How to build a safe, supportive, and mentally healthy workplace: WSH Council's new handbook

The handbook details key recommendations in three areas, namely building a supportive culture, putting in place systems of care, and helping employees recovering from mental health conditions return to work with confidence.

Singapore's Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council launched the Handbook on Supporting Employees’ Mental Health at the Wellbeing Champions Network Engagement Session on 13 October 2025 to bridge the critical gap in workplace mental health support. 

The handbook is a practical guide to help employers support employees' mental health through positive culture, workplace support, and continued contribution in order to foster a supportive and mentally healthy workplace.

Developed by a tripartite workgroup under the WSH Council’s Mental Wellbeing Committee, the handbook was shaped through extensive engagement and discussions with employers, unions, HR practitioners, social service agencies, and mental health professionals, as well as feedback from employees.

The handbook's key recommendations will focus on three areas, namely:

1. Building a supportive culture,
2. Putting in place systems of care, and 
3. Helping employees recovering from mental health conditions return to work with confidence.

Here is a deep dive into each of the recommendations extracted from the report: 

Nurture a positive workplace culture

Creating a mentally healthy workplace starts with cultivating a positive culture – one that avoids mental health stigma, supports employees’ well-being, and helps the organisation maximise its potential.

To build this foundation, employers are encouraged to adopt the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Wellbeing at Workplaces, and Playbook on Workplace Mental Wellbeing, which offer practical guidance for fostering a caring and inclusive environment.

A key recommendation from the Tripartite Advisory is to measure and monitor the state of wellbeing in the organisation. This could be done through the organisation’s own surveys, or the free iWorkHealth tool — a free resource developed by the Ministry of Manpower in collaboration with Changi General Hospital, Health Promotion Board, Institute of Mental Health, and the Workplace Safety and Health Council. These insights help organisations understand their current culture and track progress over time.

Sustaining a mentally healthy culture requires a long-term strategy backed by senior leadership. Leaders must role-model behaviours that promote care and trust. For CEOs or their equivalents, shaping the emotional climate of the organisation is crucial – they set the tone for how openly mental health is discussed and addressed. Importantly, they should also prioritise their own wellbeing as both a strategic and personal responsibility.

To cascade wellbeing throughout the organisation, it was affirmed that CEOs must empower middle managers to create supportive environments at every level. Leaders can also join a network such as WorkWell Leaders to support their own wellbeing, while corporate leaders directly in charge of implementing wellbeing initiatives can learn from other organisations’ experience by joining the Wellbeing Champions Network.

Members can learn how to design and implement mental wellbeing initiatives, access training aligned with the National Mental Health Competency Training Framework, and network with other companies that are more experienced in managing mental wellbeing.

Establish a workplace support system

As highlighted, it is normal for people to experience mental health challenges from time to time; and feelings of burnout, withdrawal or depression should not be seen as personal flaws or a sign of weakness. To help employees bounce back from such episodes, employers are encouraged to foster a workplace support system, tapping on external mental health resources. Key components include:

• Training supervisors on mental health 
  • Employees in supervisory roles or human resource (HR), workplace safety and health professionals, Workplace Mental Wellbeing Champions, and peer supporters could be trained on how to spot mental health concerns, and how to respond.

• Fostering a safe space
  • A safe space is an environment that supports open communication and assures an employee that he/ she is being accepted, and supported, without being penalised for speaking up about his/ her issues. Senior management, line managers and supervisors play a key role in fostering this environment by showing empathy, confidentiality, and non-judgment. 

• Share resources to access help
  • Some employees may prefer external support to learn self-care, pick up tips on their own, or seek help. Employers are encouraged to share these resources:
    • First-stop touchpoints such as the national mindline 1771
    • Websites such as MindSG and mindline.sg
    • Polyclinics with mental health services and general practitioners under Singapore Mental
    • Health General Practitioner Partnership Programme and Primary Care Network-Mental Health
    • Ministry of Health’s Chronic Disease Management Programme
    • Samaritans of Singapore’s 24-hour Hotline and 24-hour CareText

Facilitate continued contribution

A structured system for a return to work (RTW) programme and reasonable job accommodations supports employees recovering from mental health conditions. Supporting an employee, who is recovering from a mental health condition, return to work can support his/ her recovery while enabling him/ her to continue contributing to his/ her employer.

The handbook shared some suggestions on how a RTW programme could be designed:



Job accommodations are intended to optimise the productivity of employees, while allowing them to contribute at a pace and scope consistent with their abilities. Such accommodations could be tailored to individual needs and regularly reviewed, in terms of whether they match the employee’s work ability.

Employers could assign a dedicated team or staff to work with the employee on the job accommodations while maintaining strict confidentiality of all medical information. It is reasonable for employers to request for documentation of medical conditions when designing job accommodations. While providing such documentation should be voluntary, employees are encouraged to share their conditions to allow employers to better understand the accommodations needed.

Below is a list of suggested job accommodations:

• Work hours and scheduling 
  • Split breaks into shorter but more frequent periods
  • Provide flexible work arrangements (e.g. flexi-load, flexi-time, flexi-place)
• Environmental adjustments
  • Modify physical workspaces if there are mobility constraints
  • Provide quiet or rest areas
  • Adjust lighting, noise levels, or temperature, especially if it is a trigger for the employee
• Job redesign and workload modifications (Note: Duration and salary adjustments may require discussion and mutual agreement between employer and employee)
  • Adjust workload (quantity or complexity) gradually
  • Reduce interaction-based duties or solo mobile duties if the individual is less able to cope in such scenarios
  • Break down large tasks into smaller and achievable steps
  • Adjust deadlines, provide more guidance and support
  • Align duties or responsibilities with the employee’s skills, abilities, and limitations

A coordinated approach between HR and line managers is key.

HR sets the framework and resources for a supportive, balanced workplace, while managers apply these policies at the team level — monitoring workloads, maintaining cohesion, and safeguarding well-being. By working together, HR equips managers, and managers provide daily oversight to address issues before stress escalates.

Here are some set of practices that HR and managers can implement to maintain both operations and team resilience when workloads increase: 

1. Fair workload distribution: Redistribute tasks fairly, with realistic priorities and options like job rotation or sharing to avoid overload. In small teams, even minor changes matter – so transparency and fairness are essential.
2. Temporary resourcing: HR could consider part-time or contract hires as interim support to manage the workload. For many SMEs, this may be the most practical solution given limited budgets for fulltime staff.
3. Communication and recognition: HR and line managers should align communication, sharing timelines and workload plans, with the recovering employee’s consent, to reduce uncertainty. Recognising team contributions, even through small gestures or added flexibility, shows their efforts are seen and appreciated, reinforcing their vital role in keeping the organisation running.
4. Wellbeing and support: Training line managers to spot signs of team strain and respond with empathy can help build a more supportive workplace. Regular check-ins and access to resources like Employee Assistance Programme, counselling, or peer support can foster wellbeing. In SMEs without formal programmes, even simple manager-led conversations can have a meaningful impact.
5. Skills development and flexibility: Offer cross-training and job-shadowing to help employees step in seamlessly, boosting team agility and continuity. Support those with extra duties through flexible options like compressed schedules.
6. Incentives and rewards: Where appropriate, provide time-off in lieu, short-term allowances, or recognition awards for employees who have taken on additional responsibilities for an extended period.

As affirmed above, supporting both the recovering employee and the wider team fosters trust, unity, and a culture where mental health is a collective priority — showing that recovery and organisation resilience can thrive together.

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In his speech at the Wellbeing Champions Network Engagement Session, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Shawn Huang shared that with the prevalence of poor mental health broadly rising – from 12.5% of the adult population in 2017, to 15% in 2023, more people may be affected by mental health conditions, even to the extent of impairing their ability to work if we neglect mental health.

"For the individual, they lose their livelihood and sense of purpose. For the employer, they lose the talents and experience of the individual involved."

"It is therefore crucial for our workplaces to be conducive to mental health and wellbeing. A safe and supportive workplace helps employees feel valued and perform better.

"This leads to stronger team cohesion, higher staff retention, and better organisational performance. A conducive workplace culture can not only prevent the three onset of mental health conditions, but also facilitate the re-entry of those affected by mental health episodes," he added. 

He highlighted that the handbook arrives at a pivotal moment – when more individuals are empowered to live independently and contribute meaningfully to society. Yet, he acknowledged, there remains a critical need to bridge gaps in knowledge and resources to better support those at risk of, or recovering from, mental health conditions.

In closing, he affirmed that "if we take care of our people, our people will take care of the country and the society at large – and that’s what we really must do.

"It takes every one of us today, brick by brick, to build an ecosystem and a community of care."

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ALSO READ: World Mental Health Day 2025: The personal stories inspiring HR leaders to create kinder, more supportive workplaces

Lead image / Provided