 Young Workers Vox. We asked young workers about their rights, safety and well-being at work. Unsafe work. What would you do if your boss asked you to do something unsafe? I think I'd probably analyse what the situation is and if I think I can handle it or not and if I feel like I won't be able to handle it in an appropriate and safe manner then I definitely wouldn't do it. I would consult with my supervisor to say whether it's safe to perform the task. If I was in a situation where my boss asked me to do something that wasn't safe I would say to him no. Unless it's like evident threat I wouldn't know so I'll just probably do it. Firstly if it's unsafe I would go through with my boss only being armed on is going to get injured. I would say no to be honest with you. I know my rights I know what I'm entitled to so I would definitely just say no and tell her the reasons why. If you are asked to do something you think is unsafe speak up and tell your boss or health and safety representative. What would happen if you said no to unsafe work? I think it's very mild legal rights so I have to follow myself. We said no probably probably in a lot of trouble but I guess you have to stick to what you think is right. The boss would certainly be upset and disappointed but I don't feel like I would exactly lose my job over it and if I feel like I did then I could probably put in a complaint somewhere. It's just not worth doing something that you don't feel safe doing and your employer has to follow specific rules and they're not allowed to exploit you or make you feel unsafe. I have the right to say no but it's probably a little bit of a gray zone. Obviously my job could be a lie. You have the right to say no and you can't be fired for it either. You have the right to refuse unsafe work. It is against the law for an employer to fire or victimize someone for raising a safety concern. Injury at work. If you are injured at work do you have to pay for your own medical treatment? I'm not entirely sure what happens if you get injured at work. I think the company should cover for you because it may be in your line of work and if you get injured it may not be your fault. It's the line of work you do. I know that you can save work with compensation if you're injured at work and then that means you're on paying for your own things. I think it depends on whether you get injured at work or outside of work and whether it's related to your work. If someone were to be injured they would provide, I'm pretty sure some companies that have their insurance policies ensure that they provide you with health care. I know that you can get some sort of compensation. If you are injured at work you're entitled to workers' compensation. Ask your employer for a workers' compensation claim form. Is it better to recover at home or on the job? Depending on the severity I think home reconciliation is good at the beginning and then slow your simulation back into work up to what you can do. It depends what the injury is. If it's a broken foot and you have like because you tripped over something at work and your job is just sitting on a chair and using a computer then you can recover while you're at work. Some jobs you can recover at work like for instance my dad was involved in a car crash whilst he was at work and then he was taken aside from his normal day-to-day job and put into more of an office job. It definitely depends what your situation is like obviously it'd be great if you could do some time at work and some time at home but it just depends I think. Yeah I think it's definitely important to get back out there after you've been hurt or injured depending on how you feel emotionally. You shouldn't put yourself under a lot of stress just to get back into the workplace if you don't feel like you're ready. Researchers shine that an injured worker gets better results returning to work as early as possible. What would make a workplace more accommodating to recovery at work? Providing the right support say into your back just a new chair to help you sit down if you need to sit, regular breaks if you need to take medication or have rest. Just being very considerate that they might not be able to reach their full potential at that time and that you're helping them get to you where they can be in the future. Maybe like a workload, maybe part-time work, make sure that they can always talk to someone if they have any problem or issue to recover at work. Maybe provide some sort of physiotherapy services or some free consultations. So let the other employees know that I'm unfit to do certain things and perhaps let them cater for their shortfall to that. I guess just helping them ease into their job, maybe if their job requires you know more strenuous work then maybe just let them work their way towards it until they're feeling comfortable. Or just making sure that they're happy with the hours they're doing, they're not getting too exhausted. Your employer must provide reasonable modifications such as suitable work duties, equipment or retraining. Assistance is available to help employers meet these requirements. Bullying. Is bullying and harassment the same thing? I feel like bullying is a form of harassment but harassment's not exactly a form of bullying. I'd say yes, bullying is a form of harassment. I feel like they're on similar terms. Definitely you know people being up in your grill and people being in your personal space. Well bullying would probably rather be from your work colleagues. Or it could be from any level of the organisation and maybe harassment is a little bit stronger. Bullying is something that I can cope with. I can find a way to solve the problem but harassment, it's definitely not on another level. Bullying and harassment are similar. Bullying is repeated in unreasonable behaviour, directed towards a worker or group of workers. It creates a risk to health and safety. Harassment may refer to discrimination or sexual harassment. This behaviour is unlawful. What would you do if a co-worker was bullying you? I'd probably let them know to stop or I'd go see a boss. I would try to see why the reasoning behind his motive to bully me and I guess if it's something that we can't meet eye to eye maybe just get a third party to see maybe a mediator to see whether we can fix the problem. If a co-worker was bullying me I would speak to them about it and if they didn't believe it was going on I would speak to my boss and if my boss didn't accept it then I'd have to go above them with like a formal complaint of some form. I would tell them to stop bullying me but if they kept on doing it then I would just report it to my boss or someone. I would actually first of all I'd tell them to stop maybe not take it too far but if it is ongoing and it is continuing then I would have to take it to the boss. I would probably go to head office or management if I felt like someone was being unfair to me. If you are unsure if it's bullying check our website you can then talk to the person yourself or ask your supervisor or boss to help. If that fails you can make a formal complaint to Safe Work New South Wales on 131050. What would you do if your boss was bullying you? I would really try and get out of there but I'll maybe go to fair fair work. Like seriously there's a part-time job I'll be like you know I just quit. I guess just talk with my other co-workers see if they've been put in a similar situation. If my boss is bullying me it's a little bit more complicated but my boss theoretically shouldn't have a boss and I should be able to approach them in some way. If not I know you can go to like Fair Trade Act. I would probably first report him to the boss or the manager of the workplace and if he doesn't do anything about it then I'll report him to the police. Go to Safe Work. Check if your workplace has a bullying policy and reporting procedure. Seek advice from your human resources or a health and safety representative. If there is none call us Safe Work New South Wales on 131050. Mental illness. Would you tell your boss if you were diagnosed with a mental illness? If it was affecting my work performance or it was like affecting the people around me. It would probably depend on if I were if it were to affect the way I was working. So if it's not going to affect how I work then probably not but if it were to affect my performance of work then yeah. I think that'd be the best thing to do straight up only so you could get the right support throughout your job and then be able to perform at the best of your ability straight away. I personally would probably keep it hidden for a while and then if the treatment or anything would hinder my work then I would let him know. It depends what kind of job I would do but if I had to yes I will definitely tell it. I think if it was encroaching on your work life then definitely you should but if you don't feel safe saying it then I don't think you have to necessarily tell them. You only need to disclose a mental illness if it is likely to affect your ability to meet the requirements of your job. If you do disclose your employer must maintain privacy around your condition. What would make a workplace more inclusive of mental illness? I'm not too sure on how far employer has to go but I think my role should be made less stressful and then there should be some consideration in place. Straight away awareness. Everyone needs to be aware of what a mental illness can be even if they're severe or very very light and then from that just being sensitive to your co-workers you'd know that they have a mental illness. Definitely letting people know that they should feel safe and they should feel welcomed and in a working environment that accepts people who have mental illness. Provide you with time out if you need time out that's probably my first protocol um maybe provide a safe space as well if you need if you do need that time out. I guess introduce a zero harm culture. Offer counseling at the workplace. If you disclose a mental illness or other disability you have the right to expect reasonable adjustments to help you do your job. We are here to help call 131050 New South Wales Government Safe Work New South Wales