WHO and ILO call for new measures to tackle mental health at work

The new WHO global guidelines on mental health at work are reinforced by the practical strategies outlined in the joint WHO/ILO policy brief.

The WHO and the International Labor Organization (ILO) have called for concrete actions to solve the mental health problems of the working population.

An estimated 12 billion working days are lost annually due to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy nearly $1 trillion. Two new publications addressing this issue – the WHO Guidelines on Mental Health at Work and the WHO/ILO Policy Brief – have been published today.

The WHO Global Guidelines on Mental Health at Work recommend actions to address mental health risks such as heavy workloads, negative behavior and other factors that create distress at work. For the first time, WHO recommends training managers to build their capacity to prevent stressful work environments and respond to workers in distress.

WHO World Report on Mental Health, published in June 2022, found that of the one billion people living with a mental disorder in 2019, 15% of working-age adults experienced a mental disorder. Work reinforces wider societal problems that negatively impact mental health, including discrimination and inequality. Harassment and psychological violence (also known as “mobbing”) is a key complaint of workplace harassment that has a negative impact on mental health. Yet discussing or disclosing mental health remains taboo in work settings around the world.

The guidelines also recommend better ways to accommodate the needs of workers with mental health problems, suggest interventions to support their return to work and, for those with severe mental health problems, provide interventions to facilitate entry into paid work. It is important to note that the guidelines call for interventions aimed at protecting health, humanitarian and emergency workers.

“It is time to focus on the detrimental effect that work can have on our mental health,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “An individual’s well-being is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating effect on a person’s performance and productivity. These new guidelines can help prevent negative work situations and cultures and offer much-needed mental health protection and support to working people.”

A separate WHO/ILO policy brief explains the WHO guidelines in terms of practical strategies for governments, employers and workers and their organisations, in the public and private sectors. The aim is to support the prevention of mental health risks, to protect and promote mental health in the workplace and to support people with mental health problems so that they can participate and progress in the world of work. Investment and leadership will be key to implementing the strategies.

“Since people spend a large part of their lives at work – a safe and healthy work environment is of critical importance. We need to invest in building a culture of mental health prevention at work, reshape the working environment to end stigma and social exclusion and ensure that employees with mental health problems feel protected and supported,” said Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General.

The ILO Convention on Safety and Health at Work (No. 155) and Recommendation (No. 164) provides legal frameworks for the protection of workers’ health and safety. However WHO Atlas of Mental Health found that only 35% of countries reported having national programs to promote and prevent work-related mental health.

COVID-19 has caused a 25% increase in general anxiety and depression worldwide, exposing how unprepared governments have been for its impact on mental health and revealing a chronic global lack of mental health resources. In 2020, governments worldwide spent an average of only 2% of health budgets on mental health, with lower-middle-income countries investing less than 1%.