Workplaces can be places of both opportunity and risk for mental health. On the one hand, workplaces that promote good mental health and reduce work stress not only enhance mental and physical health but are also likely to reduce absenteeism, improve work performance and productivity, boost staff morale and motivation, and minimize tension and conflict between colleagues. So action to protect and promote mental health in the workplace can be cost–effective.
On the other hand, unemployment, discrimination in accessing or carrying out work, and poor working conditions can all be a source of excessive stress, heightening the risk of developing new mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Such negative working environments and experiences are the very opposite of what is needed for staff to do their work.
A toxic work environment
“I loved my work but I grew to hate it as I was working in a toxic environment,” says Larry White in Canada. “A lengthy and unpleasant matter at work was sending my mind reeling into panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. My doctor said I had moderate to severe depression. I was unable to function at work for days [at a time].”
Risks to mental health at work may be related to the nature of the work undertaken, the physical, social or cultural characteristics of the workplace, or opportunities for career development, among other things. High job demands, low job control, job insecurity, low relational and procedural justice, bullying and low social support in the workplace are associated with a greater likelihood of developing mental health problems.
“Organisational changes made in my absence meant I started to dread my weekly work meetings,” explains Larry. “I felt like a target. My normal duties were being eroded and the authority of my role was diminished without any consultation,”
he says. “It made me ill just thinking about it. I felt like a target.”
Employers and governments have a responsibility to promote and protect all people’s mental health at work. Yet work-related promotion and prevention programmes for mental health were among the least frequently reported by countries (35%) in the Mental health atlas 2020. When Larry reached out to his professional association and human resources for help, no action was taken to support him.
Exasperated, feeling cornered, and unable to function, Larry resigned. “Following my resignation my personal feelings blazed chaotically between mental anguish, lack of control, isolation, fear, sorrow, intimidation, disbelief, frustration, disappointment, extreme worry, anger and, periodically, relief,” says Larry.
Loss of employment is a known risk factor for mental health problems and suicide attempts. But so too are poor working conditions. It can be a hard choice to make. “The
happiness, optimism, and trust in others that used to define me are still mostly absent,” says Larry. But he has no regrets. “I chose to put my personal sanity and mental health first. In the end, I learnt a great deal about myself and
what is important to me. This opportunity for self-reflection is the unseen benefit.”
At national and international levels, a diverse range of employment laws and regulations can be used to establish an enabling environment for protecting workers’ mental health. This includes regulations on occupational safety and health, violence and harassment as well as laws and policies on minimum wage, equality, health, safety, parental leave and flexible working.
In 2022, WHO will publish the first ever global guidelines on mental health and work, which will include consideration of how to ensure safe, supportive and decent working conditions that promote and protect mental health. The new guidelines identify three types of strategies.
- Organizational interventions reshape working conditions, for example by providing flexible working arrangements, promoting a healthy work-life balance and reducing stigma in the workplace.
- Mental health training for managers strengthen supervisors’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours so that they may better support their workers’ mental health needs.
- Interventions for workers increase individuals’ coping capacities and may include stress management training as well as strategies to promote leisure-based physical activity.
There is still much to learn about what works, and for who, when it comes to supporting mental health at work. But in all cases, promoting and protecting mental health at work remains a key strategy in transforming mental health for all.
