The road to a mentally healthy workplace

A healthy workplace starts with management buy-in

For those who spend most of their waking hours at work, the quality of the workplace environment and the relationships we have there can impact our health and well-being. A healthy workplace supports both the physical and psychological well-being of its workers. It creates a culture of trust and support in which we can openly share and discuss our mental health issues with our manager.

Traditionally, occupational health and safety focused mainly on the physical safety of employees. We controlled noise hazards by enclosing loud equipment and protected workers from cuts and entanglement by installing safeguards on machines. We rolled out WHMIS training and made sure that hazardous products were labelled correctly. But we didn't talk about how poor workload management was affecting a worker's mental health.

We didn't address the lack of respect that was shown to co-workers at team meetings. We didn't assess the workplace for hazards that could cause negative responses to stress. Recently there has been a shift with more and more workplaces putting mental health on the agenda and recognizing the hazards that can cause psychological harm.

Coming to terms

Psychologically healthy workplaces and mentally healthy workplaces both describe the same high-functioning, respectful, and productive environment. The term psychologically healthy workplace often is used when talking about preventing psychological injuries such as stress-related emotional conditions resulting from real or perceived threats or injuries.

When the 13 recognized psychological workplace factors are addressed, all workers benefit, regardless of where they fall on the mental health spectrum. The term mentally healthy workplace often is used within the context of mental health promotions and is viewed as a strategy used to reduce risk factors for developing mental illness. This strategy can be in the form of personal health resources, materials, and information to help individuals with their resiliency, coping, and growth and development.

The 13 recognized psychological workplace factors, including clear roles and expectations, workload management, engagement, civility, and respect, can affect employees' mental and physical health. When employees have negative exposure to these factors, there is potential for the development of stress, demoralization, depressed mood, anxiety, and burnout.

The 13 psychosocial risk (PSR) factors were identified by researchers at Simon Fraser University based on extensive research and review of empirical data from national and international best practices. The factors were also determined based on existing and emerging Canadian case law and legislation.

These 13 factors are discussed in detail on the Guarding Minds at Work website (www.guardingmindsatwork.ca). Guarding Minds at Work is a free, evidence-based strategy that helps employers protect and promote psychological safety and health in their workplace.

Organizational Mental Health

There is no one right way to create a mentally healthy workplace because every workplace is different.

From the people doing the work to the work that needs to be done, leaders running the organization, size of the organization, external environment that influences the community, and the external resources from which the company draws play a role in affecting how you address mental health. However, regardless of these variables, the 13 psychological hazards can be addressed, and research has shown that they can have a positive impact on your workplace.

Including mental health in your business model is important for creating a healthy workplace. Poor mental health not only hurts the individual, but it also reduces corporate profits. It's essential that all levels -- including the board of directors, management, finance, and human resources departments -- get involved in incorporating mental health at your workplace. It's also necessary to engage your health and safety committee and workers. Everyone has a shared responsibility for health and safety, including mental health.

There is also a legislative requirement for employers to protect the mental and physical health of their employees. Many provincial occupational health and safety acts have been expanded to include harm to psychological well-being in the definition of harassment.

Making Mental Health Easy to Share

Promoting a caring culture that balances work, life, safety, health, and well-being brings many benefits, including a more enjoyable work environment; increased productivity; and happier workers who feel encouraged, supported, and rewarded for their efforts.

A psychologically safe and healthy workplace promotes workers' mental well-being. It does not harm employee mental health through negligent, reckless, or intentional ways. It's an environment where people feel safe to share how they are feeling and their experiences without fear of judgment or being marginalized.

A supportive work environment can be a place of healing and promotes well-being and respect.

Research and practical application tell us that an employee suffering from stress, whether it is caused by work or life issues, needs to be acknowledged and accommodated the same way as the worker who has strained his back lifting while at work or injured himself after exposure to a physical, chemical, or biological hazard.

With a trusting dynamic and partnership between employer and employee and equitable treatment of employees with mental or physical injury or illness, you create an environment where people feel safe to talk about mental health without judgment and in confidence.

Your organization's commitment to this culture needs to start with your leadership. In your day-to-day management, you can encourage respectful and non-derogatory behaviours, active employee participation and decision-making, and work-life balance. You can clearly define employees' duties and responsibilities and manage workloads.

Employee trust is built when you respect privacy and collect only the information necessary to develop an appropriate accommodation. Clearly post and communicate your accommodation policy and procedures for keeping information confidential and safe.

You need to respond to employee requests in a timely manner and move forward in good faith on requests for accommodation, even while waiting for supporting documentation. Engage with the worker, and experts if needed, to explore all reasonable solutions.

You always have an obligation to protect a worker with a health issue from harassment in the workplace. By working collaboratively, you create a culture of caring, foster trust, and establish a dynamic work environment where individuals can grow and thrive.

This article was supplied by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), 135 Hunter St. East, Hamilton, Ont. L8N 1M5, 800-668-4284, www.ccohs.ca.