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What can workplaces do to support mental health?

A psychologically safe and healthy workplace is one that promotes workers' mental well-being and does not harm employee mental health through negligent, reckless or intentional ways. For example, a psychologically safe workplace would be free of excessive fear or chronic anxiety. An organization's commitment has to start at the top.

One way to achieve a psychologically safe workplace is to create and implement a Comprehensive Workplace Health and Safety (CWHS) Program. This program is a series of strategies and related activities, initiatives and policies developed by the employer, in consultation with employees, to continually improve or maintain the quality of working life, health, and the well-being of the workforce. These activities are developed as part of a continual improvement process to improve the work environment (physical, psychosocial, organizational, economic), and to increase personal empowerment and personal growth.

Benefits of a CWHS Program

• creativity
• employee co-operation
• employee engagement
• employee retention
• loyalty to organization
• morale and employee satisfaction
• productivity, and
• recruitment

• absenteeism
• employee turnover (means reduced recruitment and retraining costs)
• grievances
• health costs
• medical leave/disability
• presenteeism
• workplace injuries and accidents, and
• work time lost