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
Beyond employment rates: The long-term work experiences of Canadians with mental health conditions
Published: September 23, 2025
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
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
The impact of job strain on the risk of depression
In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith discusses a recent project that considered the impact of changes in job strain on the risk of depression. More specifically, this research assessed the impact of changes in dimensions of the psychosocial work environment – job control, psychological demands, job strain and social support – on the risk of depression in a longitudinal cohort of 3,735 Canadians. Results of this analysis are presented and discussed in this plenary.
Published: October 2011
At Work article
At Work article
Researching workplace depression: Where to go from here
More high quality research is needed to determine what types of programs will most effectively address depression in the workplace. But at least we know this type of research is possible.
Published: October 2011
Sharing Best Evidence
Effectiveness of interventions to address depression in the workplace
Little information is available on the effectiveness of workplace programs to target depression. This systematic review set out to provide such information. It searched the research literature to look for interventions for managing depression in the workplace that were effective from an employer's point of view.
Published: October 2011
At Work article
At Work article
Over-qualified immigrants at risk of poorer mental health
Many recent immigrants end up in jobs for which they are over-qualified, putting them at risk of poorer mental health within a relatively short period of time, according to a recent study from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: May 2011
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Systematic review on depression in the workplace
In this presentation, IWH scientists Dr. Andrea Furlan and Dr. William Gnam describe the findings of the study that aimed to determine which intervention approaches to manage depression in the workplace have been successful and yielded values for employers in developed economies.
Published: March 2011
Systematic Review
Systematic Review
Systematic review of intervention practices for depression in the workplace
Depression in the workplace is widespread, and workplaces feel its financial pinch in the form of absenteeism and presenteeism. Yet workplace programs that specifically target depression remain uncommon, perhaps because little information is available on the effectiveness of these programs when it comes to improving outcomes of importance to employers. This systematic review set out to provide such information and its results are included in this report.
Published: February 2011
Issue Briefing
Unemployment and mental health
Researchers have been looking at how unemployment affects mental health since the Great Depression of the 1930s, if not earlier. This body of research has shown that becoming unemployed has a negative impact on mental health. Also, people with mental health problems are more likely than others to become unemployed. This Issue Briefing summarizes the key research behind these findings and explores the implications for policy-makers and health and safety service providers.
Published: August 2009
At Work article
At Work article
Mental health and injured workers: Depressive symptoms linked to delayed work-returns
New research from the Institute for Work & Health indicates that depressive symptoms are pervasive among workers disabled by musculoskeletal disorders. For those whose symptoms persist, sustainable work-returns are less likely, and treatment may be needed to improve recovery.
Published: April 2009
Research Highlights
Research Highlights
Heavy workloads linked to mental health, MSD treatment in health-care workers
What worker or workplace factors are linked to musculoskeletal or mental health problems among nurses and support staff? This study of 21,000 health-care workers points to heavy workloads among the most important factors.
Published: January 2009
At Work article
At Work article
Mental health issues and medication use in injured workers
For some injured workers, their experiences dealing with a lost-time claim have led to mental health problems or issues with medication use. As part of their study, IWH researchers looked more closely at these two areas
Published: April 2008