Psychological and social support

What is psychological and social support?

Psychological and social support refers to the level of care, trust and understanding people experience at work from their co-workers, supervisors, and from their organization.

It includes the emotional and practical help available when someone is facing challenges, as well as everyday social connections that help people feel valued and part of a team.  When workers feel psychologically supported, they believe their organization values their contributions, is committed to their well-being, and will offer help if their mental health is affected.

An organization with good psychological and social support can state:

  • It offers services or benefits that address worker psychological and mental health.
  • Workers feel part of a community and the people they work with help fulfill the job requirements.
  • It has a process to intervene if a worker looks distressed at work.
  • Workers feel supported when they are dealing with personal or family issues.
  • Workers returning to work after time off due to a mental health condition are supported.
  • They understand the importance of worker mental health.

Why is psychological and social support important?

When workplaces provide strong psychological and social support, workers are more engaged, committed and satisfied. Workers are happier and more productive, more likely to stay with the organization, and are much more likely to “go the extra mile” to help others.

Psychological support is especially helpful in protecting against stress and trauma at work. Workers struggling or experiencing mental health challenges, are more likely to seek and receive appropriate help in a supportive workplace. This contributes to safer, healthier, and more productive work environments – and when time away is needed, it supports quicker and more sustainable returns to work.

Without adequate psychological and social support, workplaces are more likely to have higher absenteeism, lower engagement rates, and more conflict and turnover. Work-related stress may lead to physical symptoms, such as fatigue or headaches, or emotional symptoms like anxiety or burnout. Over time, this can increase costs, reduce productivity, and heighten the risk of incidents and injuries.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Get a sense of your staff’s needs and concerns regarding mental health. Some ways to do this are through an anonymous survey, suggestion box, or informal check-ins. Share what you learn with all team members. Listening and responding is an important first step in reducing stigma and showing your organization’s commitment to psychological health and safety.
  • Develop formal and informal networks to support management who are dealing with their own mental health issues. Regular monthly meetings and peer mentorship or coaching are great places to start.
  • Widely share information on mental health and psychological resilience. Use newsletters, staff meetings, webinars or any other established communication channel to promote available resources. Make sure everyone knows how to access internal and external supports, and how to find help if they’re struggling to stay well or productive at work.
  • Create a workplace culture where it’s safe to discuss mental health issues without fear of discrimination or reprimand. Encourage senior leaders to share their commitment to mental health supports. If appropriate, leaders sharing their personal or family experiences is a powerful way to show commitment.
  • Consider adding psychological health and safety as a standing agenda item for regular staff meetings to keep awareness strong and progress ongoing.
  • Educate all staff to understand signs and symptoms of mental health challenges. Many free, evidence-based resources are publicly available; consider sharing these through your internal communication channels such as your intranet, newsletters, or regular team meetings.
  • Offer training to enhance interpersonal and people management skills. Provide specific training for people leaders so they can adequately support those who may be experiencing mental health challenges. This includes recognizing signs and symptoms, knowing how to start a conversation, and understanding available supports.
  • Ensure leaders have the necessary tools and supports, including time and coaching support, to succeed in supporting psychological health at work.
  • Consider identifying and training internal champions to offer peer-to-peer support to those struggling with mental health.
  • Strive to understand the root cause of issues. When, where and how did the communication breakdowns begin? What workplace or individual factors have contributed to this over time? Understanding the “why” will help you identify specific actionable next steps for improvement.
  • Understand what systemic issues exist within the work environment, such as leadership practices, workload pressures, or aspects of organizational culture, and explore specific ways to address them.
  • Encourage and model open and respectful communication to discuss individual and collective team strengths and weaknesses across all levels of the organization.
  • Encourage respectful workplace communication where both mental and physical health can be openly discussed in the same way.
  • Ensure all staff are aware of internal and external benefits that promote connection, reduce workplace stress and help teams approach conflict constructively.
  • Where possible, provide benefits and programs that support worker mental health. If your organization does not have a formal benefits program, consider sharing free, evidence-based public resources such as mental health screening tools or supported self-management workbooks.
  • Provide information on early intervention supports, including crisis line numbers, community agencies/support groups, and registered mental health professional services. Include both formal and informal accommodations for mental health. Formal accommodations are typically documented and ongoing and supported by medical information, while informal accommodations are typically more flexible and temporary. Consider creating return-to-work and stay-at-work policies and programs to support recovery and continuity.
  • Establish processes to address psychological health risks specific to your environment or workforce, such as those linked to specific occupations or to groups who may face additional barriers, such as LGBTQ+ community members or workers new to Canada.
  • Maintain regular supportive communication with those off work due to mental health concerns. Depending on the situation, this may be daily or weekly, but should be monthly, at minimum. Consider sending supportive “thinking of you” messages. Keep team members informed on a need-to-know basis of important or meaningful workplace events or changes, such as a key team member retiring. Ask if there is anything you or the workplace can do to help or support.
  • When appropriate, help workers connect with licensed treatment providers who use proven methods. Public mental health resources can be limited, and the system can be hard to navigate. Workplaces can play an important role in helping workers get the support they need. Have an identified team member who facilitates return to work. Ensure this person is knowledgeable about mental health and trained in psychologically safe skills, strategies and approaches.
  • As required, collaborate with workers, their health care providers and WorkSafeNB to create detailed return-to-work plans that  include a range of coping options for mental health concerns. Note that a gradual return to work is preferable to a full return to work. When they have returned, ensure a minimum weekly check-in for the first three months, or longer, as needed.
  • Conduct regular (yearly) surveys. Consider administering the free Guarding Minds at Work survey that provides a risk report of strengths and areas for improvement as they pertain to psychological health and safety and the national standard.
  • Encourage active engagement. Provide a platform to voice their needs when it comes to psychological health support. This can easily be a “what is working” versus “what is not working” discussion on an internal messaging channel or a standing agenda item at regular team meetings.
  • Make sure leaders are comfortable acknowledging that workplace challenges are normal. People are complex, and managing issues isn’t always easy. When leaders normalize this, it encourages open communication. Workers feel understood and are more likely to speak up about the support they need. Strive to end the stigma for those facing mental health challenges. This makes it more likely workers will reach out for help earlier. Early detection and treatment, in turn, reduces the impacts of mental health issues.

Action

Next steps: Committing to a psychologically and socially supportive workplace

▸ Objective

A work environment where the organization is supportive of worker psychological health concerns and aids, as needed.

▸ Benefits
  • Improved overall psychological health of workers
  • Increased productivity
  • Reduced staff turnover
  • Reduced costs from work absence (sick time, disability costs, etc.)
  • Successful/sustainable return to work when there is an absence
▸ Reflection Questions

Do issues related to psychological and social support present a greater risk to specific groups of workers (new workers, certain jobs, shift workers, young workers, etc.)?

  • What are your workplace’s strengths in terms of psychological and social support? (What do you do well and what should you continue doing?)
  • What could your workplace do to improve in this area? (What could you do more of and what could you do less of?)