Barcelona agreement to look after mental health at work

02/05/2022 - 19:03

Health. The initiative is part of the Mental Health Plan 2016-2022.

The first ‘Barcelona Agreement to Look After Mental Health at Work’ has been signed with the business association Foment del Treball, the PIMEC (representing SMEs) and trade unions. The initiative includes ten measures for businesses and citizens, is open for companies and organisations in the city to sign up to and forms part of the Mental Health Plan 2016-2022.

Estimates put the percentage of people who suffer some type of mental health at some point during their lives at 15%. Social factors, many of them linked to work, play a significant part in these issues emerging or developing.

This agreement is intended to reaffirm Barcelona’s commitment to the promotion of measures for looking after mental health at work. A series of working principles have been adopted by the signatory organisations, along with a governance mechanism to make the agreement a constantly evolving tool.

The ten city commitments for looking after mental health at work have been promoted by the Advisory Council on Health at Work (CASL) to then be adapted to the characteristics of each organisation. They are:

  1. Helping to improve labour conditions.
  2. Giving workers access to city resources to look after mental health.
  3. Promoting awareness among staff.
  4. Facilitating training on resources to tackle mental health problems.
  5. Fostering the labour integration of people with mental disorders.
  6. Minimising exposure to psychosocial risk factors at work.
  7. Fostering specific prevention programmes for mental disorders.
  8. Combatting psychological harassment at work and occupational violence.
  9. Introducing prevention and detection tools into the business for potential mental health issues.
  10. Promoting coordination between services on labour risk prevention for businesses and the mental health network.

Besides this agreement, a city awareness campaign is also planned for companies and organisations to facilitate guidance and labour insertion resources for people with some sort of mental disorder. The phone service available on 934 964 509 will also be promoted to offer mental health support for domestic and care workers, the self-employed and others.

Commitment to the Barcelona Agreement to Look After Mental Health at Work

 

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