Mental health problems are very common — before the COVID-19 pandemic they affected about 84 million people across the EU and the situation has worsened since then. Work can also impact mental health. ‘Stress, depression or anxiety’ is the second most common type of work-related health problem in the EU. The proportion of workers who reported facing risk factors for their mental wellbeing at work was nearly 45%. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work’s (EU-OSHA) OSH Pulse survey 2022 shows that 27% of workers experience stress, anxiety or depression caused or made worse by work. And 10% of European workers report feeling burned out. Mental health issues do not only increase personal suffering and decrease quality of life, they also have substantial financial implications. The total costs of mental health problems are estimated at more than 4% of GDP (more than €600 billion) across the 27 EU Member States and the United Kingdom. It is in employers’ own interests to take a positive, proactive approach to mental health at work. Doing so will help employers to reduce sickness absence, presenteeism (reduced productivity while continuing to work) and staff turnover. On the other hand, good-quality work is good for health and most people experiencing a mental health problem want to work. While a lot of stigma surrounds mental health problems at work, many individuals with mental health problems can continue to work or successfully return to work if they are provided with the right support and work accommodations. All employers have a responsibility to support the health and wellbeing of their staff. They should provide the support people need while they’re off sick and on their return to work. Adopting supportive policies and practices will help to reduce sick leave, retain valued workers and meet legal obligations. And work accommodations can be simple and low-cost. Employers also have legal obligations to prevent and manage work-related risks — exposure to work-related psychosocial risk factors at work can lead to stress, anxiety and depression. Psychosocial risk factors include high work demands, low control, lack of support, poor relationships, unclear roles and poor change management.
Authors
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, EU body or agency, Virtanen, Marianna, Honkalampi, Kirsi, Karkkola, Petri, Korhonen, Maija
- Catalogue number
- TE-02-24-738-EN-N
- Citation
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Virtanen, M., Honkalampi, K., Karkkola, P. and Korhonen, M., Guidance for workplaces on how to support individuals experiencing mental health problems , Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2802/675164
- DOI
- https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2802/675164
- ISBN
- 978-92-9402-332-2
- Pages
- 84
- Published in
- Belgium
- Themes
- Workers' health and safety
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents 3
- List of Tables and Boxes 4
- 1 Introduction 5
- 2 Creating a supportive setting for mental health 6
- 2.1 Workplace mental health policy 6
- 2.2 Workplace strategies to support a mental health policy 6
- 2.3 Interventions to support workers experiencing a mental health problem 7
- 2.4 Addressing mental health-related stigma and promoting open conversations 8
- Stigma and myths about mental health 8
- Addressing mental health-related stigma in the workplace 8
- 2.5 Understanding the law – don’t discriminate, provide accommodations, and assess and prevent work-related risks 8
- 2.6 Preventing work-related psychosocial risks 9
- 2.7 Creating inclusive workplaces 10
- 3 Return to work and making accommodations 12
- 3.1 Steps in the return-to-work process 12
- 3.2 Involving the worker 13
- 3.3 Implementing work accommodations and follow-up 13
- 3.4 Digital technologies, mental health and work accommodations 15
- Teleworking – help or hinderance to mental health? 15
- Work accommodations – digital equipment and technologies 16
- 3.5 Occupational health services and risk assessment 16
- 3.6 Offering support services 16
- 3.7 Getting external support 16
- 3.8 Employing someone with a serious mental health condition 17
- 3.9 Checking everything is in place 17
- 4 Conclusion 18
- Appendices 19
- Appendix A - Suicide prevention 19
- Appendix B - Speaking to a worker about their mental health and supporting return to work 22
- Appendix C - Speaking to my employer about my mental health 26
- Appendix D - Types of accommodations 28
- Appendix E - Case examples of accommodations 33
- a. Depression – case examples of support 33
- b. Anxiety – case examples of support 35
- c. Sleep problems – case examples of support 35
- d. Adjustment disorder – case examples of support 36
- e. Post-traumatic stress disorder – case examples of support 37
- f. Specific phobias, agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder – case examples of support 37
- g. Panic attacks and panic disorder – case examples of support 38
- h. Obsessive-compulsive disorder – case examples of support 38
- i. Bipolar disorder – case examples of support 39
- j. Severe mental health problems, including schizophrenia – case examples of support 39
- Appendix F - Return to work following work-related stress, burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder 41
- Work-related stress and burnout 41
- Appendix G - Advice for MSEs 44
- General principles 44
- General approaches to supporting a person experiencing a mental health problem 44
- Simple measures (depending on the individual and their condition) 45
- Appendix H - Advice for the self-employed 47
- Appendix I - Resources for workplace practices 48
- General workplace mental health and return-to-work support 48
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 63
- Self-employed 65
- Workplace accessibility and accommodations 66
- Workplace accessibility and accommodations – assistive technologies 69
- Talking to your employee/employer about a mental health problem 70
- Depression and burnout 71
- Psychosocial risks and work stress 73
- Trauma and PTSD 75
- Sleep and recovery 76
- Chronic pain 77
- Eating disorders 78
- Severe mental health conditions 79
- Suicide 80
- Substance abuse 82
