Both the physical and psychological health of a workplace's employees are considered to be part of its overall health. A workplace can assist its employees' total wellbeing by treating mental health and its psychological component equally with the physical environment. In addition to harming the individual, poor mental health also lowers business revenues. In order to incorporate mental health into your workplace, it's crucial that all levels of management, including the board of directors, management, finance, and human resources departments, get involved. We all share responsibility for health and safety, which includes mental health, so it is also vital to involve your health and safety committee and employees. Every workplace is unique, from the employees performing the work to the tasks that must be completed to the leaders managing the organization, the size of the organization, the external environment that affects the community, and the external resources the company uses. As a result, there is no one """"right way"""" to create a mentally healthy workplace. Each of these elements affects employees' mental health in some way. Additionally, it is a legal duty for businesses to safeguard their workers' physical and emotional health. The concept of harassment has been increased in many provincial occupational health and safety laws to include harm to psychological wellbeing. The general obligation clause would be applicable in places without specific laws addressing psychological health at work. Through the use of phrases like ""psychological well-being"" and ""psychological injury,"" some legislation now acknowledges that psychological health and safety are a part of general health and safety obligations. The following areas of law also address psychological health and safety: Harassment and violence explained Object of the Act What is health and safety? The meaning of injury modification of the workplace environment to address worker well-being The general obligation clause would be applicable in nations without specific legislation addressing psychological health in the workplace. Please consult the local laws in your area for details on the criteria.
Are there any particular challenges at work that have an impact on the mental health of employees?
Numerous workplace variables, or psychosocial risk factors (PSR), have been found in research to have an effect on organizational health, employee health, and financial results. The manner in which work is done and the environment in which it takes place can significantly affect an employee's mental health, either positively or negatively. Employees may experience stress, demoralization, depression, anxiety, or burnout when they are negatively exposed to these circumstances. All of these must be taken into account by businesses in their attempts to foster a mentally healthy workplace. These elements are: Balance Clarity in leadership and expectations, civility, and respect Engagement, Development, and Growth Participation and Influence Physical Safety Protection in Organizational Culture psychological demands and competencies Protection psychological Social and psychological support Recognition and Compensation Management of Workload The following workplace difficulties can also have an impact on mental health: stigma and prejudice links between effort and reward and demand employment burnout due to presenteeism problem substance us harassment, aggression, bullying, and mobbing Please visit OSH Answers Mental Health - Psychosocial Risk Factors for more details on these concerns.
What actions may employers take to promote mental health?
A workplace that fosters employee mental health and does not intentionally, negligently, or recklessly endanger that health is psychologically safe and healthy. A psychologically secure workplace, for instance, would be devoid of extreme fear or ongoing anxiety. The devotion of a company should begin at the top. The development and implementation of a Comprehensive Workplace Health and Safety (CWHS) Program is one strategy to establish a psychologically safe workplace. This program is a collection of strategies, initiatives, and policies created by the employer with input from workers to continuously enhance or preserve the standard of working life, employee health, and workforce well-being. These initiatives are created as a part of an ongoing process of improvement in order to enhance the working environment (physical, psychological, organizational, and economic), as well as to foster greater personal agency and development.
What steps can be taken to win the organization's backing and participation?
Getting support from all organizational levels is crucial when initiating measures for psychological health and safety. The environmental and behavioral elements that affect how all employees interact with one another on a daily basis can be improved with support and participation. senior executives Owners and senior leaders have the critical capacity to positively influence workplace culture, management practices, priorities, and values through setting expectations, leading by example, and allocating time, people power, and resources. To get the approval and involvement of senior leaders: Helping executives comprehend the advantages of psychological health and safety from a legal, ethical, and financial standpoint Identify champions from all levels of the organization Establish decision-making procedures and clearly identify who are responsible for the development and implementation of psychological health and safety initiatives To gain support and participation from managers: Communicate the purpose of psychological health and safety initiatives and who are responsible for them Clearly demonstrate senior leaders’ support Recognize managers’ efforts in performing the day-to-day duties of ensuring a healthy and safe workplace Ask for feedback from managers about the roll-out of mental health initiatives and respond to their concerns Help managers understand how their work and their team’s work might be affected by new initiatives and what resources and supports are available Highlight the importance of training and equipping managers with skills and resources to help them respond to issues brought up by their team Managers Managers and supervisors are often tasked with balancing between meeting business targets and wanting to model healthy habits and support their team members. Managers and supervisors are also on the front lines of addressing mental health issues that are reported or intentionally noticed through interactions with their team. All employees Initiatives may fall short of their intended effect if employees are not given a clear idea of the initiative’s end goal and whether their participation is encouraged by the organization’s leaders. To gain support and participation from all employees: Help employees understand the purpose of the initiatives and how the initiatives might impact their experience at work Clearly demonstrate senior leaders’, managers’, and supervisor’s support Assure everyone that initiatives are about assessing and minimizing workplace factors that are associated with negative mental health outcomes rather than identifying personal strengths and weaknesses or asking for personal medical status
What else can employers do?
Below are eight strategies that employers can use to encourage positive mental health: Encourage active employee participation and decision making Clearly define employees' duties and responsibilities Promote work-life balance Encourage respectful and non-derogatory behaviours Manage workloads Allow continuous learning Have conflict resolution practices in place Recognize employees' contributions effectively (Adapted from Canadian Mental Health Association’s Workplace Mental Health Promotion, A How-To Guide.) Additionally, employers can: When implementing a new process or procedure, always consider the psychological impact of the change. Assess psychological safety in your workplace and develop a plan to address it. See Guarding Minds @ Work or the CSA Standard “Z1003-13 (R2018)- Psychological health and safety in the workplace - Prevention, promotion, and guidance to staged implementation” for more information. Develop a policy statement that reflects your organization's commitment to making workplace mental health a priority. A policy demonstrates leadership and commitment. Additionally, your health and safety policy should address commitment to addressing psychosocial risk factors as well as other hazards Explicitly include mental health and psychological safety in your health and safety committee mandate. Develop policies and practices to address workplace harassment, violence, and bullying. Review your current policies and procedures and consider how they might be positively or negatively contributing to issues of violence and harassment. Provide education and training that ensures managers and employees know how to recognize hazards such as harassment, bullying, and psychologically unhealthy work conditions. This training provides concrete ways for co-workers to recognize and talk about health issues in general. Managers can additionally contribute to a positive work environment if they have the skills and knowledge to identify and respond to issues before they escalate. Educate all health and safety committee members about the importance of psychological health in the workplace. Ask the worker representative(s) on the committee to bring forward general workplace psychological health issues that affect their workforce rather than any individual's particular situation. Require that individual privacy and confidentiality be respected at all times. Develop policies regarding problematic substance use in the workplace and/or impairment at work make sure all employees are aware of the steps they need to follow.
Does CCOHS have any other resources to help?
Yes! We have several related OSH Answers on health promotion, wellness and psychosocial issues. The following are just a few of the topics that you can find on OSH Answers: Mental Health - Introduction Mental Health - Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Workplace Mental Health - Having Courageous Conversation Mental Health - Addressing Conflicts Workplace Health and Wellness Program - Getting Started Samples of Workplace Health Program Elements Sample Workplace Health and Wellness Survey Workplace Stress - General Work/Life Balance Violence and Harassment in the Workplace Bullying in the Workplace Internet Harassment or Cyberbullying Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) Substance Use in the Workplace Impairment at Work""" - https://www.affordablecebu.com/
