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
Research Highlights
Working unpaid overtime linked with high stress and burnout: IWH study
Building on research linking overtime work to mental health concerns, an IWH study investigated how 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 27, 2024
IWH Speaker Series
The working life expectancy of Americans experiencing depression
Published: November 14, 2023
Journal article
Journal article
Improving workplaces to enable people living with mental illness to stay in their jobs
Published: OOHNA Journal, September 2018
IWH in the media
Work-related stressors impact women and men differently, research finds
Exposure to psychosocial hazards at work adds to the growing health burden stress places upon both women and men, according to recently published Canadian research. Researchers from Institute for Work and Health found women reported lower job control, higher job strain (low job control combined with high job demands) and higher co-worker support compared with men. Women and men were found to have similar levels of job insecurity and supervisor support.
Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, August 2018
At Work article
Supervisors who react with support can help injured workers return to the job
When a worker gets injured, does the supervisor react with blame and skepticism or with empathy and support? The reaction can make a difference to the worker's return-to-work outcomes.
Published: August 2018
At Work article
Benefits outweigh costs for workplaces that accommodate people with mental illness
For employers, the economic benefits of hiring and accommodating workers with mental illnesses range from two to seven dollars for every dollar spent. That's according to a new study on the business case of accommodating mental illnesses.
Published: July 2018
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Challenges in accommodating mental and physical health conditions: What workplace parties are saying
In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac shares findings from a study examining organizational perspectives on implementing work disability prevention and management practices, as well as key issues in supporting workers with chronic, episodic conditions.
Published: June 2018
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Superior Mental Wellness @ Work: Results of a comprehensive employee mental health project in northwestern Ontario
The Superior Mental Wellness @ Work project is a two-year multi-component initiative aimed at promoting workplace environments that reduce psychological hazards and maintain positive mental health for employees in Thunder Bay and District. In this presentation, members of the project team provide an overview of the project and outline results of the overall program evaluation.
Published: May 2018
IWH in the media
Work-focused CBT can help depressed employees remain on the job
A new review by the Institute of Work & Health has found that while generic cognitive behavioural therapy can help keep employees with symptoms of depression remain at work, it doesn’t have an effect on helping them return to their jobs. The review found, however, that work-focused cognitive behavioural therapy can help depressed employees both stay at work and return to their jobs after being absent due to depression.
Published: Benefits Canada, May 2018
At Work article
IWH’s new guide on supporting workers with depression integrates research with practice
Awareness is growing about the toll that depression can have on the workplace, but many are still unsure how to support workers and colleagues experiencing depression. To fill the knowledge gap, an IWH team has looked to the research literature, as well as current practices, to produce a guide.
Published: April 2018
Tools and guides
Evidence-informed guide to supporting people with depression in the workplace
This evidence-based guide is designed for anyone in the workplace who supports workers with depression as they cope with their symptoms while working, or when they are returning to work following an episode of depression.
Published: March 2018
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Systematic review of workplace interventions to manage depression
By the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. What effective intervention approaches for managing depression can workplaces offer to help employees either stay at work while experiencing symptoms, or return to work after a depression-related absence? In this presentation, an Institute for Work & Health team share findings from a recent systematic review of the scientific literature on this question.
Published: January 2018