriously, without qualifying. “Thank you for telling me. It’s important, and I won’t overlook it.” Do not use the word “harassment” yourself at this stage.
2. Gather dated and precise facts, in writing: who, when, what, in front of whom. Avoid interpretations and judgments.
3. Alert the right contacts without delay. HR, harassment referent, management: handling such a situation is not solely the responsibility of the frontline manager.
4. Ensure the immediate protection of the targeted person and the one who reported, and maintain confidentiality for all.

To prevent this from happening again: regularly remind the framework — respect, dignity, zero tolerance for repeated actions — and the existence of a referent and a reporting procedure. Preventing harassment primarily relies on a clear framework, known to all and reiterated before incidents occur.

❌ To avoid: conducting a “investigation” alone, confronting the individuals yourself, or minimizing (“it’s humor, don’t exaggerate”) — three mistakes that worsen the situation and engage the organization’s responsibility.

10. The return after a long absence

A colleague returns on Monday after several months of absence. You are not quite sure how to welcome him: act as if nothing happened? Talk about it? You fear saying the wrong thing, so you plan to say nothing special.

What is at stake: the return after a long absence is a pivotal moment where the risk of relapse or new absence is real if the return is poorly prepared. Ignoring it out of clumsiness leaves the person alone; overdoing it stigmatizes them. The right posture is intermediate, prepared, and coordinated with occupational health.

1. Anticipate before D-day. A pre-return visit with occupational health allows for considering, in confidentiality, any possible adjustments. It’s a right of the employee.
2. Welcome simply and sincerely. “Happy to see you again. We will go at your pace, tell me what you need.”
3. Resume gradually. Lighter priorities in the first days, regular check-ins, no massive catch-up of accumulated delays. Follow any medical recommendations.
4. Settle the collective narrative in advance. Agree with the person on what is said — or not — to the team. Respect for privacy comes first.

To prevent this from happening again: do not view the return as a final point but as a process. Regular follow-up in the first weeks, coordinated with occupational health, allows for timely adjustments to workload and prevents relapse — much more effective than a grand return followed by silence.

❌ To avoid: “So, feeling better? There’s a backlog to catch up on!” — a hallway phrase that, in ten words, nullifies weeks of convalescence.

Psychosocial Risks (PSR): what to do, the summary

These ten scenarios are nothing exceptional: they make up the daily life of any frontline manager. What changes is not their frequency, but the way to respond. A common thread connects all the good practices: starting from an observable fact rather than a label, opening a space for dialogue without trying to solve everything, acting on what pertains to the organization of work, and directing to competent professionals as soon as the situation exceeds one’s role. The table below summarizes, for each scenario, what is most often at stake and the reflex to adopt.

To go further

Beyond these situations, preventing PSR also requires maintaining a caring work environment. The DYNSEO free tools catalog and the cognitive tests can support team times around well-being; the application CLINT, designed for adults and mental health, offers cognitive stimulation activities useful in remobilization pathways.

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