Workplace bullying causing psychological injury: NSW workers compensation guide

Workplace bullying causing psychological injury can occur through repeated humiliation, intimidation, exclusion or unreasonable criticism and repeated interference with work, information, training or resources. The incident history should identify the task, equipment, location and sequence of events rather than relying on the job title alone.

People commonly exposed include workers alleging repeated unreasonable conduct by colleagues or supervisors and workers affected by group conduct, exclusion or repeated intimidation. Employment records should identify each person's task, employer and position in the work area when the incident occurred.

Medical records after a workplace bullying causing psychological injury may identify a diagnosed primary psychological injury where the relevant-conduct and causation tests are met and physical symptoms that require separate medical analysis. Each diagnosis should be linked to the event or exposure and to the worker's actual functional change.

After a workplace bullying causing psychological injury, immediate reporting and safety records may include dated chronology and copies of complaints and emails, messages, meeting invitations and witness details. These records can establish what was known at the time without requiring the worker to repeatedly recount a traumatic event.

• Roster, workload, supervision and work-allocation records.
• Employer investigation and response.

For a workplace bullying causing psychological injury, the first evidence to preserve includes specific repeated acts rather than labels alone and why the conduct was unreasonable in context. It is most useful when dates, people, equipment, duties and later medical histories tell a consistent account.

• Separation of management action from other conduct.
• Medical diagnosis, treatment and capacity records.

Medical and psychological evidence after a workplace bullying causing psychological injury may include diagnosis using accepted medical terminology and history identifying the repeated work events and other stressors. A diagnosis alone may not answer causation or capacity: the records should explain the work event, symptoms, treatment and practical restrictions.

• Functional effect on attendance, concentration and interaction.
• Capacity certificate and treatment plan.

After a workplace bullying causing psychological injury, an insurer may dispute the insurer says there was no repeated unreasonable behaviour and the conduct is characterised as reasonable management action. The written decision should be answered with evidence directed to those stated reasons.

Diagnosis using accepted medical terminology. History identifying the repeated work events and other stressors. If treatment is disputed after a workplace bullying causing psychological injury, the request should explain the accepted diagnosis, expected functional benefit and reasonable alternatives.

Work capacity after a workplace bullying causing psychological injury may turn on contact with the people involved and reporting line and workload, supervision, meetings and site. Proposed duties must be compared with the real task demands and the worker's ability to sustain them for the proposed hours.

A lasting physical injury is assessed under the NSW method for the affected body system only after the condition is sufficiently stable. The event label does not predict a WPI percentage. Primary psychological impairment is assessed separately under the NSW psychiatric impairment method when the condition is permanent and the legal pathway is established. Diagnosis alone does not determine WPI. Any WPI assessment after a workplace bullying causing psychological injury occurs after stabilisation under the NSW method for the accepted body system; the accident or surgery alone does not determine a percentage.

A primary psychological injury is the psychological condition said to arise directly from workplace events. For claims first notified on or after 1 July 2026, the event must fit a relevant-event category and satisfy the additional connection and causation requirements. A secondary psychological injury arises as a consequence of a physical injury, for example depression associated with pain, surgery or loss of mobility after an assault injury. The 2026 primary-injury reforms do not apply to secondary psychological injuries in the same way. The distinction depends on medical causation and the accepted injury history, not simply on which symptoms were noticed first.

A police, SafeWork, workplace, discrimination, Fair Work or protective-order process may exist alongside workers compensation. Those processes have different purposes and do not decide workers compensation automatically. A civil, victims-support or other claim may require separate advice depending on the person involved and circumstances. It should not be described as part of workers compensation without checking eligibility. These issues are separate from workers compensation and depend on the particular facts.

For a workplace bullying causing psychological injury, assistance may involve identify the event category, incident date and claim pathway before responding to an insurer and organise incident, safety, medical, psychological and capacity evidence without circulating unnecessary private material. The purpose is to identify the disputed decision and the evidence needed for the next step, not to promise an outcome.