1. Selected topics

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

A woman with a leg cast and walker walks up a road.
At Work article

Injured workers face mental health challenges beyond diagnosable conditions

Workers with a work-related physical injury that takes them off the job can have a wide range of mental health experiences, beyond diagnosable conditions. That’s according to an IWH study which also found that differences in injured workers’ mental health were linked to return-to-work outcomes.
Published: April 9, 2025
A group of firefighters aim a firehose at a building
At Work article

How employers are improving RTW outcomes for public safety workers with PSTI

Public safety employers face a range of challenges when supporting workers to return to work after experiencing a post-traumatic stress injury. Employers have developed strategies to face these challenges, as outlined in a recent IWH Speaker Series presentation.
Published: March 12, 2025
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.  
Published: November 2024
Project report
Project report

Employer perspectives on supporting return-to-work among public safety personnel who have experienced post-traumatic stress injuries: Summary report

The Ontario Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) contracted with Trillium Health / Insight Health Solutions to establish a mental health assessment and treatment specialty program to meet the needs of public safety personnel (PSP) with an accepted compensation claim arising from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To assess the specific benefits of the First Responder Mental Health Treatment (FRMHT) program, the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the Institute for Better Health conducted a mixed-methods formative evaluation of the program with four components. This report summarizes findings from the fourth component, led by IWH. It was focused on interviews with representatives of public safety employer representatives who supported return-to work (RTW) among PSP with PTSD.
Published: November 2024
Journal article
Journal article

Uncovering mental health profiles of workers with a physically disabling injury or illness using the complete state mental health framework

Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, November 2024
A woman working at a laptop looks out the window with her head resting on her hand
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

Risk of opioid-related harms by occupation within a large cohort of formerly injured workers in Ontario, Canada: findings from the Occupational Disease Surveillance System

Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 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
A man works at a computer in an dark, empty office late at night, with his head in his hand
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

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
Journal article
Journal article

The working life expectancy of American adults experiencing depression

Published: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, January 2024