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
At Work article
Lower injury rates found when workers feel their workplace prioritizes their wellbeing
An IWH study has found study found that poor psychosocial safety and poor physical safety both increase the risk of work-related mental and physical injuries.
Published: February 12, 2026
IWH Speaker Series
Understanding PTSI program implementation processes in Alberta first responder organizations
Published: January 27, 2026
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
More than just COVID-19 prevention: Exploring the links between PPE, safe work protocols and workers' mental health
We have heard a lot about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures (ICP) in reducing workplace COVID-19 transmission. A new study, conducted jointly with the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), set out to explore their importance in protecting workers' mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith shares results from two surveys, one conducted among health-care workers and the other among the broader Canadian workforce. The findings provide important insights into the additional benefits of adequate design and implementation of employer-based infection control practices—beyond reducing COVID-19 transmission.
Published: November 2020
At Work article
Adequacy of COVID infection control and PPE linked to workers’ mental health: study
Workers who felt safe at their physical work sites had better mental health than workers who felt workplace COVID-19 safety practices were inadequate, according to a study conducted by IWH and OHCOW at the start of the COVID-19 emergency.
Published: November 2020
At Work article
Depressive symptoms in people with arthritis linked to lower employment rates
Research has shown that people with arthritis face difficulties finding work and staying at work. Now, a new study finds that when people with arthritis also have depressive symptoms, the risks of work disability are even greater.
Published: October 2020
Research Highlights
Depression and work among adults with arthritis
About 13 per cent of working-age people in the U.S. who have arthritis also experience depressive symptoms. Having both arthritis and depressive symptoms lowers the likelihood of working. For people aged 35 to 54, having depressive symptoms in addition to arthritis lowers the likelihood of working by 17 per cent.
Published: October 2020
IWH in the media
Health-care workers lacking PPE suffer from more anxiety and depression
While personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures are often discussed as measures to reduce virus transmission, we also need to understand their importance in the context of mental health, especially since the mental health impacts of COVID-19 may linger beyond the pandemic, writes IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith in The Conversation.
Published: The Conversation, September 2020
IWH in the media
COVID precautions protect workers' physical and mental health, study
Canadian health-care workers say they lacked adequate COVID-19 precautions during the pandemic’s first wave and new research finds this also contributes to poorer mental health. Workers Health & Safety Centre shares findings from a study by IWH and Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, September 2020
Research Highlights
Employer perspectives on communication challenges when supporting episodic disabilities
Supporting people with episodic health conditions can be challenging from organizational perspectives. The challenges stem from the need to provide accommodation and support while respecting workers’ right to privacy, and to respond to unpredictable periods of disability while ensuring work units meet productivity demands.
Published: September 2020
IWH in the media
Patients with arthritis, depression more likely to be unemployed
Depression symptoms are associated with unemployment among working-age adults with arthritis, with middle-aged adults most affected. Jason Laday reports on a study published by Dr. Arif Jetha in Arthritis Care & Research.
Published: Healio, September 2020
IWH in the media
Greater focus on episodic disabilities needed: Study
Disability management must adapt and create a new model to reflect the impact of episodic disabilities among employees, writes John Dujay on a study led by Dr. Monique Gignac, scientific co-director and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: Canadian HR Reporter, August 2020
At Work article
Workplaces face many complex challenges when managing episodic disabilities: study
Employers are recognizing that they need a new model of disability management to support workers with episodic health conditions, according to a new IWH study. These conditions can raise a host of issues for workplaces, including issues of trust, stigma and privacy.
Published: August 2020