Mental Health at Work: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework

The U.S. Surgeon General has elevated two workforce issues to national prominence: Health Worker Burnout and Workplace Well-being (Current Priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2022). This is good news for American workers and should assist occupational health nurses (OHN’s) to make the case to employers for programs that address worker wellbeing.

The Surgeon General’s 30-page Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-being is centered on the worker’s voice and highlights five essentials. The five elements are: 1) protection from harm 2) opportunities for growth 3) connection and community 4) work-life harmony and 5) mattering at work. Occupational Health Nursing practice often focuses on the “protection from harm” element while Human Resources and department managers tend to deal with opportunities for growth, connection and community” and work-life harmony. The fifth element “Mattering at Work” may be a new occupational health issue. It addresses dignity and meaning at work. In truth, if all the essentials are related to mental health, then occupational health nursing has a vested interest in being able to assess these work elements and provide education and resources to managers, supervisors, and employees.

Does this framework potentially expand occupational health nursing practice? Or do OHN’s already routinely incorporate these elements into their practice? One thing is certain, now there are labels for the elements, and a framework that highlights the much-needed focus on the workplace’s contribution to mental health and well-being. The Framework’s Resource Library includes a video of the Surgeon General who explains the framework in less than 2 min. OHN’s can potentially use this video when proposing new programs and requesting resources for employee mental health. There are also Reflection Questions that managers can use to start the process of assessing their workplaces (Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2022).

This new framework is of utmost importance given that mental illness affects one in five individuals in the U.S. at some point in their lives (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). A major public health concern, mental health relates to one’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being (CDC, 2021). Specifically, workers who face high workplace stressors (e.g., job insecurities, poor control, high hazard exposure and high job strain) are at increased risk for poor mental health outcomes.

Efforts are needed to counteract stigma associated with mental illness, provide support, advocacy, and education. To promote worker health and wellbeing, multifaceted endeavors are necessary to advocate and educate workers, employers, and others (e.g., health care professionals) regarding effective support and care to redress mental health concerns. In addition to the Surgeon General’s new framework, other resources are available to support workers such as manager training programs (Hammer et al., 2022; www.supportiveleadership.org) and tools to enable employers to assess the readiness and quality of their mental-health-related support and resources for their employees (e.g., https://www.healthlinkscertified.org/what-we-do/modules/mental-health). The OHN can leverage these tools and resources in collaboration with organizations to promote worker mental health and wellbeing.