Taking care of mental health at work
Work is one of the central roles in people's lives, not only because it allows them to satisfy basic and economic needs, but also because we dedicate many hours to it, it has a social and socializing function, it allows for personal fulfillment, and it is interconnected with other areas of life, such as family and leisure time. That is why promoting workplace well-being, health, and emotional well-being is so important.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that 15% of working-age adults will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives , and we know that many people with mental disorders are excluded from the labor market. According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) , in 2020 the employment rate for people with a recognized disability due to mental health reasons in Spain was only 17.1%.
The WHO and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed separate guidelines with recommendations for promoting mental health and emotional well-being at work, preventing the onset of mental disorders, and supporting people with mental health problems to enter or return to the labor market.
Both organizations emphasize the importance of organizational plans, policies, and practices , with the organization being responsible for identifying and implementing measures to reduce psychosocial risks in the workplace and their negative effects, involving the workers themselves in this process. Organizational psychosocial measures can be directed at all workers (universal) or be more selective and targeted at specific profiles. The WHO highlights workers in the health, humanitarian, and emergency sectors, as well as individuals who already have a mental health condition, as key risk groups requiring intervention. In the latter case, making workplace adjustments is enshrined in international human rights principles .
Some of NICE's recommendations to organizations for creating positive, inclusive and supportive work environments are:
- Increase basic knowledge of mental health at work.
- Promote peer support.
- To provide support to the people who manage and care for the workers.
- Encourage workers to recognize and take steps to prevent discrimination in the workplace.
- To become aware that workplace well-being depends as much on factors in the workplace itself as on discrimination and social stigma
- Promote good communication and commitment with employees
The guidelines highlight the importance of training organizational managers to improve their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as training employees with mental health awareness and understanding, thereby also reducing stigmatizing attitudes. For training to be effective, the organization must ensure that sufficient time is allocated for the most relevant training sessions.
According to NICE, training for management staff should include:
- Continuing education on management and communication skills.
- Content, tools, skills and resources to raise awareness of mental health and well-being at work, promote emotional well-being at work, improve communication between management and workers, including remote staff management.
Individual psychosocial interventions are also recommended, enabling workers to develop stress management skills, promote positive mental health, and reduce emotional distress. However, these individual measures should not replace organizational strategies for reducing workplace stressors or be geared toward increasing productivity, as NICE warns. Leisure-time physical activity is also included in WHO recommendations to improve emotional distress and promote the health of workers.
Organizations themselves can inform their employees about the internal and external services available to them if they experience emotional distress or a mental health disorder. A good practice would be to establish agreements with these external agencies and service providers to facilitate employee access to the support offered, which may include plans and toolkits.
People returning to work after an absence due to mental health problems will need not only clinical mental health care but also job-oriented support. Similarly, for people with mental health conditions to obtain and maintain employment, recovery strategies that improve their workplace inclusion, such as supported employment, should be implemented.
Guidelines for Normalising Mental Health Orders in the Worklpace
The aim of all these recommendations is to promote workplace well-being, prevent mental health problems, and offer support for recovery once they have arisen. To achieve this, organizations need to make a firm commitment to improving their policies, plans, and actions to foster a culture of well-being within their organizations.
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