Focus for 2017 is mental health at work

Mental health at work

This year, the Commission is focusing on mental health at work and held a stakeholder forum in Luxembourg at the start of June. Various stakeholders discussed how to help companies promote a healthy way of life for workers and create a pleasant working environment which promotes good health and helps workers regain their health. The problem for SMEs is that they often cannot do this on their own. Assistance from national organisations, such as the Workplace Health Promotion scheme in Germany, plays an important role in this. 

 

Stakeholders emphasised that the involvement of employer associations and cooperation between various institutions at local, regional, national and European levels is necessary to improve the situation in the workplace. It was also recommended to increase the use of digital applications for workplace health promotion and other mental health activities in the workplace.  

The EU Compass

The current EU Compass for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing is an EU project concerning mental health and wellbeing which runs from 2015 until 2018. It provides information about the action undertaken in individual countries. 

 

The compass is a web-based mechanism for gathering, exchanging and implementing good practices in the promotion of mental health. The aim is to raise awareness of mental health and reduce the stigma of mental health problems.  

 

The three-year initiative is funded through the European Commission’s Third Health Programme. It builds on previous mental health activities at EU level such as the Joint Action for Mental Health and Wellbeing (2013-2016), the European Pact for Mental Health and Wellbeing (2008) and the Green Paper for Mental Health (2005).  

What next?

In October 2017, a collection of good practices will be published as a booklet. Interested parties can share their good practices until 15 August 2017 by following this link.  

 

The focus of the EU Compass in 2018 will be on community-based mental health services and integrated governance approaches as part of mental health in all policy areas. The Forum will take place in Luxembourg from 8 – 9 February 2018.  

 

More information can be found by clicking here.