The modern professional landscape is undergoing significant transformation, yet one critical issue remains persistently in the shadows: workplace mental health.

While physical health and safety form the backbone of working life, the contemporary workforce battles an invisible crisis. Against a backdrop of staff shortages, an ageing population, and rapidly evolving practices, the psychological toll on employees has reached unprecedented levels. In response, the European Commission launched the Healthy Workplaces campaign this week. This initiative assists employers in preventing, assessing, and managing psychosocial risks, aiming to shatter the pervasive silence surrounding mental health struggles in professional environments.

The true cost of psychosocial risks

The financial and human cost of ignoring occupational well-being is staggering. Across the European Union, millions of professionals navigate intensely stressful environments, often without adequate support. The statistics paint a sobering picture of the current state of affairs:

• Nearly half of all workers (45%) currently face active risks to their mental health whilst on the job, according to data from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).

• Approximately 44% of the workforce reports experiencing severe time pressure or facing overwhelming task overload during their daily duties.

• Only 45% of employees state they are actively consulted by management regarding the stressful aspects of their jobs.

• Work-related depression currently costs the European Union more than €100 billion a year, a figure calculated by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) that accounts for absenteeism, reduced productivity, healthcare, and wider social costs.

William Cockburn, the executive director of EU-OSHA, highlights the direct correlation between modern employment demands and psychological strain. “We see psychosocial risks at the workplace, for example, long working hours, highly intense work, emotionally demanding tasks … and we link that to increased impact on workers’ health,” Cockburn said.

Breaking the silence and identifying hazards

Despite the immense burden these conditions place on both personnel and employers, a persistent stigma continues to slow meaningful action. The topic remains largely taboo in many corporate cultures. “Whether we're asking employers or workers, they identify a reluctance to speak openly about mental health issues as the … main obstacle to actually taking action,” he said.

To combat this, experts advocate for a fundamental shift in how psychological well-being is categorised by management. For Cockburn, mental health issues “need to be addressed like physical health issues at work”. The recommended approach is to systematically assess risks first and subsequently adapt whatever is required to minimise potential harm.

“We identify hazards like long working hours, like adverse relationships at work … to an extreme you can go to bullying and harassment, violence or threats of violence,” he added. By treating these factors as tangible occupational hazards, organisations can successfully dismantle the stigma and create safer environments for all staff.

Implementing preventative guardrails

While many still view mental health solely as a private issue, labour advocates argue that responsibility for prevention must centre on the workplace rather than the individual affected. Esther Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), champions this structural approach to employee welfare.

“We don't wait until people have a finger chopped off before we put guardrails in place,” Lynch said. “We do a risk assessment and say what's the risk associated with the way this work is carried out and then we put the guardrails in place”.

Achieving this vital preventative care requires open dialogue, and experts universally agree that workers must be an integral part of the conversation. “Worker participation is a legal obligation under European law, but it's also a key success factor for successful interventions in health and safety at work,” said Cockburn.

A strategic investment in the future

The Healthy Workplaces campaign represents a comprehensive effort to normalise these crucial conversations and equip organisations with tools to protect their staff. Ultimately, prioritising psychological well-being is a sound strategic investment for modern businesses.

Speaking at the campaign’s launch on Tuesday, Roxana Mînzatu, executive vice-president for social rights and jobs, articulated the broad benefits of proactive corporate policies.

“When we invest in building and keeping healthy working environments, we improve not only people's well-being, we reduce sick leave and staff turnover; we improve performance, and we don't put pressure on our health systems,” said Mînzatu. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) and Sharjah Police General Command have come together to discuss strengthening cooperation to enhance the security and safety of companies and organisations

H.E Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, director of HFZA, received a Sharjah Police delegation headed by Major General Ahmed Saeed Al Naour, director-general of the General Directorate of Prevention and Safety, accompanied by Brigadier Khalid Saeed Bo Zengal, deputy director-general of the General Directorate of Prevention and Safety, and several officials.

Reflecting the increasing focus in the region on a proactive approach to health and safety, the discussions focused on using smart technologies and systems to advance preventive measures, strengthen preparedness and business continuity, and improve the efficiency of services provided to investors, supporting Sharjah’s position as a safe and attractive business and investment destination.

The meeting reviewed HFZA’s security and safety systems and approved procedures, explored preventive safety requirements and discussed benchmarking practices to exchange expertise and identify effective approaches.

Al Naour said strengthening strategic partnerships and integration between government entities is fundamental to developing the prevention and safety ecosystem and raising preparedness across economic establishments in line with Sharjah’s economic growth and diversification. He said cooperation with HFZA represents a model of institutional integration based on exchanging knowledge, expertise and specialised practices, while using advanced technologies and systems to improve preventive procedures and their efficiency.

Al Naour added that Sharjah Police is committed to strengthening a preventive and proactive approach by expanding coordination and information exchange with strategic partners and continuously developing procedures that protect lives and property, ensure business continuity and support sustainable economic activity.

Al Mazrouei said strengthening security and safety is a key pillar in sustaining economic activity, reinforcing investor confidence and supporting business stability, growth and expansion.

He added that HFZA is working to promote an institutional culture based on prevention and proactive preparedness by raising awareness of approved requirements and standards and adopting practices that ensure a safe and resilient business environment.

Both sides stressed the importance of continued coordination, cooperation and knowledge exchange in security, safety and prevention, as well as sharing information on economic activities and preventive safety requirements to strengthen institutional integration, business continuity and Sharjah’s secure and sustainable economic environment.

Relay and Celona have formed a partnership to strengthen communications for frontline workers in industrial environments, with the aim of improving workplace safety and operational efficiency

Celona’s Orion platform combines private 5G and Wi-Fi connectivity across extensive industrial sites, enabling workers using Relay’s system for managing physical operations to stay connected in areas where conventional wireless networks may be unreliable.

Industrial sites, including refineries, factories and warehouses, often present significant connectivity challenges. Large campuses, remote locations and metal-intensive structures can weaken radio signals and limit public cellular coverage. Wi-Fi can also struggle to provide consistent connectivity across expansive indoor facilities and outdoor yards, particularly for mobile workers operating forklifts and other equipment. These gaps can disrupt communications through traditional two-way radios, increasing potential safety risks and making it difficult to maintain a complete record of operational activities.

Celona’s converged wireless platform combines enterprise-grade private 5G with Wi-Fi within an organisation’s network. Relay uses this connectivity to capture and organise spoken observations from frontline workers, converting them into actionable information within existing enterprise systems. Its approach allows workers in noisy industrial settings, including those wearing protective equipment, to communicate through familiar ruggedised push-to-talk radios rather than relying on typing into digital applications.

“Reliable connectivity is foundational to worker safety and productivity, particularly across large industrial environments where traditional wireless technologies can struggle,” said Puneet Shetty, SVP of Product and Field Engineering at Celona. “Together with Relay, we’re extending the benefits of converged wireless to frontline workers, helping maintain critical communications across even the most challenging areas of industrial facilities.”

The partnership aims to provide connectivity throughout industrial facilities while preserving a record of work carried out across operations. Relay devices have been tested on Celona’s network and are ready for deployment. The combined solution also supports real-time translation in 35 languages using AI models developed specifically for manufacturing environments. Panic alerts and location information provide additional tools for worker safety, while recorded observations, handovers and operational decisions help organisations retain information generated during each shift.

"The most important piece of equipment a frontline worker carries is the ability to reach someone. In a plant that's loud, hazardous, and spread across acres, that's the difference between a near-miss and an incident,” said Ibraheem Khalifa, Principal Product Manager, Relay. “Our partnership with Celona helps ensure frontline teams remain not just productive but also safe, no matter where in the facility they’re working.”

Relay and Celona are already being used together at customer sites in the food manufacturing sector.