Mental health in the workplace
Workplaces play a dual role in the area of mental health. On the one hand, they can be a stressful environment that contributes to mental health problems among workers. On the other hand, they can play an important part in helping to detect and manage mental health problems when they arise among workers, and in ensuring the healthy recovery and return of workers who are off work due to a mental health issue. IWH research in this area helps paint a clearer picture of the prevalence of mental health problems among workers, the types of labour force and workplace factors that may contribute to poor mental health, and the workplace-based and system prevention efforts that can help improve the mental health of workers and ensure they have the proper supports when needed.
Featured
IWH Speaker Series
Deciding whether to share health information at work: A new evidence-based tool for workers with chronic conditions
Published: November 19, 2024
At Work article
Workplace supports buffer productivity impacts of rheumatic diseases and depression
Young adults who live with both a rheumatic disease and depression have lower productivity than those who have only one or neither condition. That’s according to a new IWH study. Findings from this small study also suggest that having a supportive working environment can buffer lost productivity.
Published: October 7, 2024
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Deciding whether to share health information at work: A new evidence-based tool for workers with chronic conditions
Workers with chronic and episodic physical and mental health conditions often struggle when deciding whether to seek support from their workplace. In making decisions, they weigh risks like the loss of privacy or reputation if they disclose their needs, versus concerns about job difficulties and work performance if they don’t receive support.
In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac focuses on the challenges inherent in the decision-making process. She also describes a new decision-support tool called DCIDE that aims to help workers navigate the complexity of disclosure decisions. Developed as part of a large research partnership with input from researchers, people with lived experiences, and health charities, DCIDE is an online, interactive tool that guides users through disclosure decisions and links them with additional resources to support their disclosure and privacy preferences.
In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac focuses on the challenges inherent in the decision-making process. She also describes a new decision-support tool called DCIDE that aims to help workers navigate the complexity of disclosure decisions. Developed as part of a large research partnership with input from researchers, people with lived experiences, and health charities, DCIDE is an online, interactive tool that guides users through disclosure decisions and links them with additional resources to support their disclosure and privacy preferences.
Published: November 2024
At Work article
Workplace supports buffer productivity impacts of rheumatic diseases and depression
Young adults who live with both a rheumatic disease and depression have lower productivity than those who have only one or neither condition. That’s according to a new IWH study. Findings from this small study also suggest that having a supportive working environment can buffer the lost productivity issues.
Published: October 2024
Journal article
Journal article
Double trouble! Do workplace supports mitigate lost productivity for young workers with both severe rheumatic diseases and depressive symptoms?
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, July 2024
Research Highlights
Working unpaid overtime linked with high stress and burnout: IWH study
Building on research linking overtime work to depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns, an IWH study investigated how working unpaid overtime is associated with mental health in Canada’s working population. They found that that the more unpaid overtime hours worked, the more likely a worker is to report stress and burnout.
Published: June 2024
Journal article
Journal article
Unpaid overtime and mental health in the Canadian working population
Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, June 2024
Journal article
Journal article
The working life expectancy of American adults experiencing depression
Published: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, January 2024
Journal article
Journal article
Understanding the unmet accommodation needs of people working with mental or cognitive conditions: the importance of gender, gendered work, and employment factors
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, January 2024
Journal article
Journal article
Return-to-work experiences in Ontario policing: injured but not broken
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, January 2024
Journal article
Journal article
A retrospective cohort analysis of mental health-related emergency department visits among veterans and non-veterans residing in Ontario, Canada
Published: Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, January 2024
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
The working life expectancy of Americans experiencing depression
Understanding the impact of depression on employment is critical to informing welfare, health, and social services policy. In this presentation, Dr. Kathleen Dobson discusses research on working life expectancy—that is, the number of years an individual can expect to work before permanently leaving the labour force. Dobson talks about the importance of working life expectancy, and shares novel findings from the U.S. about how different courses of depression throughout individuals’ working years impact their working life expectancy from age 30 to 60.
Published: November 2023