Mental health

This section contains information about WorkSafe's focus on mental health and wellbeing at work.

Mentally healthy work

New Zealand’s awareness and desire to address mental health challenges is increasing. WorkSafe will support businesses and organisations to address and support mental health in the workplace.

Raise a mentally healthy work concern

If the business or organisation you work for is not meeting their obligations to look after your mental health at work, you can use this form to raise a concern with WorkSafe.

Mentally healthy work in retail: Case studies

WorkSafe joined with Kmart New Zealand and Z Energy to look at how businesses minimise psychosocial risks in their workplaces.

Creating a mentally healthy work culture

This page provides information on what a mentally healthy work culture looks like and ways to create a healthy work environment.

Starting the mentally healthy work journey

If you are at the beginning stages of creating mentally healthy work, the information shared from this page will help you get started.

Why mentally healthy work is a health and safety issue

Understand why mentally healthy work is part of health and safety, what is meant by mental wellbeing, and why it is a work issue.

Mentally healthy work – short essays on important topics

To help businesses and organisations as they build and support mentally healthy work, we have published a series of short essays about this important area.

Mental health when working from home: for PCBUs

This guidance for PCBUs provides advice on how to manage the psychosocial (mental health) risks for workers who are working from home. There is also an infographic available that summarises some of the information in this guidance.

Staying mentally healthy when working from home

Guidance for workers who do office-type work in their home, or an equivalent location, rather than at their business premises.

Starting the conversation about mental health

Find out how a SafePlus assessment helped GJ Gardner Manukau create a wellness programme to support their staff's mental health.

Mentally healthy work - good practice guidelines for managing psychosocial risks at work

Supporting mentally healthy work

This position sets out what we expect persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to do to support mentally healthy work.

Supporting mentally healthy work

This position sets out what we expect persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to do to support mentally healthy work.

Psychosocial surveys of first responders

WorkSafe’s 2024 surveys of police officers and ambulance workers reveal significant and overlapping challenges in the wellbeing and mental health of first responders.

The impact of harmful work

Work can impact our mental wellbeing. This page provides an introduction to the difference between mentally healthy work and unhealthy work, and their impacts.

Identifying risk and protective factors

This page provides information on identifying workplace risk, and examples of protective factors for mentally healthy work.

How leaders can create positive change in the workplace

Leaders play an important role in supporting mentally healthy work. Read more on the actions leaders can take to help create positive change in their workplace.

Work-related wellbeing: What good looks like

To help businesses and organisations as they build and support mentally healthy work, we have carried out research to understand what makes a good day for workers.

Understanding critical risks at the heart of SafePlus

Manawatū District Council used SafePlus to evaluate how well they were managing three key risks central to their organisation – mental health, contractor management, and working alone.

Palliser Ridge

Watch our case study series with the managers at Palliser Ridge in Pirinoa, South Wairarapa on supporting mentally health work, and crush protection devices for quad bikes.

Agriculture psychosocial risks

Agriculture workers were slightly more likely to rate their health as good or above compared to all workers.

Psychosocial risks infographics

Infographics on psychosocial risks for the construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and forestry sectors, as well as for all New Zealand workers.

Psychosocial risks for all New Zealand workers

80% of workers rate their health as being ‘good’ or above.

Construction psychosocial risks

Construction workers rated their health similar to all workers.

Forestry psychosocial risks

Forestry workers were more likely to rate their health as good or above compared to all workers.

Manufacturing psychosocial risks

Manufacturing workers were slightly more likely to rate their health as good or above compared to all workers.

Psychosocial factors

All businesses have psychosocial factors that impact workers. Learn more about key psychosocial hazards and risks.