Brussels Puts Mental Health on the Workplace Agenda Through 2028
Published on 10/22/2026 at 14:22 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Roughly 45% of employees across the European Union are exposed to psychological risks on the job, yet only the same share — 45% — are ever asked about the stressors behind them. That gap sits at the heart of a multi-year push launched by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) on 13 October 2026 under the banner "Together for Mental Health at Work."
Running from 2026 to 2028, the campaign centres on preventing mental ill health and managing psychosocial risks in European workplaces. Its official kick-off is anchored to the European Week for Safety and Health at Work, scheduled for 19–24 October 2026 and listed in some programmes as 19–23 October 2026.
What the survey data shows
EU-OSHA points to persistent stress, work overload, poor communication and workplace harassment as the principal risk factors. Its OSH Pulse 2025 survey quantifies the pressure: 44% of EU workers report severe time pressure or overload, 37% report general exhaustion, 35% cite headaches or eye strain, and 29% describe work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
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Where employers do act, information and training lead the way at 53%, followed by surveys on stress factors at 45%, psychological support at 40% and organisational measures at 35%.
The cost of inaction is steep. According to the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), work-related depression sets the EU back more than €100 billion a year through absenteeism, lost productivity and health and social system spending.
Legal duties and the view from the top
EU employers are already bound to assess psychosocial risks under the EU Framework Directive 89/391/EEC. Marking the launch, EU-OSHA Director William Cockburn and European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) General Secretary Esther Lynch stressed the need for prevention and for workers to have an active say in shaping protective measures.
Evidence that firms are responding dates back to the third European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-3) in 2019, which polled more than 45,000 establishments across 33 European countries. Dealing with difficult customers, patients or pupils remains a major risk factor, the survey found, but a growing number of companies now have structured procedures against bullying and harassment and action plans against stress.
National rollouts
Events tied to the launch are unfolding across member states. On 20 October 2026, EU-OSHA hosted a webinar from Finland on Nordic approaches as part of the action week. In Luxembourg, the labour inspectorate Inspection du Travail et des Mines (ITM) serves as the campaign's national focal point.
Spain's National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (INSST) held a specialist conference in Madrid on 22 October 2026 devoted to committing to psychosocial risk prevention. Spanish OSH Pulse 2025 figures run higher in places: 45% report general exhaustion, 42% headaches or eye strain and 40% work-related stress, depression or anxiety — while organisational countermeasures reach just 25% of Spanish workplaces.
Austria's official launch of "Gemeinsam fĂĽr psychische Gesundheit bei der Arbeit" ("Together for Mental Health at Work") took place on 20 October 2026, with the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMASGPK) and the Professional Association of Austrian Psychologists (BĂ–P) taking part. The BĂ–P is calling for work and organisational psychology to be anchored in professional law under the Psychologists Act and for occupational psychology to be established as a third pillar of the Employee Protection Act (ASchG).
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