Quick answer: Other Hospitality Workers are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #220 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 44.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and physical environment.
Other Hospitality Workers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands44.1 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden59 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands41.1 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control23 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony55.1 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment43 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for other hospitality workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, other hospitality workers score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (44.1 vs 37.9 average) and physical environment (43 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 78.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (41.1 vs 56), precision and monotony (55.1 vs 67.7) and lack of control (23 vs 24.5), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for other hospitality workers
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
78.2/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
72.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 3Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
68/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 4Emotional demands
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People
66/100
All-occupation average: 50.4
- 5Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
62.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
All 22 stress factors for other hospitality workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
44.1 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People16.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People66 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations49.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
59 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results57 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety68 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results62.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error50.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others56.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
41.1 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure34.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week49.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment24.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making72.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition24.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
23 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions16.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work29.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
55.1 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks53 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate57.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
43 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable44.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting34 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures48.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections9.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity78.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for other hospitality workers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Physical Environment →How the physical conditions of work affect psychological wellbeing.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Other Hospitality Workers: how stressful is the job?
Other Hospitality Workers rank #220 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 44.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 30.6% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for other hospitality workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (78.2/100), frequency of decision making (72.5/100) and responsible for others' health and safety (68/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for other hospitality workers?
Other Hospitality Workers score below the national average for responsibility burden (59 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (41.1 vs 56 average) and lack of control (23 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (55.1 vs 67.7 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for other hospitality workers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.