Psychological Health

Psychological health issues occur on a spectrum, from common difficulties such as fatigue or sadness to severe psychological disorders. Attending to psychological health at work includes being aware of, and taking steps to prevent harm or illness to, the aspects of one’s mental health that are within the influence and responsibility of the workplace.

Employer duties

The Prince Edward Island Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act exists to help protect workers and self-employed persons from risks to their physical safety or psychological well-being that arise out of, or in connection with, activities in their workplaces. [OHS Act, S. 2]

Employers are responsible for taking all reasonable precautions to protect the health and safety of workers and others who may be at or near their workplace. [OHS Act, S. 12(1)(a)]

A psychologically safe and healthy workplace is one that promotes workers' mental well-being and does not harm a worker’s mental health through negligent, reckless, or intentional ways. For example, a psychologically safe workplace would be free of excessive fear or chronic anxiety. Factors that can affect workers' mental and physical health include demoralization, anxiety, burnout, etc. These factors increase the likelihood that an individual will experience increased stress, which in turn increases the likelihood of developing a more serious mental illness.

Psychological health problems can range widely, from mild psychological difficulties such as low mood, sleep difficulties, or excessive worry to severe psychological disorders such as severe depression. A supportive work environment can help reduce the onset, severity, impact, and duration of psychological health issues.

Please see the topics on workplace harassment and violence, as many factors that affect psychological health may be related to these issues.

Factors Relating to Psychological Health

Creating and sustaining a psychologically supportive workplace is of tremendous benefit to those who work there, but also to the organization itself. Workers who feel they have psychological support in the workplace are more likely to have greater job attachment, job commitment, job satisfaction, job involvement, positive work moods, desire to remain with the organization, organizational citizenship behaviours (behaviours of personal choice that benefit the organization), and job performance.

Thirteen psychological factors have been identified as contributing to a psychologically healthy workplace. As an example, two of the factors are:

• Clear Leadership and Expectations – effective leadership and support helps workers know what they need to do, how their work contributes to the organization, and if there are any changes.
• Civility and Respect – all workers are respectful and considerate in their actions with each other, as well as with customers, clients, and the public.

All thirteen factors are outlined in the CSA Z1003-13 (R2018) "Psychological health and safety in the workplace - Prevention, promotion, and guidance to staged implementation” which is available to view for free from the CSA Group website (registration required).

Being Proactive

There are many ways that psychological health and safety can be addressed and supported.

For example, when the employer or Joint Occupational Safety and Health (JOSH) Committee is conducting inspections, they can listen to comments made by co-workers, and note any concerns or complaints that they hear. If areas of concern emerge, these items should be reported to the supervisor or designated person. Areas of concern may include pace of work (over and under worked), fatigue, conflicting demands, conflicts with others, working in social isolation, and poor communication.

Note that it is not the employer’s or committee member's duty to make a diagnosis about a person's state of health or mental health. An employer’s duty to protect a worker’s health and safety lies primarily in assessing the workplace for the presence of all thirteen of the factors that contribute to good psychological health, and taking action to address and resolve areas of concern.

One way to achieve a psychologically safe workplace is to create and implement a program that includes physical health and safety as well as psychological health. This program, developed by the employer in consultation with workers, should include a written commitment to and related policies around psychological health, a tool to assess the ongoing psychological health of the workplace, and strategies developed to address areas of concern. The goal is to continually improve or maintain the quality of working life, health, and the well-being of workers.

IMPORTANT! If you, or someone you know, are in need of mental health services, Health PEI lists many support services that are available in Prince Edward Island.