ISO 45003: Part III – A new approach to (mental) health and safety, in 5 powerful steps

The pandemic, plus new ISO guidelines, is sparking a global rethink of employee wellbeing. Want to deliver lasting change at your organisation? Then read on.

In our ISO 45003 series so far, we’ve unpacked what the history-making standard is. And the key people at your company you’ll want on-board from the off, if you’re committed to a workplace – and company culture – rooted in psychological safety. 

In this final blog, we’ll lay out the strategic tips that will help get you there. 

But first, let’s recap. 

What is ISO 45003, and why does it matter?

It’s a best practice bible for occupational health and safety. Drafted by a team of workplace experts, the framework outlines a bold (some would say belated) new world – one that covers not just physical factors, but mental ones too. 

These ‘psychosocial risks’ are super broad. Inside the three main buckets – how work is organised, working environment, and social factors – there are endless individual stressors. Some are low-key (think dim lighting), and others obvious (like bullying or violence). 

Evidence backs up the need for ISO 45003. Recent HSE data found the two biggest spikes in mental health-related absence come from increased workload and lack of managerial support – psychosocial risks by anyone’s measure. There’s also the wider, annual bill for poor mental health at work: £45 billion.

A whole-organisation approach to safety

As we said last time, psychologically safe workplaces aren’t for sale. While minimising psychosocial risks will require money, this also needs time, and genuinely involve every employee – from the shop floor to the boardroom. 

Done well, this provides a whole-organisation approach to health and safety. The sort that spreads to every inch of the business, and creates something that’s at once powerful and priceless: a psychologically safe culture. One where employee wellbeing, both physical and mental, is hard-wired.

Achieving this isn’t easy. And goes way beyond just cut-and-pasting ISO tips into company literature. But it can be done. 

To get you started, below you’ll find five must-haves for a mentally healthy workplace culture.

Five strategic musts for a psychologically safe workplace

1. A whole-person, whole-organisation approach 

ISO 45003 is clear: “The successful management of psychosocial risk calls for a commitment throughout the organisation.” 

Though the standard notes company leaders bear the most responsibility from the start, it takes a whole organisation to ensure psychological safety. 

The guidelines drill into each step in detail – such as launching a new occupational health and safety (OH&S) policy, how to consult and include workers, and the actions needed to prevent any risks you’ve spotted.

Daisy Abbott, Unmind’s Head of Client Solution, takes this further. To make a whole-organisation strategy stick, you’ve got to stitch this into your culture. 

“Culture isn’t simply decided by the board and rolled out,” Daisy says, “it’s a company-wide experience and therefore we should take a similarly company-wide approach to addressing it."

2. A focus on measurement and data-driven outcomes 

The ISO framework’s no fan of fuzziness. It urges organisations to “establish and implement a systematic approach for monitoring and measuring activities related to managing psychosocial risk and the performance of the OH&S management system.” 

Put another way – don’t let psychological safety become a game of opinions; prove it with facts. We agree, of course. A favourite line at Unmind is ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it’.

“Key to addressing psychosocial risk is first assessment, then effective intervention,” says Daisy. “This could be at the personal level (say, the Unmind Index) or at the organisational level (a workplace index).”

3. Personalising wellbeing programmes to reach every employee

The 45003 guidelines have a whole section devoted to ‘Support’, and within this is the recommendation to “take into account the needs, experience, language skills, literacy and diversity of individual workers.” 

It’s true, but we’d suggest going beyond this, and getting personal. Daisy: “Support needs to be relevant to wherever an employee’s at with their mental health. 

“Not everybody needs to work on sleep, not everyone suffers from anxiety. Personalised interventions provide companies a tailored and adaptable way to manage psychosocial risk, avoiding a blanket approach to wellbeing." 

It’s this bespoke approach (don’t forget – whole-person, whole-organisation) that can nudge a company towards lasting change. Why? Because you’re empowering staff to engage with your wellbeing programme in a way that works for them. And if it works for them, they’re more likely to engage with it. Obvious, right?

4. Leading early, with empathy 

Psychological safety starts at the top. Yes, it flows to every staffer – and real change requires top-down and bottom-up effort – but without committed leadership, it’s over before it begins. 

ISO 45003 spells out 11 recommendations for business leaders – encouraging things like open communication, proper resources and worker protection. One thing we’d add to this list is empathy. And there’s maybe no better way to foster this than expert-led learning.

"People Managers are highlighted in the ISO as a key variable to address, but today most approaches fall short,” says Daisy. “Traditional classroom-based training isn’t fit for the hybrid world of work and point in time learnings are forgotten months later.

“Training for people managers should be proactive, scalable, expert-led and evergreen – to account for the ever-changing needs of the workforce, and continually evolving conversation around mental health."

5. Championing psychological safety 

The ISO standard points out every company “should establish, provide and maintain the resources needed to achieve its objectives with respect to the management of psychosocial risk.” 

While 45003 doesn't name-check wellbeing champions specifically, we’d say there’s no better way to spread the word about psychological safety than with these in-house influencers. 

Daisy says: "When thinking about creating psychosocially safe environments, champions can play an integral role.” It’s true – in a recent Unmind survey of 1,500 HR leaders, 8 in 10 said wellbeing champions will play an important role in 2022.

When you roll out a psychological safety strategy, it’s these internal advocates who’ll brandish the baton for cultural change. Wellbeing champions help colleagues understand what mental health is (and isn’t), what the organisation offers to nurture employee wellbeing, and serve as a friendly (un-corporate) face to signpost towards expert help. 

The first line of defence against psychosocial hazards, any organisation that wants to successfully apply the ISO standard – or a wider culture of psychological safety – would be smart to empower wellbeing champions to lead the way.

Getting started with your ISO 45003 strategy

Learn how, with Unmind and our dedicated team of workplace mental health experts, you can:

• Apply a whole-person, whole-organisation approach to wellbeing at work.
• Measure and manage mental health within your organisation.
• Offer the right support, at the right time, for every employee.
• Train managers in empathetic leadership to create psychological safety. 
• Build a network of wellbeing champions to ensure lasting change.

Need more info, advice or support on ISO 45003? Keen to roll out an employee wellbeing strategy at your organisation? Or want to learn how Unmind can help you understand, nurture and celebrate mental health at work? Then book a chat with an Unminder today. We’d love to talk you through all this and more.