Quick answer: Practice Managers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #118 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 50/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and precision and monotony.
Practice 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 demands51.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden62.7 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands56.5 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control25 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony76.9 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment27.2 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for practice managers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, practice managers score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (51.8 vs 37.9 average), precision and monotony (76.9 vs 67.7 average) and responsibility burden (62.7 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 84/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for physical environment (27.2 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 practice managers
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
84/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Responsibility burden
Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
77.8/100
All-occupation average: 58.5
- 3Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
74/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 4Pace and demands
Time Pressure
73.2/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
73/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for practice managers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
51.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People27.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People59.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations67.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
62.7 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results77.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety63.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results63 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error35.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others74 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
56.5 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure73.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week73 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment7.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making68.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition60.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
25 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions27.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work22.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
76.9 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks69.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate84 vs 78.6
Physical environment
27.2 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable38.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting6.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures2.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections38.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity50 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for practice 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
Practice Managers: how stressful is the job?
Practice Managers rank #118 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 50/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 62.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for practice managers?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (84/100), responsibility for outcomes and results (77.8/100) and coordinate or lead others (74/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for practice managers?
Practice Managers score below the national average for physical environment (27.2 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 practice 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.