A new era for mental health at work

The International Labour Organization warns of an “uncertain recovery” of the world's economy as the pandemic continues to significantly affect labour markets. Global unemployment is expected to remain above pre-COVID-19 levels until at least 2023, with the report also suggesting the overall impact on employment could be significantly higher because many people left the labour force during the pandemic. In 2022, the global labour force participation rate is projected to remain 1.2 percentage points below that of 2019, or the equivalent of 52 million full-time jobs.

This downgrade reflects the impact the pandemic has had on the world of work and the uncertainty facing employers and workers in the immediate future. One silver lining amid all the disruption is that the pandemic has helped raise awareness of the importance of mental health in the workplace. To address the issue, new guidelines and standards have been developed to help employers create the right environment for the physical and mental safety of their workers, regardless of whether the work is being done on site or online at home.

Psychosocial hazards are factors in the design or management of work that increase the risk of work-related stress and can lead to psychological or physical harm. These may include work organization, social factors such as excessive working hours, poor leadership or bullying, as well as physical aspects of the work environment, equipment and exposure to hazardous tasks. They can be present in all organizations and across all sectors.

Global standard ISO 45003 is giving practical guidance on managing psychological health in the workplace. Its primary purpose is to define psychosocial hazards and develop a management framework that recognizes them as major challenges to health, safety and well-being at work.