Building Mental Health into Retail and Hospitality: A simple guide

Creating a psychologically healthy and safe workplace in a busy environment poses certain challenges. To successfully implement a support system and educate employees about workplace mental health, strategies must be accessible, easy to meet, and open to feedback. Building psychological health and safety into your everyday operations makes that easier. To help, the Standard outlines a management system framework that can guide your organization in promoting employee mental health and preventing psychological harm. According to the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard), “a psychologically healthy and safe workplace is one that actively works to prevent harm to worker psychological health, including in negligent, reckless, or intentional ways, and promotes psychological well-being”.

A psychological health and safety management system can also help increase profitability, attract and retain employees, and create a sustainable means for improving mental health across the retail and hospitality industry.

In a recent roundtable, facilitated by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, industry leaders from large, medium, and small businesses across Canada discussed a range of concerns and needs related to improving their workers’ mental health. Among other things, participants were looking for guidance on how to implement a workplace mental health strategy that aligns with the Standard.

This guide is designed to help retail and hospitality industry decision makers create the foundation for good workplace mental health. It includes tips, training suggestions, important programs, and conversation guidelines to get you started. Putting these pieces in place will set your organization on the right path for a successful journey toward establish­ing a psychologically healthy and safe workplace.