On 13 October 2026, EU-OSHA launched the EU-wide campaign “Healthy Workplaces 2026-2028: Together for Mental Health at Work” in Brussels, Belgium. The launch programme featured Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, and William Cockburn, Executive Director of EU-OSHA, who discussed the European agenda for mental health at work. According to EU-OSHA, nearly half (45%) of workers in the EU are at risk regarding their mental health at work.
What is the aim of the campaign?
The campaign aims to help employers and organisations prevent, assess and manage psychosocial risks at work. It runs from 2026 to 2028 and has five priorities: the assessment and management of psychosocial risks; harassment, sexual harassment and violence; physical risks and mental health; psychosocial risks in healthcare and social care; and supporting mental health at work. According to EU-OSHA’s press release, 29% of workers experience stress, anxiety or depression caused or worsened by work.
What is on the agenda around the launch?
A multilingual campaign website went live at the start. The European Week for Safety and Health at Work follows from 19 to 24 October 2026, with the same theme. EU-OSHA names that week and the Good Practice Awards as key milestones of the campaign. Organisations can register as official campaign partners. In addition, EU-OSHA works together with national focal points, European social partners, EU institutions and other EU agencies. The campaign can be followed via the hashtag #EUhealthyworkplaces on LinkedIn, Facebook and Bluesky.
What does the campaign mean for employers?
“Employers have a legal duty to protect workers’ health, including their mental health,” said Cockburn. The campaign provides data, evidence-based solutions and practical tools for this, aimed at prevention, better work organisation and dialogue between employers and employees. According to EU-OSHA, organisations often struggle with limited expertise and resources in this area. Prolonged exposure to psychosocial risks, the agency says, leads to more absenteeism and long-term sick leave, and to higher costs for organisations. Mînzatu: “No one should have to sacrifice their well-being to earn a living.”
Context
EU-OSHA’s European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER 2024) shows that 56% of organisations in the EU cite dealing with difficult customers, patients or pupils as a risk. Yet a quarter (25%) of organisations do not recognise the presence of psychosocial risks. The share of workplaces where employees have a say in measures against these risks fell from 61% in 2019 to 55% in 2024. Of workplaces with psychosocial risk factors, 21% say these are harder to manage than other risks to safety and health.
Source: Healthy Workplaces Campaign launch: improving mental health for workers in the EU starts here, 13 October 2026
Additional research: EU-OSHA launches its Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2026-28: together for mental health at work (press release, 13 October 2026); Prolonged sitting, psychosocial risks and digitalisation top workplace safety and health concerns, new EU survey reveals (7 February 2025)
