Mental Health Matters – an NDPHS project on mental health at work selected for funding - NDPHS

Mental Health Matters – an NDPHS project on mental health at work selected for funding

28 April, 2023

Mental health of employees is a major concern in the Baltic Sea Region. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, half of the EU workers considered stress to be common in their workplace, contributing to around half of all lost working days. Combined with a shortage of qualified workforce, this puts the ability of public and private enterprises to withstand crises in jeopardy. To be economically and socially resilient, companies and communities need a mentally resilient workforce.

“The relationship between work and mental health involves two key issues: how mental health impacts the ability to work, and how work impacts mental health and well-being. The concept of work-related mental health has become more nuanced over time, and mental health at work encompasses more than just diagnosed disorders or their absence”, says the OSH EG’s Chair Owe Österbacka.

Mr Österbacka further states, that the employer has a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace, which includes identifying and reducing psychosocial risks. All actors involved, such as employers, employees, and occupational health and safety personnel, have important roles and tasks. Cooperation is essential for identifying and assessing risks, as well as successfully removing or reducing them. To achieve this, there is a growing need for knowledge and tools related to work and mental health issues, enabling all parties to work in a preventive and health-promoting manner.

The Mental Health Matters project, funded through Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027, brings together policymakers, employer and employee representatives, OSH experts and educators to assess the existing policies and practices related to mental health at work. During the project’s course, they will propose measures to better address current and emerging psychosocial risks at work. As a short-term solution, the project will develop a first-aid-kit to support small and medium-sized enterprises in assessing psychosocial risks and taking preventive action.

The project will run for two years from August 2023 until July 2025.

The partnership is comprised of the NDPHS Secretariat as the lead partner and five institutions represented in the Occupational Safety and Health Expert Group:

 

Text: Saara Rissanen, the NDPHS Secretariat, Owe Österbacka, Chair, the OSH EG.

 

Other News
MentalHealthMatters project partners explore social innovations related to psychosocial risks at work
In September, the MentalHealthMatters Transnational Community of Practice gathered for a workshop in Stockholm, hosted by the NDPHS Secretariat. The participants explored practices related to psychosocial work environments across the Baltic Sea Region. Promising practices from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Poland were presented and the goal was to examine how social innovations in this field have facilitated behavioural and organisational changes.
29 October, 2024
“Solutions for Age-Friendly Employer” (SAFE) project enters the phase of co-creation with employees and employers
On September 25th, partners from the SAFE project financed by Interreg Central Baltic gathered at the NDPHS Secretariat office in Stockholm. The project is actively progressing and we have begun working on composing solutions for age-friendly organizations. This time we met in person to ensure a shared understanding of how to carry out the workshops and to gather input for the self-assessment tool.
22 October, 2024
Nordic-Baltic countries and Ukraine public health experts meet in Stockholm to explore social innovation transfer
Public health experts from Germany, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Ukraine recently came together for a workshop focused on exploring framework conditions for social innovation transfer. Organized by the NDPHS Secretariat, the “Transferability Workshop” aimed to identify successful public health interventions in the Baltic Sea region that could be adapted and implemented in other countries facing similar challenges.
14 October, 2024
Interreg Cooperation day 2024
To celebrate our network and project community and to showcase how cross-border and transnational work promote unity and progress, we join Interreg Cooperation Day 2024 with a week full of events. With the support from Interreg, we can make boundaries irrelevant in our daily lives and build inclusive communities with an aim to improve the health and well-being of all.
20 September, 2024
Arts on Prescription animation – from concept to reality
Since 2023 we are working on a project "Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region" aiming to improve the mental wellbeing of citizens. In short, Arts on Prescription is a non-clinical health programme in which people with mild to moderate mental health problems are referred to arts and cultural activities. To better grasp the Arts on Prescription concept, watch a short animation that introduces the idea of the novel approach and its benefits.
10 May, 2024
A project Solutions for Age-friendly Employer (SAFE) receives funding from the Interreg Central Baltic
Across the NDPHS partner countries, more and more people are working later in life. Due to their chronological age, older workers however often face ageism in the form of prejudice, discrimination, or neglect. To advance the NDPHS and PA Health in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region work on promoting active and healthy ageing, we are glad to announce the launch of a project SAFE.
17 April, 2024
Harnessing Collective Strength to Advance Occupational Safety and Health in the Baltic Sea Region
The International Labour Organization (ILO) member States amendments to the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work to explicitly include "a safe and healthy working environment" is a pivotal moment in the effort to prioritize occupational safety and health on a broader scale. Amidst these developments and considering the profound changes in the world of work, what steps can be undertaken to elevate occupational safety and health standards within the NDPHS countries and give effect to the amended Declaration?
9 April, 2024
All News >