Tripartite advisory on mental health and well-being at workplaces
Jointly issued by Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
Download for more info:
Issued on 20 November 2023
Purpose
-
Mental health is a growing concern. The 2022 National Population Health Survey found that prevalence of poor mental health among Singapore residents aged 18 to 74 was 17.0%. International studies have suggested that work stressors were among factors associated with poor mental health1. This document (i) sets out practical guidance on measures that employers can adopt to support their employees’ mental well-being, (ii) provides resources employers, employees and self-employed persons can tap on, and (iii) encourages employment support for Individuals with Mental Health Conditions (IMHCs).
Mental well-being at workplaces - A healthy state of mental well-being can also contribute to improved productivity2. A negative working environment, however, can lead to physical and mental health challenges. While a person’s mental health is influenced by many factors, including both work and non-work factors, this Advisory’s focus is on what can be done in workplaces to support employees’ mental well-being.
Causes of work stress - Work stress can come from multiple factors and can relate to work content and work context. Work content refers to working conditions, such as job scope, participation and control, workload, pace of work, and work schedule. Work context refers to the organisation of work and interactions at work, such as organisational culture and function, interpersonal relationships at work, and home-work interface3. During the COVID-19 pandemic, practices such as mandatory work-from-home and split team arrangements have been widely adopted, leading to drastic changes to work content and work context that can and have contributed to work stress for many employees. Telecommuting has since become more commonplace. While some degree of work stressors will not have adverse effects, employers should be mindful that high levels of such stressors at work can harm employees’ mental well-being.4
- Employers can consider the following recommendations to prevent work stress from compromising well-being and productivity and to build a more supportive and inclusive workplace. The recommendations can be implemented at three levels –
- Organisation level;
- Team/Department level; and
- Individual employees.
- Depending on an organisation’s readiness, available resources and needs, employers can adopt the recommendations that would work best to support the mental well-being of its employees. For more detailed step-by-step guidance on kickstarting a company’s mental well-being journey, organisations may refer to the Playbook on Workplace Mental Well-being.
I. Recommendations for the Organisation - Review the state of employees’ mental well-being regularly as part of risk assessment for workplace health.
- Conduct surveys and focus group discussions to understand general state of mental well-being of employees and work stressors.
- iWorkHealth - a confidential online self-administered assessment tool is one such surveys that companies can tap on.
- Employers should implement measures to address work stressors and track their effectiveness in improving the mental well-being of employees through periodic surveys and administrative data as proxy indicators (e.g. absenteeism). Employers may refer to the iWorkHealth Interventions webpage for recommendations to address specific workplace stressors
- Appoint workplace mental well-being champions (WMWCs) to (i) rally senior management to implement policies and support employees’ mental well-being (ii) organise and curate activities, programmes and resources to enhance employees’ mental well-being and (iii) establish a system to refer persons in distress to professional help.
- WMWCs can join the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council’s Well-being Champions Network to access a range of resources and training to strengthen their knowledge on mental well-being, and opportunities to exchange ideas and best practices with each other.
- Employers can tap on the Health Promotion Board (HPB)’s mental well-being programmes under the Workplace Outreach Wellness (WOW) Package or WSH Council’s Total WSH Programme.
- Review HR and workplace policies with a view to supporting employee mental well-being and employees with mental health conditions.
- Ensure workplace practices and performance management systems are non-discriminatory and merit-based in nature.
- Under the upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation, workplace discrimination on the basis of mental health conditions will be prohibited across all stages of employment i.e. pre-employment (e.g. recruitment), in-employment (e.g. promotion, performance appraisal, training) and end-employment (e.g. dismissal). Employers will also be required to put in place grievance handling procedures.
- Employers should not ask job applicants to declare personal information, which includes any mental health conditions, unless it is a job-related requirement, as stated under the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP).
- Employers should also establish an internal channel (e.g. designated officers, survey links to send anonymous feedback) for reporting feedback and dispute resolution related to practices that have affected mental well-being. Clear policies related to maintaining confidentiality for reporting feedback should be put in place and communicated clearly to employees.
- Develop a policy on flexible work arrangements (FWAs) so that employees who may need FWAs to better meet both their work and personal demands know what types of FWAs are available and how to go about requesting them:
- Employers should consider FWA requests fairly, taking into consideration both employees’ and business needs. The upcoming Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests will set out how employers can do so, as well as how employees can use FWAs responsibly.
- For more information on FWAs as well as resources on how to implement them, please refer to TAFEP’s guide on FWAs.
- Ensure workplace practices and performance management systems are non-discriminatory and merit-based in nature.
- Establish an after-hours work communication policy.
- Employers are encouraged to establish reasonable expectations for work-related communication after hours and communicate them to employees, including expectations when employees are on leave.
- If they are unionised, employers should discuss these expectations with their respective unions.
- Understanding the need for proper rest outside of work hours
- Adequate rest outside of work hours will help reduce work burnout and improve productivity.
- This is particularly pertinent for employees who telecommute, where the lines between personal life and work are blurred.
- Work-life harmony remains key to employee’s overall well-being and optimal business performance.
- Employers may refer to the Sample Policy for After-Hours Communication.
- Examples of after-hours policies that employers can adopt as good practices:
- Employers should set out clear position that for work-related calls, messages (e.g. SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram) and emails sent after work hours5, a response is not expected until the next working day, except for messages/emails marked as ‘Urgent’.
- For non-urgent messages and emails sent outside work hours, senders could include a header stating that no immediate response is expected from the recipient.
- If employees are required to work after-hours, supervisors should consider giving time-off for employees to have adequate rest6.
- Establish return-to-work policies to support employees who are recovering from mental health conditions
- Given that returning to work can be daunting for an employee who is recovering from a mental health condition, employers can support their employees by practicing FWAs (i.e. Flexi-load, Flexi-location and Flexi-time) to allow them to gradually transit back to work while still providing time for treatments.
- Employers can to refer to the NCSS Mental Health Toolkit for Employers on return-to-work guidelines.
- In cases where work performance has been impacted by the development of a mental health condition, there should be a return-to-work adjustment period where the employee is provided with guidance and support in enhancing their performance before actions such as termination are considered
- Hire IMHCs to access a wider talent pool and build more inclusive workplaces, which also improves the employment and employability of IMHCs.
- Employer may partner employment support agencies such as Institute of Mental Health, Singapore Anglican Community Services and Singapore Association for Mental Health to put in place post-placement support and hire IMHCs.
II. Recommendations for the Team/Department - Train managers/supervisors/ HR/ WSH representatives/ union leaders to spot signs of mental distress, and on where they can refer employees to seek help from.
- Employers may wish to tap on the service providers listed in Annex A or HPB’s wellness programmes to equip managers and HR personnel with skills to be supportive leaders at the workplace. [Mental Health Training Workshops]
- Foster a psychologically safe and trusting work environment by having open and regular conversations on mental well-being.
- Supervisors can schedule regular check-ins with employees to assess their state of mental well-being and review/prioritise their workloads where necessary. If employees share his/her mental health challenges, it is an act of courage and vulnerability. Supervisors should respond with sensitivity and provide assurance that his/her challenges will be kept confidential.
- Teams could come together to share their thoughts/experiences related to mental well-being and their journey of overcoming personal struggles. Management can also encourage an open culture by sharing their stories. Such conversations seek to signal that ‘It’s OKAY to Reach Out’ and aim to destigmatise negative associations around mental health challenges.
- Set up a peer support system enabling trained peer supporters to help employers create safe environment for workers in need and destigmatise mental health issues at work.
- Establish clear escalation protocols so that these informal support networks know when and where to refer their colleagues for professional help.
- Set aside time and resources for bonding activities (both face-to-face and virtual) to strengthen relationships among employees.
- Employers may wish to send your employees for NTUC’s Peer to Peer support training or HPB’s Peer Supporter training, where they will be equipped with peer support skills.
III. Recommendations to support Individual Employees - Provide access to counselling services such as through Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs). These services allow employees to speak to a professional on their work and non-work related challenges.
- Individual employees should also look after his/her own mental well-being and reach out for help if he/she feels overwhelmed.
- To encourage utilisation of the service, assure employees that their conversations with the service provider will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed to the organisation without consent. See Annex A for a list of possible EAP service providers, including details on their offerings.
- Employers of migrant workers should identify service providers conversant in their native languages.
- For companies with flexible employee benefits (e.g. medical benefits) and insurance provision, consider extending the scope of coverage to include mental well-being programmes and mental health consultations. This signals the company’s desire to support its employees in overcoming their mental health challenges.
FOOTNOTES
- World Health Organisation. 2019. Mental health in the workplace. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work
- Kangasniemi, A. & Maxwell, L. & Sereneo, M.. 2019. The ROI in workplace mental health programes: Good for people, good for business. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/workplace-mental-health-programs-worker-productivity.html
- World Health Organisation. 2004. Work organisation & stress, Systematic problem approaches for employers, managers and trade union representatives. p. 6 -7
- International Labour Organisation. 2016. Workplace stress: A collective challenge, Report for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work
- Work hours depends on the nature of the job. For global roles which works on international work hours, employees may be required to respond even for non-critical, not urgent matters. This is to ensure that Singapore remains as an important partner in the global economy.
- For workers covered under Part 4 of the Employment Act (EA), they should be compensated as per the EA’s requirements.
Annex A
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service providersShow
To increase employers' and employees' awareness of EAP services and their offerings, this provides a non-exhaustive list of EAP service providers with (i) at least 80% of counsellors and psychologists registered with Singapore Association for Counselling and Singapore Psychological Society or equivalent Association/Society; as well as (ii) at least 1 year of experience in providing EAP services.
The Ministry of Manpower would like to thank the National Council of Social Services, Singapore Association for Counselling and Singapore Psychological Society for their contributions to this list. This list is intended for reference only and the inclusion of these organisations does not in any way signal the Ministry's recommendation or endorsement of their products/ services. The list will be updated from time to time.
Last updated on 1 May 2023
| Organisation name and details | Services and languages offered | Indicative price range as at 1 May 2023 |
|---|---|---|
|
AppleTree Counselling Pte Ltd 88090920 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD & trauma |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$180/hour |
|
Awaken Counselling Centre Pte Ltd 88575573 Areas of specialisation: Mental health |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$180-$200/hour |
|
Care Corner Counselling Unit* 62506813 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$150 - $225/45mins |
|
Counselling and Care Centre* 65366366 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$150 - $180/ hour |
|
Devonshire Counselling 96712365 Areas of specialisation: Stress/anger management |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$200/hour |
|
Eagles Mediation and Counselling Centre Ltd (EMCC)* 67888220 Areas of specialisation: PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$180 - $200/hour |
|
Elephant Therapy and Training Singapore 62241545 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$250-330/55mins |
|
Family Counselling Psychologist 90058050 Areas of specialisation: Mental health |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$200-$250/hour |
|
In Focus Counseling & Therapy Services 87259303 Areas of specialisation: Emotional and mental health issues especially depression |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$130-$200/hour |
|
Mind what Matters Psychology 91729132 Areas of specialisation: Mental health (common mood disorders) |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$180-$220/hour |
|
New Page Counselling Centre 97942033 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$120-$200/hour |
|
One Place Consultancy Pte Ltd 90065790 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$250/hour |
|
Pink Elephant 88706761 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$200/hour |
|
Riverlife Psychology 97169876 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$150-$180/hour |
|
Rogerian Psychology Centre Singapore 86284685 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$80-$200/hour |
|
Semoga Psychological Services and Consultation 83603920 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$165-$180/hour |
|
Singapore Anglican Community Services (Employee Assistance Program+ Department)* 68129605 Areas of specialisation: Mental wellness & health |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
S$80 - $150/hour |
|
Soulmatics 88510439 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$150-$200/hour |
|
Talk Your Heart Out (TYHO) 98310005 (WhatsApp only) Areas of specialisation: Anxiety |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$160-$180/hour |
|
The Anchored Space 88604403 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$220/hour |
|
The Blue Pencil 96255361 Areas of specialisation: Burn out |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$180-$250/hour |
|
WINGS Counselling Centre* 63835745 Areas of specialisation: Mental health/PTSD |
Services:
Languages offered:
|
$80/hour |
*Organisations are social service agencies and subsidised rates for individual counselling may be offered on a case-by-case basis.
Online / phone counselling service providersShow
These services provide counselling support to help individuals cope with emotional crisis.
| Online / phone counselling | Contact |
| National CARE Hotline
Offers emotional support to individuals who may be worried about COVID-19 and its impact on personal / family lives and livelihoods. |
1800 202 6868
(8am to 12pm) |
| Care Corner Counselling Centre |
For enquiries and appointment (Bilingual):
Toll-free counselling hotline (Mandarin):
|
| Silver Ribbon (Singapore) |
6385 3714
6386 1928 6509 0271 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) www.silverribbonsingapore.com |
| Fei Yue Community Services
Text-based online counselling. |
ec2.sg |
| Singapore Association for Mental Health |
1800 283 7019
(Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, excluding public holidays) counselling@samhealth.org.sg |
| Caregivers Alliance Limited
For caregivers of persons with mental health conditions. Supporting caregivers who are business owners. |
West Cluster:
9720 7590 / 9770 7996 Central Cluster: 9729 8628 / 9826 7115 East Cluster: 9736 9170 General enquiries: 6460 4400 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, excluding public holidays) www.cal.org.sg |
| Community Psychology Hub
For those experiencing marital, divorce or parenting stress. |
https://www.cph.sg/
Live chat: Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm Saturday, 10am to 2pm (excluding public holidays) Email: A counsellor will respond within 3 working days. |
| HealthServe
Tele-counselling sessions are conducted in native languages. |
3129 5000
Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm |
| Migrant Workers’ Centre
Helpline for migrant workers. |
6536 2692
(24 hrs) |
| Care Singapore (Hear4U)
Helpline available in different languages. |
Service available from Monday to Friday.
English and official languages of Singapore: 6978 2728 Dedicated lines for migrant workers English: 6978 2725 Bengali: 6978 2723 Mandarin: 6978 2724 Tamil: 6978 2722 |
| Centre for Domestic Employees
24-hour helpline for foreign domestic workers. |
1800 2255 233 |
Crisis helpline and suicide preventionShow
| Crisis helpline | Contact |
|
Institute of Mental Health
Open to public who come into contact with individuals who are experiencing any mental health crisis. |
6389 2222
24 hrs |
|
Samaritan of Singapore (SOS)
Provide emotional support for individuals having difficulty coping during a crisis, thinking of suicide or affected by suicide. |
1767
24 hrs www.sos.org.sg |
Mental well-being training service providers for organisationsShow
| Agency | What they offer | Contact |
| Care Corner Counselling Centre | Conducts mental health first aid training for staff and clinical supervision for staff peer support and para-counsellors. | |
| Health Promotion Board |
HPB offers the following workshops: Wellbeing@Work: Being A Supportive Leader Specially for leaders, supervisors and those in HR roles, this workshop will equip participants with skills and knowledge to support and engage staff. Topics covered include:
Wellbeing@Work: Supporting our Peers Specially for employees who are interested in playing a supportive role to and encouraging fellow colleagues, this workshop helps participants better understand how and what it means to be a peer supporter. Topics covered include:
Companies can also tap on HPB’s Workplace Outreach Wellness (WOW) Package to implement health promotion programmes for their staff on a co-funding basis, where mental wellness workshops are included as part of the programme offerings. |
For workshops
For the WOW package
|
| Changi General Hospital (CGH), Department of TRaCS |
ReXilience programme aims to build resistance, mental resilience and facilitate recovery in individuals and organisations through:
|
For more information on talks, courses and services, refer to ReXilience programme. |
| Singapore Anglican Community Services |
Conducts mental health training to equip employees and supervisors with knowledge and skills on self-care and supporting employees with mental health conditions. Topics include how to recognise mental health issues and support a staff in need, building emotional resilience and mental wellness, and developing workplace initiatives that foster a culture of employee care and inclusion. Training can be conducted via webinars as well. |
|
| Singapore Association for Mental Health | Provides talks and workshops on managing mental health and wellness. | |
| Silver Ribbon (Singapore) | Conducts talks and workshops on topics including recognising warning signs of common mental health conditions, knowing how to communicate and support persons with mental health conditions, and where to seek help, etc. | |
| Clarity Singapore |
Conducts talks and workshops that help managers or supervisors understand the struggles, importance of mental well being and building individual skills on improving mental well-being at work.
Focuses of talks and workshops are on:
|
ask@clarity-singapore.org
www.clarity-singapore.org
|
| Viriya Community Services |
Provides a range of mental wellness support services ranging from online forums to professional therapy services. The mental wellness forums aim to improve the understanding of various mental health conditions and strategies that can help to better cope with life’s challenges (incl. employment related challenges.) Viriya Community Services also runs support groups for persons facing mental health challenges and their caregivers and provides a multi-disciplinary treatment approach which includes individual & family counselling, psychological services and therapies. |
Mental health resources and servicesShow
| Initiative | Contact |
| Care Corner Mental Health Department (INSIGHT) |
https://www.carecorner.org.sg/insight Mental health screening and support services for youths and young adults between 13 and 25 years old.
Instagram @insightccs
|
| mindline.sg |
An interactive website for a one-stop repository for resources and tools to improve mental well-being. |
| My Mental Health by Temasek Foundation |
www.stayprepared.sg/mymentalhealth It is a resource hub that provides online mental health resources such as mental health-related articles, online forums and information on support groups to support one’s mental health during the COVID-19 period. |
| CHAT by IMH |
www.chat.mentalhealth.sg
Provides free mental health assessment to young adults aged 16 to 30 years old with mental health concerns. |
| Belle, the Beyond the Label helpbot by NCSS |
go.gov.sg/beyondthelabelhelpbot Helps public gain easy access to relevant services and resources. |
| ReXilience Educational Resources by Changi General Hospital, Department of TRaCS |
A collection of free resources that include strategies and activities that can help individuals and teams manage stress and emotionally regulate at their own personal time and space. |
| Workplace Wellness and You E-Guide by WorkWell Leaders |
Provides mental health tips and measures for employers and employees. |
Acknowledgements
The Tripartite Partners would like to thank the following organisations for their support and contributions to this tripartite advisory.
- Agency for Integrated Care
- Health Promotion Board
- HealthServe Ltd
- Institute for Human Resource Professionals
- Institute of Mental Health
- Migrant Workers’ Centre
- Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Social and Family Development
- National Council of Social Service
- Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office
- Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices
- Workplace Safety and Health Council