The importance of mental health in the workplace

Mental health in the workplace is a key issue for successful businesses and happy employees.

In Luxembourg, regulating and preventing psychosocial risks at work is one of the objectives of the national mental health plan for the period 2024 to 2028. But how do you go about taking these risks into account on a daily basis and ensuring a fulfilling work environment for all?

What is mental health in the workplace?

The European Council defines mental health as” a state of well-being in which a person can realize themselves, manage stress, work and contribute to the life of their community ”. In order to improve the general state of mental health in Europe, the Council favours a sector-by-sector approach. Indeed, we can approach the subject in different contexts such as education or work, to name only these two examples. Thus, it is possible to put in place specific action plans to combat the numerous harmful effects of poor mental health.

‍

In the world of work, workers in precarious jobs are the most affected by psychosocial disorders. But also, workers who are more likely to face adverse or complicated events such as health workers, aid workers, or emergency services personnel. It is also noted that digitization, robotization and the use of artificial intelligence at work can have negative effects on working conditions.

‍

Within an organization, good mental health often goes hand in hand with quality of work and productivity. The well-being of workers depends on a delicate balance between the professional demands placed on them and their ability to meet them. To maintain this harmony, it is necessary in particular to be able to support management, protect internal social relationships, ensure the necessary technical resources and guarantee safety.

Psycho-social burden and its consequences

As part of your work, you may be required to experiencing too much psycho-social tension. For example: having to perform difficult tasks in an unsuitable work environment, undergo a major organizational change, or even experience relationship difficulties with your hierarchy. These situations, if they are not well managed, can degenerate and have harmful consequences on the worker, of course, but also, on a larger scale, on the company: work disabilities, poor returns, loss of customers, workplace accidents, etc.

‍

The risks most frequently linked to a significant psychosocial burden for workers are: stress, violence and aggression, moral and sexual harassment, burn-out and addictive behaviors. It is not uncommon for common problems to be the source of many of these situations experienced. Likewise, one problem regularly leads to another (harassment that causes stress that leads to addictive behaviors) and so on. It can be said that it is a vicious circle that should be avoided at all costs.

How to set up a serene working environment?

The workplace is not always responsible for the development of mental health problems. Circumstances can also have an impact on the well-being of a company: economic recession, humanitarian emergency, public health problem... But it is true that work organization is one of the most important levers in the prevention of psycho-social risks. This organization must be specific to the company and correspond to its realities.

‍

To avoid mental health problems at work, various actors have a role to play, such as public authorities or trade unions. Within the company, employers can directly influence workplace well-being by taking steps to promote and protect mental health internally. To do this, the World Health Organization recommends:

‍

• train managers on mental health issues : helping them to capture situations of emotional distress and develop relational skills for example;

• train workers : raise their awareness, give them better knowledge on the subject;

• set up interventions aimed at workers.

‍

Here it is some arrangements that employers can put in place within their organization in an appropriate manner:

• Training managers in mental health. Example: allow them to take courses on recognizing the signs of burnout or on managing conflicts.

• Improving working conditions. Example: allowing schedule adjustments or granting special leave for medical appointments.

• Encourage mutual aid and kindness. Example: organizing internal awareness campaigns or events on the subject of mental health.

• Accompany people who have mental health problems at work or when they return to work Example: allowing a gradual recovery after a burn-out.

• Set up initiatives to help manage stress. Example: organize yoga or meditation sessions or encourage the use of practical tools such as applications or podcasts.