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Mental stress in the work environment has been known for a long time. At the latest since the Covid-19 pandemic, the topic of "mental health" has arrived in all organisations. However, not all companies are sufficiently equipped to systematically address mental stress, especially in an international environment, and to implement preventive measures.
Together with our Switzerland, Germany and Austria DGUV, Gerlach Löscher Littler Rechtsanwälte, Gewerkschaft GPA, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, ISSA Mining, r& associés avocats and TÜV Hessen, the International SOS Foundation has developed a guide in German for assessing mental stress in an international environment.
The guide provides an overview of legal and professional principles for companies and explains international standards. The methodology of the mental risk assessment is explained in a simple and understandable way and supported with checklists (available in German and English).
Examples and best practices from the internationally operating companies Sulzer, SAP, OMV support the topic.
What you will find in the guide:
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How do companies deal with the internationally different approaches to mental health assessment?
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How are mental stresses assessed during international professional travel, how are the risks minimised?
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How can mental health be measured and assessed in the international environment, how can it be tackled preventively?
Checklist "Psychological Risk Assessment" - Assessing psychosocial risks in an international environment
According to last year's WHO report on mental health, cases of depression and anxiety disorders worldwide increased by 25 per cent in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic alone. Thus, almost one billion people are living with a mental illness.
The awareness of how the workplace contributes to mental ill-health has been rising steadily.
However, not all companies are yet equipped to systematically assess mental risks, especially in an international environment, and to introduce preventative measures.
At work, preventing mental diseases is about managing psychosocial risks in the workplace. Employers can do this by implementing organisational interventions that assess, and then mitigate, modify or remove workplace risks to mental health.
The checklist for a workplace psychological safety assessment provides organisations in both, national and international settings, with a tool to implement all steps of a psychological risk assessment.
The checklist (English) is taken from the paper "Assessing Mental Risks in an International Environment - A Guide to Safety, Health and Well-being for Companies with a Global Workforce", International SOS Foundation, 2023 (German).
Link to Mental Health Paper and Checklist: https://www.internationalsos.de/insights/gefaehrdungsbeurteilung-psychische-belastungen?channel=ASTM
