Abstract
Despite the developments both in hard and soft law policies in the European Union in relation to mental health and psychosocial risks in the workplace, a review of these policies at EU level has not been conducted to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps to be addressed in the future. Keeping in mind that the aim should be to engage employers in good practice, ideally such policies should include key definitions and elements of the psychosocial risk management process, covering risk factors, mental health outcomes, risk assessment and preventive actions, or interventions. The current paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing hard and soft law policies on mental health in the workplace and psychosocial risks applicable at EU level and conducting a gap analysis according to a set of dimensions identified in models of good practice in this area. Our review of ninety-four policies in total revealed several gaps, especially in relation to binding in comparison to nonbinding policies. These are discussed in light of the context of policy-making in the EU, and recommendations are offered for future actions in this area.
Highlights
It is generally accepted that “work is good for you,” contributing to personal fulfillment and financial and social prosperity [1]
The current paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing hard and soft law policies on mental health in the workplace and psychosocial risks applicable at EU level and conducting a gap analysis according to a set of dimensions identified in models of good practice in this area
These include European Union Directives and ILO conventions. These regulations address certain aspects of mental health and/or the psychosocial work environment; most policies scored 5 or below across the five dimensions highlighting a lack of coverage and specificity
Summary
It is generally accepted that “work is good for you,” contributing to personal fulfillment and financial and social prosperity [1]. For people who have experienced poor mental health, maintaining, or returning to, employment can be a vital element in the recovery process, helping to build self-esteem, confidence, and social inclusion [5]. A better working environment can help improve employment rates of people who develop mental health problems. Not doing this puts additional costs on governments that have to provide social welfare support for people who would prefer to be in employment. There is growing awareness that (long-term) unemployment is harmful to physical and mental health, so it could be assumed that the opposite must be true that work is beneficial for health. A study by Westerlund et al [7] shows an improvement in fatigue and depressive symptoms associated with the retirement event, especially for those exposed to the worst work environment
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