How ISO 45003 Will Help your Company Establish a Proactive Approach to Workplace Wellbeing

In June of 2021 the world’s first International Standard for mental wellbeing at work was published - ISO 45003:2021. It’s official title is Occupational Health and Safety Management – Psychological Health and Safety at Work – Guidelines for Managing Psychosocial Risks - which goes a long way to explaining what this International Standard is all about. In this article we break down the ISO 45003. What does it mean for organisations? What exactly are psychosocial risks and how can you manage them? And how can we move towards a safer workplace from a mental wellbeing perspective?

What is ISO45003?

There has never been a more important time for an international standard on psychological health and safety.  The past year has taken a serious toll on our collective mental health – months spent indoors, strained work-life balance, reduced social interactions.

 The number of people citing symptoms of anxiety or depression alone has surged since last year. In the UK it rose from 10% before the pandemic to 19% during the pandemic. In the US it went from 11% to 42%. According to the UK Labour Force Survey, the number of working days lost to mental ill health in the UK for the period of 2019/2020 increased from 12.8 to 17.9 million days.  Mental health is the main occupational hazard that companies need to be focusing on right now which is why the ISO 45003 will play such a vital role in organisational health and safety procedures in the coming years.

 The goal of ISO45003 is to ‘prevent work-related psychological injury’ in the workplace. Its mission is to help companies establish an occupational management system that monitors and controls psychological health and safety.

What is a psychosocial risk?

The ISO 45003 aims to provide guidance on managing psychological risk at work.  A psychological risk is anything that negatively impacts your health, safety and wellbeing at work such as ‘aspects of work organisation, social factors at work, work environment, equipment and hazardous tasks’. Here are the three main areas of risk that are highlighted in the document:

How your work is organised e.g role ambiguity, overwhelming workload, inflexible work schedule, lack of control over workload, underutilised skillset, lack of support during organisational change.

Social factors at work e.g conflict, bullying, lack of transparency in communication, lack of clear vision, lack of planning for personal development, no evaluation or platform for feedback, inability to achieve a work/life balance.

Work environment e.g  poor workplace conditions such as low lighting or extreme temperatures, lack of the necessary tools to complete tasks.

ISO45003 is a comprehensive framework for understanding the risks employees face at work everyday - the obvious and not so obvious.  Some of the above risks may already be on your company’s radar – particularly given the transition towards remote work and the challenges it has presented. However, there are risks that may not be given much consideration such as communication concerns or underutilised skill sets.  The ISO standard gives a lot of guidance on identifying such risks.

What impact will ISO45003 have on my organisation?

For organisations who adopt the ISO framework they will see improved engagement, reduced burnout and stress at work, reduced sick leave, improved retention rates, and an uptick in the company’s overall reputation. Adopting a proactive approach to mental health sends a powerful message to your shareholders and customers that you care about your staff. This commitment can facilitate a more safe work environment where employees feel valued. In a research project called Aristotle, Google found that teams that experience a large degree of psychological safety are more successful. This is because they feel safe to share their thoughts and opinions, because of high degrees of interpersonal trust and mutual respect. Such environments are not only good for mental wellbeing but also for job satisfaction and engagement.

What do companies need to do now?

Companies need to approach mental health in the same way as they do physical safety. Physical safety is built into the everyday work environment. Regular assessments are carried out to ensure that standards are continuously met. If something goes wrong, there’s first aid or PPE available. But the aim is to avoid something going wrong in the first place and keeping staff physically safe. This is the responsibility of the employer. And we need to start thinking this way about mental safety too.

The groundwork for mental wellbeing needs to be in place – creating a workplace where employees are not just safe but can thrive. And if they need psychological support, they can get it through tertiary support mechanisms like EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) or mental health first aid, for example. Yes, many companies may have a wellbeing program with benefits like gyms and EAP but this doesn’t go deep enough. That’s why ISO45003 is needed. Each company needs to establish their own primary and secondary supports. This is the main aim of ISO45003 - to help companies do just that.

With ISO45003, wellbeing can take a more concrete form – it can be more measurable and visible. Having a clear framework gives companies the power to actively shape a workplace that really helps their employees wellbeing. Instead of trying to retrofit an existing workplace to suit modern styles of working and changing nature of work, the ISO standard encourages companies to look at creating a strong foundation that can empower, engage and ensure the safety of all employees.

To find out more read the full version of ISO 45003.

The Work Well Community can help advise you and your organisation on how to ensure a safer workplace that promotes positive mental health. You can use our 8 Step Framework for Developing a Workplace Wellbeing Programme that Lasts to adopt and implement ISO45003 at your workplace.

Webinar - An Introduction to ISO45003

About the Work Well Community

Brian Crooke is a wellbeing educator, speaker and adviser, empowering Irish organisations to promote and sustain wellbeing within their workplaces.

He is the founder of The Work Well Institute and the Work Well Community and is Course Director of the Postgraduate Certificate in Workplace Wellness at Tangent, Trinity College Dublin. He is the host of The Work Well Podcast.

 In his spare time, Brian is bringing free resistance training to every county and community in Ireland through his parkHIIT social enterprise.