#Ministry of manpower professional

Ensure workplace practices and performance management systems are non-discriminatory and merit-based in nature.Review HR and workplace policies with a view to supporting employee mental well-being and employees with mental health conditions.Employers can tap on the Health Promotion Board (HPB)’s mental well-being programmes under the Workplace Outreach Wellness (WOW) Package or WSH Council’s Total WSH Programme.WMWCs can join the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council’s Well-being Champions Network to access a range of resources and training to strengthen their knowledge on mental well-being, and opportunities to exchange ideas and best practices with each other.

#Ministry of manpower professional

Appoint workplace mental well-being champions (WMWCs) to (i) rally senior management to implement policies and support employees’ mental well-being (ii) organise and curate activities, programmes and resources to enhance employees’ mental well-being and (iii) establish a system to refer persons in distress to professional help.Employers may refer to the iWorkHealth Interventions webpage for recommendations to address specific workplace stressors Employers should implement measures to address work stressors and track their effectiveness in improving the mental well-being of employees through periodic surveys and administrative data as proxy indicators (e.g.iWorkHealth - a confidential online self-administered assessment tool is one such surveys that companies can tap on.Conduct surveys and focus group discussions to understand general state of mental well-being of employees and work stressors.Review the state of employees’ mental well-being regularly as part of risk assessment for workplace health.For more detailed step-by-step guidance on kickstarting a company’s mental well-being journey, organisations may refer to the Playbook on Workplace Mental Well-being.

Depending on an organisation’s readiness, available resources and needs, employers can adopt the recommendations that would work best to support the mental well-being of its employees.

The recommendations can be implemented at three levels –

Employers can consider the following recommendations to prevent work stress from compromising well-being and productivity and to build a more supportive and inclusive workplace.

While some degree of work stressors will not have adverse effects, employers should be mindful that high levels of such stressors at work can harm employees’ mental well-being. Telecommuting has since become more commonplace. During the COVID-19 pandemic, practices such as mandatory work-from-home and split team arrangements have been widely adopted, leading to drastic changes to work content and work context that can and have contributed to work stress for many employees. Work context refers to the organisation of work and interactions at work, such as organisational culture and function, interpersonal relationships at work, and home-work interface 3. Work content refers to working conditions, such as job scope, participation and control, workload, pace of work, and work schedule.

Work stress can come from multiple factors and can relate to work content and work context.

While a person’s mental health is influenced by many factors, including both work and non-work factors, this Advisory’s focus is on what can be done in workplaces to support employees’ mental well-being. A negative working environment, however, can lead to physical and mental health challenges.

A healthy state of mental well-being can also contribute to improved productivity 2.

This document (i) sets out practical guidance on measures that employers can adopt to support their employees’ mental well-being, (ii) provides resources employers, employees and self-employed persons can tap on, and (iii) encourages employment support for Individuals with Mental Health Conditions (IMHCs). International studies have suggested that work stressors were among factors associated with poor mental health 1. The 2022 National Population Health Survey found that prevalence of poor mental health among Singapore residents aged 18 to 74 was 17.0%.

Infographic – 4 quick tips on working from home.

Infographic – Mental well-being at workplaces.

Tripartite advisory on mental health and well-being at workplaces.