Psychologically Healthy Workplaces
Creating a psychologically safe workplace isn’t complicated. Small, consistent actions can protect your workers’ mental health, help them perform at their best, and prevent injury. Much like physical safety, it’s about noticing risks early, acting on them, and keeping conversations open.
A psychologically safe workplace doesn’t happen by chance—it’s built through everyday choices you make as a leader. It’s important to set expectations, model respectful behaviour, and respond early to concerns. Then you will reduce risks before they become problems.
“I care about my team’s well-being, but I’m not sure where to start.”
If you’ve felt this way, you’re not alone. The resources outlined on this page will help you recognize unsafe behaviour, protect your workers, and prevent injury.
What is a psychologically safe workplace?
A psychologically safe workplace promotes workers’ mental well-being and actively prevents harm to their psychological health. It’s an environment where people feel respected, supported, and safe to speak up—without fear of blame or humiliation.
Understanding how to talk about psychological safety in a supportive way is a key first step.
Learn how to talk about psychological injury in your workplace.
Bullying and harassment
Bullying and harassment are among the most common and damaging risks to psychological health. They can create chronic stress, anxiety, and long-term harm. These affect not just the person targeted but the whole workplace culture.
- Bullying is repeated, unwanted behaviour that humiliates, intimidates, or harms a worker or group at work.
- Harassment is unwelcome comments or conduct that demeans, offends, or humiliates. It’s often connected to personal traits protected by human rights laws. These include race, gender, disability, religion, age, or sexual orientation.
To prevent these behaviours, set clear expectations, train your team, and act quickly when issues arise.
- Learn how to identify and address workplace bullying and harassment.
- Need help getting started? Download this helpful checklist for employers on bullying and harassment (PDF).
Training, tools, and resources
Building psychological safety is ongoing work. Practical training, manager guides, and templates can help you add these practices into daily operations. You can find these tools and other resources in the Psychological Health and Safety Resource Centre.
Think you may have a psychological injury claim?
If you or a worker believes a workplace experience has harmed their psychological health, the WCB can help. Learn how to open a claim and access available supports.
Learn about psychological injury claims.
For a full explanation of how WCB reviews and decides psychological injury claims, see the WCB Psychological Injury Policy (PDF).
Employer webinar hosted by Dr. Bill Howatt: Introduction to Psychological Safety - What employers can do
Summary:
- Focuses on psychological health and safety in the workplace, emphasizing that mental well-being is a key component of overall occupational health.
- Highlights the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace as a voluntary framework to help organizations identify, assess, and manage psychosocial risks.
- Explains the 13 psychosocial factors (such as workload, civility, work-life balance, and engagement) that influence employee mental health and organizational culture.
- Encourages employers and safety committees to proactively address stressors, promote supportive leadership, and build a psychologically safe environment through awareness, communication, and preventive action.
- Underscores the shared responsibility of workers, supervisors, and organizations in fostering respect, reducing stigma, and supporting early intervention for psychological health issues.
Intended Audience:
- Employers, supervisors, HR professionals, and safety committee members interested in strengthening workplace mental health programs and aligning with the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety.