<ol><li>To lay out global standards for organizations to create and administer an environment where the psychosocial well-being of employees is as clearly defined and care for as their physical safety.</li><li>Offer a helpful baseline for HR professionals across industries to evaluate how effectively their organizations are providing a psychosocially healthy atmosphere, without the need for in-house specialists with deep expertise in mental health</li></ol>

The Goals of the ISO 45003 Psychological Health and Safety at Work

<ol><li>A stigmatized (often nonexistent) support system. Our current situation has highlighted the lack of supportive environments, unsustainable and unfair workloads, and ineffective recognition practices.</li><li>A diverse workforce has different mental wellness needs. Having a blanket solution applied to everyone, without considering their position makes them feel excluded instead.</li><li>Burnout remains pervasive and prevention is the best cure. Employees are facing difficulties in dealing with burnout because it remains to be their responsibility to solve it.</li></ol>

3 Common Mental Health and Wellness Issues Organizations Face

<ol><li>We need to discuss mental health more openly at work and underscore the importance of creating a psychologically safe space for each and every employee. The ISO guidelines are asking to create a culture of protection for employees that speak up.</li><li>The quality and reach of the mental health programs are what's important. We should consider the diversity of the workforce and their particular needs.</li><li>We need to implement and maintain support systems in the workplace for burnout prevention.</li></ol>

Strategies For Change: Handling  the 3 Mental Health and Wellness Issues 

Traditional solutions to mental health and wellness issues won't cut it anymore because it's becoming an increasingly important subject. Organizations seeking transformative solutions may need to have fresh eyes for the following:<ul><li>How we view employee mental health</li><li>Our company's role in leadership and how it's changing the company culture around mental health; and</li><li>The effectiveness of our strategies for today's workforce</li></ul>

A Significant Opportunity for Organizations Ready for Change

<img width="450" height="265" src="https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-20-848x500.jpg" alt="workplace safety" srcset="https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-20-848x500.jpg 848w, https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-20-300x177.jpg 300w, https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-20-768x453.jpg 768w, https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-20-705x416.jpg 705w, https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Untitled-design-20.jpg 1018w">For too long, the workplace has been viewed as a mystical place where we bring a version of ourselves that is unbreakable. It’s a version of ourselves that powers through every obstacle, even if it takes a toll on our health. Sadly, it’s a version that is essentially unsustainable. How often have we seen an employee get lauded for “going above and beyond,” even when we know that what we’re saying is just code for working through illness. Or forsaking personal commitment? Or working well beyond reasonable and safe hours?That attitude–celebrating the workaholic, to put it bluntly–is an example of how the conversation around mental health has been too narrow. It’s especially been too narrow when discussing mental health in the workplace. Also, until now, occupational health and safety management was focused almost exclusively on physical safety rather than psychological health. That changed this past summer. An international standard was issued in June to provide a structural framework to help businesses manage psychological health and well-being in the workplace.In essence, the ISO 45003 Psychological Health and Safety at Work guidelines have two goals:<OL><LI>Lay out global standards for organizations to create and administer an environment where the psychosocial well-being of employees is as clearly defined and cared for as their physical safety</LI><LI>Offer a helpful baseline for HR professionals across industries to evaluate how effectively their organizations are providing a psychosocially healthy atmosphere, without the need for in-house specialists with deep expertise in mental health</LI></OL>For HR and training leaders, it’s important to recognize: 
<UL><LI>Three common mental health and wellness issues that organizations face</LI><LI>How the new standards for workplace safety could lead to a more psychosocially healthy work environment</LI></UL><h2>1. A Stigmatized or Nonexistent Support System</h2>The pandemic highlighted the lack of supportive environments for <a href="https://talentculture.com/employee-mental-health-not-either-or-proposition/" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">employee mental health</a> at an organizational level. It also shed light on unsustainable and unfair workloads and untimely or ineffective recognition practices. Because of these issues, employees have very little time during the workday and very few, if any, tools to take care of themselves psychologically or emotionally. In a <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/02/beyond-burned-out" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">2021 survey</a> that covered 46 countries, 89 percent of respondents said their work-life was worsening. Eighty-five percent said their well-being had declined, and 56 percent said their job demands had increased.A strategy for change: Discussing mental health openly at work starts with a clear organizational strategy. You need to create an environment of <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/02/beyond-burned-out" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">psychological safety</a>. That means a workplace where employees feel comfortable being themselves and discussing emotional and mental concerns. The <a href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en:tab:3" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">ISO guidelines</a> go a step further. They ask top leaders to remember the important role they play in supporting these conversations. They also ask leadership to set a culture of protection from reprisal or judgment for employees who speak up.<h2>2. A Diverse Workforce Has Diverse Mental Wellness Needs</h2>More than nine out of 10 respondents in a <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/10/its-a-new-era-for-mental-health-at-work" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">2021 survey</a> felt that mental health should be a focus within the company culture, up from 86 percent in 2019. The increase shouldn’t be surprising when you consider that between 2019 and 2021, mental health was <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/10/its-a-new-era-for-mental-health-at-work" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">cited</a> as an increasingly prevalent reason that employees left their jobs. Overall, 84 percent of respondents felt that at least one workplace factor negatively impacted their mental health. Further, the problem is most acute among Millennials and Gen Z.The numbers were <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/shrm-study-greater-mental-health-challenges.aspx&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1635374924021000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3VWDLUiDNGafeiMlwtu3mJ" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">disproportionately higher</a> among younger workers and members of underrepresented groups. Women, minority groups, remote workers (in some organizations), and the younger generation joining the workforce are all prone to feeling excluded from blanket policies and run-of-the-mill pledges of inclusion.A strategy for change: Sure, companies have increased investment in employee mental health over the last decade. The global mental wellness industry grew nearly twice as fast as the global economy <a href="https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/statistics-and-facts/" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">from 2015–2017 alone</a>. But the quality and reach of these programs are what matters. ISO guidelines call out the need for organizations to <a href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en:tab:3" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">consider the diversity of the workforce</a> and the needs of particular groups around a psychosocially healthy workplace.<h2>3. Burnout Remains Pervasive and Prevention Is the Best Cure</h2>Meet the new mantra, same as the old mantra: Prevention is the best medicine. <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/04/your-burnout-is-unique-your-recovery-will-be-too" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">Yu Tse Heng</a>, a researcher who uncovers ways to humanize workplaces, puts it this way: “It starts with employers, to protect employees from becoming resource-depleted in the first place. And it’s also on the employer to provide the resources necessary to support employees’ mental health.” The employee’s responsibility, meanwhile, is to try and understand where their burnout stems from and to craft a way to get out of it.Even pre-pandemic, the results of implementing mental health programs at work spoke for themselves. In <a href="https://www.aihs.org.au/news-and-publications/news/research-reveals-significant-roi-workplace-mental-health-programs" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">a 2019 study</a> conducted by Deloitte and the Australian Institute of Health &amp; Safety, the ROI for workplace mental health programs yielded $1.62 for every dollar invested. That’s just in one year. For companies with programs that had been implemented over three years, the median ROI was $2.18 for every dollar spent.A strategy for change: Self-reflection and self-care are crucial to recovering from or preventing burnout. But the ISO reiterates the importance of employers <a href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en:tab:3" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">implementing and maintaining support systems</a> in the workplace for burnout prevention. For example, having trained personnel on staff who can take charge of these programs further mitigates the risk of psychosocial damage.<h2>A Significant Opportunity for Organizations Ready for Change</h2>As mental health and workplace safety become increasingly important and open subjects, employers are at a crossroads. Traditional solutions just won’t cut it. A vacation does not erase the dread of returning to a draining work environment. In fact, American workers last year left an average of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinstoller/2021/03/11/ring-lights-and-late-nights-how-the-remote-revolution-has-changed-the-workforce/?sh=5c22422a841c" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">33 percent</a> of their allocated paid time off on the table. At the same time, they reported a <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w27612" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">49-minute increase</a> in the average workday.Organizations seeking a transformative solution to employee mental well-being should consider activating the new ISO guidelines. They present an opportunity for companies to take a fresh look at:<UL><LI>How they view employee mental health</LI><LI>The role their leadership is playing to change the company culture around mental health</LI><LI>The effectiveness of their mental health strategy for today’s changing workforce</LI></UL>As with everything around workplace safety, you can be superficial with fixes and apply Band-Aids to mask the issues. Or you can choose to step up and transform how you approach workplace mental health.<h5>Share this article</h5><article itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/BlogPosting" itemprop="blogPost">
				
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				Dr. Nick Taylor2021-11-23 10:00:172021-11-25 11:18:40A New Era of Workplace Safety: Prioritizing Psychosocial Health</article>

For too long we have let companies applaud us for being workaholics without considering our mental health and wellness issues. This article shows those in leadership roles, how they can prioritize our psychosocial health just as much as they focus on our physical safety.

Organizations can improve workplace safety by not only focusing on physical protection but the psychological needs of employees.

Stashed ideas

For too long, the workplace has been viewed as a mystical place where we bring a version of ourselves that is unbreakable. It’s a version of ourselves that powers through every obstacle, even if it takes a toll on our health. Sadly, it’s a version that is essentially unsustainable. How often have we seen an employee get lauded for “going above and beyond,” even when we know that what we’re saying is just code for working through illness. Or forsaking personal commitment? Or working well beyond reasonable and safe hours?

That attitude–celebrating the workaholic, to put it bluntly–is an example of how the conversation around mental health has been too narrow. It’s especially been too narrow when discussing mental health in the workplace. Also, until now, occupational health and safety management was focused almost exclusively on physical safety rather than psychological health. That changed this past summer. An international standard was issued in June to provide a structural framework to help businesses manage psychological health and well-being in the workplace.

In essence, the ISO 45003 Psychological Health and Safety at Work guidelines have two goals:

<ol><li>Lay out global standards for organizations to create and administer an environment where the psychosocial well-being of employees is as clearly defined and cared for as their physical safety </li><li>Offer a helpful baseline for HR professionals across industries to evaluate how effectively their organizations are providing a psychosocially healthy atmosphere, without the need for in-house specialists with deep expertise in mental health </li> </ol>

For HR and training leaders, it’s important to recognize:

<ul><li>Three common mental health and wellness issues that organizations face </li><li>How the new standards for workplace safety could lead to a more psychosocially healthy work environment </li> </ul>

1. A Stigmatized or Nonexistent Support System

The pandemic highlighted the lack of supportive environments for <a href="https://talentculture.com/employee-mental-health-not-either-or-proposition/">employee mental health </a>at an organizational level. It also shed light on unsustainable and unfair workloads and untimely or ineffective recognition practices. Because of these issues, employees have very little time during the workday and very few, if any, tools to take care of themselves psychologically or emotionally. In a <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/02/beyond-burned-out">2021 survey </a>that covered 46 countries, 89 percent of respondents said their work-life was worsening. Eighty-five percent said their well-being had declined, and 56 percent said their job demands had increased.

A strategy for change: Discussing mental health openly at work starts with a clear organizational strategy. You need to create an environment of <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/02/beyond-burned-out">psychological safety </a>. That means a workplace where employees feel comfortable being themselves and discussing emotional and mental concerns. The <a href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en:tab:3">ISO guidelines </a>go a step further. They ask top leaders to remember the important role they play in supporting these conversations. They also ask leadership to set a culture of protection from reprisal or judgment for employees who speak up.

2. A Diverse Workforce Has Diverse Mental Wellness Needs

More than nine out of 10 respondents in a <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/10/its-a-new-era-for-mental-health-at-work">2021 survey </a>felt that mental health should be a focus within the company culture, up from 86 percent in 2019. The increase shouldn’t be surprising when you consider that between 2019 and 2021, mental health was <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/10/its-a-new-era-for-mental-health-at-work">cited </a>as an increasingly prevalent reason that employees left their jobs. Overall, 84 percent of respondents felt that at least one workplace factor negatively impacted their mental health. Further, the problem is most acute among Millennials and Gen Z.

The numbers were <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/shrm-study-greater-mental-health-challenges.aspx&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1635374924021000&usg=AOvVaw3VWDLUiDNGafeiMlwtu3mJ">disproportionately higher </a>among younger workers and members of underrepresented groups. Women, minority groups, remote workers (in some organizations), and the younger generation joining the workforce are all prone to feeling excluded from blanket policies and run-of-the-mill pledges of inclusion.

A strategy for change: Sure, companies have increased investment in employee mental health over the last decade. The global mental wellness industry grew nearly twice as fast as the global economy <a href="https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/statistics-and-facts/">from 2015–2017 alone </a>. But the quality and reach of these programs are what matters. ISO guidelines call out the need for organizations to <a href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en:tab:3">consider the diversity of the workforce </a>and the needs of particular groups around a psychosocially healthy workplace.

3. Burnout Remains Pervasive and Prevention Is the Best Cure

Meet the new mantra, same as the old mantra: Prevention is the best medicine. <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/04/your-burnout-is-unique-your-recovery-will-be-too">Yu Tse Heng </a>, a researcher who uncovers ways to humanize workplaces, puts it this way: “It starts with employers, to protect employees from becoming resource-depleted in the first place. And it’s also on the employer to provide the resources necessary to support employees’ mental health.” The employee’s responsibility, meanwhile, is to try and understand where their burnout stems from and to craft a way to get out of it.

Even pre-pandemic, the results of implementing mental health programs at work spoke for themselves. In <a href="https://www.aihs.org.au/news-and-publications/news/research-reveals-significant-roi-workplace-mental-health-programs">a 2019 study </a>conducted by Deloitte and the Australian Institute of Health & Safety, the ROI for workplace mental health programs yielded $1.62 for every dollar invested. That’s just in one year. For companies with programs that had been implemented over three years, the median ROI was $2.18 for every dollar spent.

A strategy for change: Self-reflection and self-care are crucial to recovering from or preventing burnout. But the ISO reiterates the importance of employers <a href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:45003:ed-1:v1:en:tab:3">implementing and maintaining support systems </a>in the workplace for burnout prevention. For example, having trained personnel on staff who can take charge of these programs further mitigates the risk of psychosocial damage.

As mental health and workplace safety become increasingly important and open subjects, employers are at a crossroads. Traditional solutions just won’t cut it. A vacation does not erase the dread of returning to a draining work environment. In fact, American workers last year left an average of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinstoller/2021/03/11/ring-lights-and-late-nights-how-the-remote-revolution-has-changed-the-workforce/?sh=5c22422a841c">33 percent </a>of their allocated paid time off on the table. At the same time, they reported a <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w27612">49-minute increase </a>in the average workday.

Organizations seeking a transformative solution to employee mental well-being should consider activating the new ISO guidelines. They present an opportunity for companies to take a fresh look at:

<ul><li>How they view employee mental health </li><li>The role their leadership is playing to change the company culture around mental health </li><li>The effectiveness of their mental health strategy for today’s changing workforce </li> </ul>

As with everything around workplace safety, you can be superficial with fixes and apply Band-Aids to mask the issues. Or you can choose to step up and transform how you approach workplace mental health.

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

A New Era of Workplace Safety: Prioritizing Psychosocial Health

The Goals of the ISO 45003 Psychological Health and Safety at Work

3 Common Mental Health and Wellness Issues Organizations Face

Strategies For Change: Handling the 3 Mental Health and Wellness Issues

A Significant Opportunity for Organizations Ready for Change

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

The Importance of Positive Relationships in the Workplace

5 Ways to Create a Psychologically Safer Workplace for Post Pandemic Employees

Strategies to Create Psychological Safety at Work

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

A New Era of Workplace Safety: Prioritizing Psychosocial Health

The Goals of the ISO 45003 Psychological Health and Safety at Work

3 Common Mental Health and Wellness Issues Organizations Face

Strategies For Change: Handling the 3 Mental Health and Wellness Issues

A Significant Opportunity for Organizations Ready for Change

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

The Importance of Positive Relationships in the Workplace

5 Ways to Create a Psychologically Safer Workplace for Post Pandemic Employees

Strategies to Create Psychological Safety at Work

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career