Singapore’s Upcoming Mental Health Guidelines for Employers

Employers looking to support their staff amidst mental health challenges will be able to use a set of guidelines from the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council, which will be launched in the first quarter of 2025. The guidelines were announced at an awards ceremony on October 1st, 2024.

This Pacific Prime CXA article will delve into the upcoming Singapore mental health guidelines for employers as well as a discussion on why mental health awareness and ensuring mental health benefits are included in your employee benefits package is a factor employers should never overlook.

Overview: The Upcoming Singapore Mental Health Guidelines

The mental health guidelines, announced by the Minister of State for Education and Manpower, Gan Siow Huang, on October 1st, 2024, at an awards ceremony held by Silver Ribbon at PSB Academy’s City Campus, are developed by the WSH Council and will be launched in the first quarter of 2025.

Siow Huang stated that the document will be very useful for employers in helping employees who are in the midst of or recovering from mental health issues, saying the guidelines can be split into three R’s: Recognize, Refer, and Reintegrate.

Recognize

Siow Huang said employees should be educated on mental health in order to recognize possible warning signs of any mental health condition so they can rectify the issue and remain aware that ups and downs are normal. At the same time, supervisors should also treat these discussions with utmost sensitivity and maintain confidentiality.

She added that not every employee may be aware of or comfortable with discussing “their personal struggles”, to which “trained supervisors and peer supporters” can be really beneficial for spotting early signs of “distress or deviation from normal behaviors” before the situation escalates.

Refer

Siow Huang acknowledged the need for employee mental health, stating that employees in need should be referred to mental healthcare professionals.

She said employees can subscribe to an employee assistance program (EAP), allowing access to professional assistance for both personal and work-related issues that could impact “physical health, work performance, and mental and psychological wellbeing”.

To learn more about employee assistance programs, including its various benefits and how employers can select the best programs for their employees, check out our article on Employee Assistance Programs: How Do I Select The Best One?

Reintegrate

Employees who are ready can be reintegrated back to work once more. However, while work can contribute to the recovery process by fueling the employee with a sense of purpose and confidence, the reintegration process should be done with sensitivity and care, according to Siow Huang.

She stated that employers can start by having an “early discussion” with the returning employee and they can help come up with any further adjustments as they see fit. This could be as simple as workload management, which can help the employee work “productively and healthily”.

Why Employee Mental Health Matters

While a state of healthy mental health contributes to improved productivity and increased job satisfaction, a negative working environment can lead to physical and mental health challenges. Among these challenges include feelings of burnout and stress, which can impact employees’ work performance as well as their personal lives.

Some factors that could contribute to work stress include workload, work schedule, or sometimes peers. This can lead to decreased work productivity, and, in the worst-case scenario, some employees may consider leaving their job if they feel their current position isn’t doing their mental health justice.

Through simple methods such as arranging personal one-on-one confidential discussions or going above and beyond by incorporating an employee assistance program and referring the employees to healthcare professionals, however, you get to ensure not only your employees’ eventual increased work productivity and job satisfaction, but also increased talent retention.

Additionally, organizations that value their employees’ mental wellbeing are also likely to gain a competitive edge in the job-searching field as candidates continue to seek companies that genuinely care for their employees.

Conclusion

With the upcoming new mental health guidelines on the horizon, employers can efficiently support their employees’ mental health and wellbeing to improve talent retention. By recognizing potential signs of mental issues, referring the affected employees to the mental healthcare professional, and taking the employee reintegration process slowly, employees know they have someone they can trust.

As an experienced health insurance broker and employee benefits specialist, Pacific Prime CXA can not only help you with finding the right health insurance plan, but also effective employee benefits solutions to ensure your employees feel as equally valued as their voices are heard in the face of potential mental health concerns.

Whether you’re an expat or local citizen seeking health insurance in Singapore or a company looking for effective employee benefits solutions for improved talent retention, we will be more than happy to help you out with completely impartial advice.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us. Or, if you are interested in plan comparisons, get a free quote with us.

Wish Sutthatothon (Nickname: Guy) is currently a content writer at Pacific Prime Thailand, an insurance broker that connects individuals and businesses with insurance providers worldwide. He creates and edits blog articles, guides, reports, webpages, and other types of digital content.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.

He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.

In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).

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