Thinking Beyond Psychosocial Assessments: Designing a Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme that Works

International SOS, the world's leading health and security services company, facilitated an engaging workshop at the recently concluded EHS Congress in Berlin. With over 250 organisations in attendance, the EHS Congress brought together professionals from the fields of environment, health, and safety to exchange knowledge share best practices, and explore innovative solutions. The workshop, held on 24 May, offered organisations a deeper understanding of the critical components of an effective and sustainable mental health and wellbeing programme. And it also encouraged participants to think beyond psychosocial assessments.

Throughout the workshop, International SOS experts discussed how workplace psychosocial assessments are a crucial tool in understanding organisational psychology factors. However, they inherently lack the breadth needed for a comprehensive evaluation of employee mental health and wellbeing. These assessments often miss key components like workplace policies, which greatly influence the mental health landscape through factors such as workload, work-life balance, and job security.

Additionally, attendees learned how psychosocial assessments typically do not account for physical health issues, even though these can significantly impact an individual's mental wellbeing. Attendees were also introduced to the Happy at Work Wellbeing Equation, a guideline for organisations to build a healthy working culture. This guideline encourages employers to focus on two important aspects. Firstly, to understand the working conditions in their workplace and enhancing the resources and elements at work that enable their workforce to thrive. Secondly, to reduce the aspects of work that act as stressors, such as unmanageable workload and work pace.

Joanna Nader, Senior Health Consultant, EMEA at International SOS, comments,

We are delighted with the success of our workshop at this year’s EHS Congress. By focusing on mental health and wellbeing strategies for their diverse workforce, we are empowering organisations to create environments that prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of their employees. The engagement from the participants was truly inspiring, and we are confident that the knowledge shared will have a lasting impact on their organisation and their people.

Dr Rodrigo Rodriguez-Fernandez, Global Health Advisor at International SOS comments,

It was a privilege to co-facilitate the workshop and engage with professionals who are committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing within their organisation. In today's rapidly evolving world, the significance of health, safety and wellbeing has reached unparalleled levels. Reliance solely on psychosocial assessments may leave employers with an incomplete picture of their workforce's mental health needs, potentially hindering their ability to develop effective, holistic interventions. We hope that our attendees left with a wealth of knowledge and insights that they can immediately put into practice in their own workplaces.

International SOS has been supporting organisations’ mental health and wellbeing agenda with customised and phased solutions. These include mental health and wellbeing assessment, educational awareness and training sessions, as well as access to International SOS Global Health Advisors.

Find out more: International SOS mental health and wellbeing support.