Quick answer: Cafe and Restaurant Managers are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #35 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 54.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and responsibility burden.
Cafe and Restaurant Managers 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 demands58.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden74.7 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands61.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control20.4 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony78 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment35.5 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for cafe and restaurant managers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, cafe and restaurant managers score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (58.8 vs 37.9 average), responsibility burden (74.7 vs 60 average) and precision and monotony (78 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is responsible for others' health and safety at 95/100 — against an all-occupation average of 57.3.
The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (20.4 vs 24.5) and physical environment (35.5 vs 38.2), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for cafe and restaurant managers
- 1Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
95/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 2Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
88.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 3Responsibility burden
Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
85/100
All-occupation average: 58.5
- 4Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
82.2/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 5Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
79.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
All 22 stress factors for cafe and restaurant managers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
58.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People32.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People77.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations65.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
74.7 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results85 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety95 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results79.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error37.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others77 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
61.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure74 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week66 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment19.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making88.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition60.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
20.4 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions19.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work21 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
78 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks73.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate82.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
35.5 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable39.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting11.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures39.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections9.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity77.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for cafe and restaurant managers 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.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
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
Cafe and Restaurant Managers: how stressful is the job?
Cafe and Restaurant Managers rank #35 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 54.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 89.0% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for cafe and restaurant managers?
The highest-scoring hazards are responsible for others' health and safety (95/100), frequency of decision making (88.2/100) and responsibility for outcomes and results (85/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for cafe and restaurant managers?
Cafe and Restaurant Managers score below the national average for lack of control (20.4 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (35.5 vs 38.2 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 cafe and restaurant managers. 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.