Workplace Stress Resources
We wanted to make sure you were aware of OSHA’s Workplace Stress Safety and Health Topics Page, which provides resources to help employers support the mental health and well-being of their workforce. The webpage includes resources for both senior managers and front-line supervisors—including “Getting Started” guides and checklists. Here are three workplace posters offering tips on how employers and workers can work together to address stress and mental health in the workplace.
The Workplace Stress page complements OSHA’s existing pages on Worker Fatigue and Preventing Suicides. As a reminder, OSHA’s poster, Suicide Prevention: 5 Things You Should Know, is also available in English and Spanish.
Mental Health Challenges
Stress can be harmful to our health and increase mental health challenges. Mental health challenges can include clinical mental illness and substance use disorders as well as other emotions like stress, grief, feeling sad and anxious, where these feelings are temporary and not part of a diagnosable condition. While there are many things in life that induce stress, work can be one of those factors. However, workplaces can also be a key place for resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve our mental health and well-being.
Workplace stress and poor mental health can negatively affect workers through:
- Job performance
- Productivity
- Work engagement and communication
- Physical capability and daily functioning
Loneliness. Isolation. Uncertainty. Grief. Fear. Stress can increase these and other mental health challenges and can be harmful to our health. The amount and type of stress experienced varies from person to person due to many factors, including those experienced at work.
While there are many things in life that induce stress, work can be one of those factors. Workplace stress and poor mental health can negatively affect workers through their job performance and productivity, as well as with their engagement with others at work. It can also impact worker physical health, given that stress can be a risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases. However, workplaces can also be a key place for resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve our mental health and well-being.
Finally, check out our podcast on Musculoskeletal Disorders: How Muscle Injuries Take a Mental Toll
