HEALTHY MINDS, STRONGER WORKPLACES
National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
The workplace is a defining part of our lives, shaping our interactions and our well-being. The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (Workplace Standard) empowers organizations to create environments where mental health is a shared priority that is promoted and protected.
Rooted in compassion and guided by evidence, it’s more than a guideline — it’s a commitment to a culture of psychological well-being for organizations across Canada.
What is the Workplace Standard?
The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace — the first of its kind in the world — is a set of voluntary guidelines, tools, and resources intended to guide organizations in promoting mental health and preventing psychological harm at work.
Commissioned by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and launched in January 2013, the Workplace Standard helps organizations of all sizes, in all sectors, to promote mental health and prevent psychological harm at work. It has been widely adopted by organizations across Canada and internationally.
The Workplace Standard was reaffirmed and updated in 2022 to reflect evolving research and best practices. The Mental Health Commission of Canada is currently collaborating with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Group on a second edition, expected to be published in 2026. Stay tuned for more updates.
How does the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace work?
The Workplace Standard provides a comprehensive framework to help organizations across Canada develop and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. It focuses on mental illness prevention and mental health promotion and is intended for everyone, whether they live with a mental illness or not. The Workplace Standard provides a comprehensive framework to help organizations of all types and sizes across Canada to develop and sustain psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. It focuses on addressing workplace factors that affect workers’ psychological health, psychological safety, and participation.
Watch this video to learn more about the Workplace Standard and why it is important to take action today.
Adopting the Workplace Standard can help organizations with:
- productivity
- financial performance
- risk management
- organizational recruitment
- employee retention
Downloadables
This voluntary standard specifies requirements for a documented and systematic approach to develop and sustain psychologically healthy and safe workplace.
Created in partnership with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Group, this handbook is designed as a step-by-step guide for organizations implementing the Workplace Standard. This document is geared toward senior leaders, occupational health and safety professionals, and human resource managers, offering a roadmap for application of the Workplace Standard through four key steps: building the foundation, identifying opportunities, setting objectives, and implementation.
Related resources
Learn what implementation of the Workplace Standard looks like for organizations of various sizes, in various sectors, across Canada.
Hear from several of the organizations that participated in the Case Study Research Project as they share their implementation experiences.
Read about nine promising practices for implementing the Workplace Standard that are based on the experiences of the Case Study Research Project participants.
Discover how trailblazing organizations in various sectors are successfully addressing mental health in the workplace.
Learn about the 13 factors that can impact the mental health of employees and encourage conversations on methods for promoting psychologically safe places to work.