Key Takeaways
A workplace mental health policy works best when it follows the steps in MOM’s Tripartite Advisory: review employee well-being regularly, appoint champions, update HR policies, train managers, build peer support, give confidential access to counselling and plan for return to work.
- The Tripartite Advisory, issued by MOM, SNEF and NTUC on 20 November 2023, sets out recommendations at organisation, team and individual levels.
- At organisation level it asks employers to review well-being regularly, appoint champions, review HR policies, set an after-hours communication policy and establish return-to-work policies.
- At team level it asks employers to train managers to spot distress, foster psychologically safe conversations and set up peer support with escalation protocols.
- For individuals, it asks employers to provide counselling access, such as an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), with confidentiality assured.
In Detail
Singapore’s Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-being at Workplaces, jointly issued by MOM, SNEF and NTUC on 20 November 2023, gives employers practical guidance on supporting employees’ mental well-being. It lets each employer adopt the recommendations that fit its readiness, resources and needs, and recommends actions at three levels: organisation, team or department, and individual employees (MOM, Tripartite Advisory). A written policy is a good way to pull those actions together. The steps below follow the advisory.
Step 1: Know where you stand
The advisory asks employers to review the state of employees’ mental well-being regularly as part of risk assessment for workplace health, using surveys and focus group discussions, and names iWorkHealth, a confidential online tool, as one option. It asks employers to track whether measures work through periodic surveys and administrative data such as absenteeism (MOM, Tripartite Advisory).
Step 2: Name owners
The advisory asks employers to appoint workplace mental well-being champions who rally senior management, organise activities and resources, and set up a system to refer people in distress to professional help. Champions can join the WSH Council’s Well-being Champions Network (MOM, Tripartite Advisory).
Step 3: Review HR and workplace policies
The advisory asks employers to make sure practices and performance management systems are non-discriminatory and merit-based, not to ask job applicants to declare mental health conditions unless this is job-related, and to set up an internal channel for feedback and dispute resolution with clear confidentiality policies. It also recommends a flexible work arrangements policy and an after-hours communication policy that sets reasonable expectations, including during leave. TAFEP describes the Workplace Fairness Act as slated to take effect in end-2027, and the advisory notes that discrimination on the basis of mental health conditions will be prohibited under the upcoming legislation (MOM, Tripartite Advisory; TAFEP, Workplace Fairness).
Step 4: Plan return to work
The advisory asks for return-to-work policies for employees recovering from mental health conditions, including flexible arrangements to allow a gradual transition and an adjustment period with guidance and support where performance has been affected, before actions such as termination are considered (MOM, Tripartite Advisory).
Step 5: Equip managers and build peer support
The advisory asks employers to train managers, supervisors, HR and union leaders to spot signs of mental distress and know where to refer employees, to hold regular check-ins and respond with sensitivity and confidentiality, and to set up trained peer supporters with clear escalation protocols (MOM, Tripartite Advisory).
Step 6: Give confidential access to counselling
The advisory asks employers to provide access to counselling services, such as through an EAP, and to assure employees that conversations will not be disclosed to the organisation without their consent. It also suggests considering extending flexible benefits and insurance coverage to include mental well-being programmes and consultations (MOM, Tripartite Advisory).
Step 7: Review and adapt
Set a review date for the policy, look at what your surveys and absenteeism data show, and adjust. Keep the policy short enough that managers can use it.
Putting This Into Practice
Here is a practical way to turn this into action.
Key Questions Answered
What does MOM recommend for a workplace mental health policy?
The Tripartite Advisory recommends actions at organisation, team and individual levels, including regular well-being reviews, champions, HR policy reviews, return-to-work policies, manager training, peer support and counselling access.
Who issued the Tripartite Advisory and when?
MOM, SNEF and NTUC jointly issued it on 20 November 2023.
How should an employer review employee well-being?
The advisory suggests surveys and focus group discussions, names iWorkHealth as one tool, and asks employers to track measures through periodic surveys and administrative data such as absenteeism.
Can employers ask job applicants about mental health conditions?
The advisory says employers should not ask applicants to declare mental health conditions unless this is a job-related requirement.
What should a return-to-work policy include?
The advisory suggests flexible arrangements for a gradual transition and an adjustment period with guidance and support where performance has been affected, before actions such as termination are considered.
How does the Workplace Fairness Act relate to this?
TAFEP describes the Act as slated to take effect in end-2027, and mental health conditions are among its protected characteristics, so policies written now should already be non-discriminatory and merit-based.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower, Tripartite advisory on mental health and well-being at workplaces
- Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), Workplace Fairness