TRIPARTITE ADVISORY ON MENTAL WELL-BEING AT …

1 A TRIPARTITE ADVISORY jointly issued byMinistry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) TRIPARTITE ADVISORY ON MENTAL WELL-BEING AT 2018foundthat1in7peopleinSingaporehaveex periencedamentaldisorderintheirlifetime, ascomparedto1in8peoplein2010 mentalwell-being,andprovidesresourcesemp loyers, Health Organisation. 2019. MENTAL health in the workplace. Retrieved from , A. & Maxwell, L. & Sereneo, 2019. The ROI in workplace MENTAL health programes: Good for people, good for business. Retrieved from WELL-BEING AT WORKPLACES AccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganisation(WH O), ,however, smentalhealthisinfluencedbymanyfactors,i ncludingbothworkandnon-workfactors,thisA dvisory sfocusisonwhatcanbedoneatworkplacestosup portemployees Health Organisation. 2004. Work organisation & stress, Systematic problem approaches for employers, managers and trade union representatives.

2 P. 6 Labour Organisation. 2016. Workplace stress: A collective challenge, Report for the World Day for Safety and Health at ,suchasjobcontent,participationandcontro l,workload,paceofwork, ,suchasorganisationalcultureandfunction, interpersonalrelationshipsatwork, ,practicessuchasmandatorywork-from-homea ndsplitteamarrangementshavebeenwidelyado pted, ,employersshouldbemindfulthatextremeleve lsofsuchstressorsatworkcanharmemployees , ; sreadinessandavailableresources, awarenessonmentalwell-beingandmentalheal thconditionsthroughtalksandworkshops. Examplesofmentalwell-beingprogrammesincl udelunch-timetalksonstressmanagement,emo tionalregulation,relaxationtechniques,me ntalhealthfirstaid,crisismanagementskill s,etc. EmployerscantapontheHealthPromotionBoard (HPB) sexistingmentalwell-beingprogrammesunder theWorkplaceOutreachWellness(WOW)Package orWorkplaceSafetyandHealthCouncil / RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES5 Forcompanieswithflexibleemployeebenefits ( ),considerextendingthescopeofcoveragetoi ncludementalwell-beingprogrammes,mentalh ealthconsultationsandtreatments.

3 Thissignalsthecompany (EAP).Theseservicesallowemployeestospeak toaprofessionalontheirworkandnon-workrel atedchallenges. Toencourageutilisationoftheservice,assur eemployeesthattheirconversationswiththes erviceproviderwillbekeptconfidentialandw illnotbedisclosedtotheorganisationwithou tconsent. Individualemployeesshouldalsolookafterhi s/herownmentalwell-beingandreachoutforhe lpifhe/shefeelsoverwhelmed. (FDW) / RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES6 Trainmanagers/supervisors/WSHrepresentat ives/peersupportleaders/unionleaderstosp otsignsofmentaldistress,andonwheretheyca nreferemployeestoseekhelpfrom. Employersmaywishtotapontheserviceprovide rslistedinAnnexAorHPB swellnessprogrammestoequipmanagersandHRp ersonnelwithskillstobesupportiveleadersa ttheworkplace.[MentalHealthTrainingWorks hops].102 / RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TEAM & DEPARTMENT7 Strengthenthesocialsupportsystematthewor kplace Forminformalsupportnetworkssuchaspeersup portprogrammes,parentingsupportgroups,me ntor/buddysystem, Setasidetimeandresourcesforbondingactivi ties(bothface-to-faceandvirtual) Supervisorscanscheduleregularcheck-inswi themployeestoassesstheirstateofmentalwel l-beingandreview/prioritisetheirworkload swherenecessary.

4 Ifemployeessharehis/hermentalhealthchall enges, itisOKtonotbeOK / RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TEAM & DEPARTMENT8 Reviewthestateofemployees mentalwell-beingregularlyaspartofriskass essmentforworkplacehealth. Conductsurveystounderstandgeneralstateof mentalwell-beingofemployeesandworkstress ors. iWorkHealth-aconfidentialonlineself-admi nisteredassessmenttoolisoneofsuchsurveys thatcompaniescantapon. Employersshouldimplementmeasurestoaddres sfindingsfromthesurveyandtracktheireffec tivenessinimprovingthementalwell-beingof employeesbymonitoringtheprogressfromsurv eyfindingsandadministrativedataasproxyin dicators( ).Suchmeasurescouldincludeupstreamorgani sationalchangestoremovethesourceofthewor kstressororminimiseemployees / RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ORGANISATION9 Implementandencouragetakeupofflexiblewor karrangements(FWAs) (butarenotexclusiveto): Flexi-placesuchastelecommutingandwork-fr om-home,whichallowworkerstoworkoffsiteto alsomeettheirpersonalneeds( ).

5 Flexi-timesuchasstaggeredworkinghours,co mpressedworkweekandtime-banking,whichall owworkerstoadjusttheirdailyworkhoursacco rdingtotheirpersonalneedsandproductivity . Flexi-loadsuchaspart-timeworkandjob-shar ing,whichallowworkerstoreducetheirworklo adasrequiredtobalancewithotherpersonalne eds. FormoreinformationonFWAsaswellasresource sonhowtoimplementthem,pleaserefertoTAFEP of Manpower. 2005. Work-Life Harmony Report. Retrieved from ,workplacepracticesandperformancemanagem entsystemsarenon-discriminatoryandmerit- basedinnature. TheTripartiteGuidelinesonFairEmploymentP ractices(TGFEP)statesthatcompaniesshould notaskjobapplicantstodeclarepersonalinfo rmation,whichincludestheirmentalhealthco ndition,unlessitisajob-relatedrequiremen t. Employersshouldadoptappraisalsystemsthat arefairandobjective, Employerscanalsoestablishaninternalchann el( ,surveylinkstosendanonymousfeedback) / RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ORGANISATION10 Examples of work-life harmonypolicythat employers can adopt as good practices:oEmployers should set out clear position that for work-related messages ( SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram) and emails sent after work hours6, a response is not expected until the next working day, except for messages/emails marked as Urgent.

6 OFor non-urgent messages/emails sent outside work hours, senders could includer a header stating that no immediate response is expected from the employees are required to work after-hours, supervisors should consider giving time-off for employees to have adequate rest. 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 work-life harmony policy to provide clarity on after-hours work communication. , soverallwell-beingandoptimalbusinessperf ormance5. ,employersmaydiscusswithunions(whereappl icable)403 / RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ORGANISATION11 Establishreturn-to-workpoliciestosupport employeeswhoarerecoveringfrommentalhealt hconditions. ( )toallowthemtograduallytransitbacktowork whilestillprovidingtimefortreatments.

7 / RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ORGANISATION512 EmployersEmployeesMake home safe & productive Provide guidance on how to set up a conducive workspace at home Check for accident risks ( no loose wires to avoid tripping) Make your work space ergonomically comfortable Sleep well, keep fit, eat healthySet boundaries Establisha work-life harmony policy to provide clarity on after-hours work communication. Take lunch breaks and regular short breaks ( move away from screen every hour, stretch breaks) Discuss work schedules that meet both work and personal needs with supervisorKeep data secure Provide guidance and resources ( equipment, training) to secure data Abide by employer practices on privacy and observe data security Stay connected Have regular check-ins Look out for employees who display excessive stress or burnout Stay connected with colleagues, including on non-work issues Explore available resources offered by your employer and the community to improve MENTAL WELL-BEING Seek help if neededQUICK TIPS ON WORKING FROM from Working from Home Healthy sustainable working during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond , The British Psychological Society, 202013 CompanyContactSingapore Anglican Community Services Integrated Employment Services ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME(EAP) SERVICE PROVIDERSANNEX A14 AgencyWhattheyofferContactHealth Promotion BoardHPBoffersthefollowingworkshops:Well being@Work: Being A Supportive LeaderSpeciallyforleaders,supervisorsand thoseinHRroles.

8 Recognisingcommon MENTAL health issues ( depression, anxiety, burnout) Starting a conversation with staff and showing appropriate supportive leadership ( empathetic listening and responding) Building a supportive workplace environment and encouraging help-seeking Recognisingcommon MENTAL health issues ( depression, anxiety, burnout) Initiating conversation with peers Listening and responding in an appropriate and supportive manner Encouraging help seekingCompaniescanalsotaponHPB sWorkplaceOutreachWellness(WOW)Packageto implementhealthpromotionprogrammesforthe irstaffonaco-fundingbasis, workshopsEmail: the WOW package: WELL-BEING TRAINING SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR Association for MENTAL Ribbon WELL-BEING TRAINING SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR ORGANISATIONS16 AgencyWhattheyofferContactClarity SingaporeConductstalksandworkshopstohelp managersandsupervisorsunderstandtheimpor tance&strugglesofmentalwellbeingandbuild individualskillsonimprovingmentalwell-be ingatwork Increasing my Resilience at the Workplace Designing my Self-Care at Work (Self-Care and Self-Compassion) Improving my Emotional Wellness (Stress, Depression and Anxiety)Focuses of talks and workshops are on: Stress Management Building resilience to stress Coping : no.

9 : 6757 7990 Facebook: @ClaritySGTwitter: @ClaritySGLtdViriyaCommunity WELL-BEING TRAINING SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR MENTAL Health by Temasek ,onlineforumsandinformationonsupportgrou pstosupportone by (TuetoFri,1pmto8pm) , the Beyond the Label helpbotby Wellness And You E-Guide by HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES18 Online/PhoneCounsellingContactNational CARE HotlineOffersemotionalsupporttoindividua lswhomaybeworriedaboutCOVID-19anditsimpa ctonpersonal/familylivesandlivelihoods)1 800-2026868(8amto12mn)Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin)1800 3535800(10amto10pm)Silver Ribbon (Singapore)6385-3714/6386-1928/6509-0271 (MontoFri,9amto5pm) Yue Community Services (Text-basedonlinecounselling)Singapore Association for MENTAL Health Alliance Limited Forcaregiversofpersonswithmentalhealthco nditionsWestCluster:97207590and97707996 CentralCluster:97298628and98267115 EastCluster:97369170 General Enquiries: 6460 4400 Weekdays 9 am to 6 pm (excluding public holidays) , :MontoFri,9amto9pm,andSat,10amto2pm(excl udingpublicholidays) COUNSELLING SERVICE PROVIDERST hese services provide counselling support to help individuals cope with emotional (MontoFri10amto7pm)Migrant Workers CentreHelplineformigrantworkers6536-2692 (24hrs)Care Singapore (Hear4U)Helplineavailableindifferentlang uagesServiceavailablefromMondaytoFriday6 9782728(EnglishandofficiallanguagesofSin gapore)Dedicatedlinesformigrantworkers69 782725(English)69782722(Tamil)69782723(B engali)69782724(Mandarin)Centre for Domestic Employees24-hourhelplineforforeigndomest icworkers18002255233 CrisisHelplineContactInstitute of MENTAL Health (24hrs)Samaritan of Singapore (SOS)Provideemotionalsupportforindividua lshavingdifficultycopingduringacrisis.

10 1800-2214444(24hrs) HELPLINE AND SUICIDE PREVENTIONONLINE/PHONE COUNSELLING SERVICE PROVIDERST hese services provide counselling support to help individuals cope with emotional TRIPARTITE Partners would like to thank the following organisationsfor their support and contributions to this TRIPARTITE for Integrated CareHealth Promotion BoardHealthServeLtdInstitute for Human Resource ProfessionalsInstitute of MENTAL HealthMigrant Workers CentreMinistry of Culture, Community & YouthMinistry of EducationMinistry of HealthMinistry of Social and Family DevelopmentNational Council of Social ServicePublic Service Division, Prime Minister s OfficeTripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment PracticesWorkplace Safety and Health CouncilFirst published in Nov 2020