Mentally healthy workplaces

In 2022 the U.S. Surgeon General released a Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being. It names five essentials of a healthy workplace.

The five essentials

• Connection & Community
• Mattering at Work
• Opportunity for Growth
• Protection From Harm
• Work-Life Harmony

The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) calls its approach Total Worker Health. It puts a hazard-free work environment first, and says good workplace programs must address hazardous conditions before anything else. Work arrangements and how work is organized are part of that.

Be ready to answer

• “How do managers give feedback?”
• “How does the team handle busy periods?”
• “What are the usual working hours, and are people expected to reply after hours?”
• “What support is there for well-being, like an EAP or flexible work?”

Too much work, too fast, with too few people is one of the best-known work stressors. Job stress happens when the job’s demands don’t match a worker’s abilities, resources or needs.

Ideas

• Ask “What can stop, wait or be shared?” when new work arrives
• Plan realistic deadlines with the people doing the work
• Review workloads after anyone leaves the team
• Watch for people regularly working through breaks or evenings

Low control over work is a known risk for mental health. Involving workers in decisions that affect them, and in how work is designed, is one of NIOSH’s and WHO’s recurring recommendations.

Ideas

• Ask your team what gets in their way, and fix what you can
• Let people choose how they hit a goal, where possible
• Share the “why” behind decisions

Unclear roles leave people guessing and feeling blamed for things that weren’t theirs. Clear goals and regular feedback are part of good job design.

Ideas

• Agree on the top two or three priorities for each role
• Confirm decisions in writing after meetings
• Make sure two managers aren’t giving one person clashing instructions

The WHO lists clear frameworks for dealing with violence and harassment at work as an example of an organizational intervention. Harassment, bullying and discrimination harm both mental and physical health.

What a supportive manager does

• Checks in regularly and really listens
• Keeps private information private
• Keeps workloads and goals realistic
• Knows how to point people to the EAP and other support
• Treats requests for accommodations fairly

Ideas from WHO and NIOSH guidance

• Involve workers in decisions that affect them
• Model healthy habits: take breaks, use your leave, don’t send late-night messages
• Talk about mental health openly and share where to get help
• Train yourself to notice distress and respond with care

Research on “workplace telepressure”, the urge to reply to messages right away, links it to more tiredness and poorer sleep. When leaders don’t expect instant replies after hours, teams can rest.

The WHO also recommends mental health training for all workers to build understanding and reduce stigma. When people know the signs and speak about mental health openly, it’s easier to ask for help early.

It recommends helping individuals build skills to manage stress, including psychosocial approaches and leisure-time physical activity.

“Mattering at Work” and “Opportunity for Growth” are two of the Surgeon General’s five essentials. People do better when they feel their work is seen and they can see a future.

Ideas

• Ask each person where they want to grow
• Give specific thanks: what they did and why it mattered
• Offer training, mentoring or stretch projects fairly
• Give feedback regularly, not just at review time

Try not to

• Ask what their diagnosis is
• Promise to keep a safety concern secret
• Say “Everyone’s stressed, just push through.”
• Share what they told you with the team

Asking medical questions is only allowed in certain situations, such as when someone asks for an accommodation or there is objective evidence they may be unable to do the job. Keep the focus on work and support.

If work is slipping, you can talk about the work itself while offering support. Ask what would help them do their best work, and let them know they can ask for an accommodation if a health issue is involved.

If someone talks about suicide or you’re worried about their safety, don’t leave them alone. Call or text 988 together. If a life is in danger, call 911.

Supporting someone can be heavy. You don’t have to fix things, and your EAP is there for you, too.

A worker can ask by telling a supervisor, HR or another appropriate person that they need a change at work because of a medical condition. They don’t need to know the exact fix.

You may ask for a written request and a note from their health care provider. They may not need to share their exact diagnosis.

Examples

• A modified break schedule or a private place to rest
• A quiet workspace, or noise-reducing devices
• A specific shift
• Adjusted schedule for therapy appointments
• Regular supportive check-ins with a supervisor
• Working from home
• Written instructions

In a Job Accommodation Network survey, 61% of employers said the accommodation cost nothing. When there was a one-time cost, the median was $300.

Medical information must be kept confidential, even from coworkers. If the team notices a change, like a new schedule, you don’t need to explain why.

The WHO says return-to-work programs should combine work support with ongoing care. A phased return, regular check-ins and agreeing together what coworkers will be told can make a big difference.

Unpaid leave can also be a reasonable accommodation when it would help someone get back to doing their job.

Asking for an accommodation is a protected action. Punishing someone for it, for example with unfair write-ups, a worse shift or extra scrutiny, is retaliation and is against the law.

Ideas

• Give new starters a buddy for their first months
• Leave a few minutes for real conversation in meetings
• Make in-person days count for connection, not just meetings
• Support employee resource groups

Connection & Community is one of the Surgeon General’s five essentials. Workers with disabilities are more likely to say their workplace is toxic (27% vs 14%), so inclusion takes deliberate effort.

Ideas

• Ask quieter people for their views directly
• Make sure social events work for people with caregiving duties or disabilities
• Notice who is left out of meetings and messages

NIOSH suggests employers train managers to support employees’ family needs, design work with worker input, and offer supports that fit people with different life demands.

Options

• Compressed weeks or part-time hours
• Hybrid or remote days
• Shifting start and finish times
• Shift swaps between coworkers
• Time for appointments, made up later

In a 2025 U.S. survey, workers in their preferred setting (office, home or hybrid) were less likely to feel tense or stressed during the workday (37%) than those who weren’t (51%).

Researchers suggest clear limits on using work technology outside work hours may be key to protecting rest and sleep.

Ideas

• Agree as a team what counts as urgent, and how to flag it
• Make on-call duties clear, limited and fairly shared
• Say out loud: “I don’t expect replies after hours.”
• Use “schedule send” for late-night messages

NIOSH recommends employers consider

• At least 10 hours in a row of protected time off between shifts
• Rest days after a run of hard shifts
• Short rest breaks every 1–2 hours during demanding work
• Training about shift work and the help available

Ideas

• Say what you know, what you don’t, and when you’ll know more
• Give people a chance to ask questions
• Repeat key messages more than once
• Share where to find support, like the EAP

People who keep their jobs may feel relief and guilt at once, plus worry they’re next. Often there is more work spread across fewer people. These are normal responses to loss and change.

Ideas

• Acknowledge the loss of coworkers openly
• Reset workloads and priorities after people leave
• Check in one-on-one in the weeks that follow

Some U.S. employers must give 60 days’ notice before a qualifying mass layoff under the WARN Act. Pointing people to state Rapid Response services, unemployment insurance and health coverage options helps.

Ideas

• Block time for your own focused work
• Protect your own sleep and time off
• Use your leave, so your team feels free to use theirs

Ideas

• A coach, mentor or therapist
• A peer group of other managers
• Your EAP, which is for you as well as your team

Trouble sleeping, a short temper, losing interest in things you enjoy, or dreading work are signals to slow down and get support.