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    Workplace well-being

    Workplace well-being is the state of physical, mental, and social health of individuals in relation to their work, resulting from employment, organizational, and environmental conditions that not only prevent harm but also promote the safety, health, satisfaction, and development of those who work. It is a broader concept than occupational risk prevention in the strict sense: it encompasses compliance with preventive obligations (assessing and controlling physical, chemical, ergonomic, and psychosocial risks) and adds health promotion, job quality, work-life balance, recognition, participation, healthy leadership, and organizational culture. The World Health Organization integrates it into its model of healthy workplaces, which combines the physical environment, the psychosocial environment, personal health resources, and the company’s involvement in the community. ISO 45003 provides guidance for managing psychological health and safety within the framework of occupational health and safety management systems. In Spain, Law 31/1995 requires the protection of health understood in a comprehensive sense, and the Spanish Strategy for Safety and Health at Work 2023-2027 incorporates well-being and mental health as lines of action.

    In short

    The state of physical, mental, and social health of individuals in relation to their work, resulting from employment conditions, organization, and environment that not only prevent harm but also promote safety, health, satisfaction, and development. It integrates compliance with preventive obligations (including psychosocial risk assessment), adapting work to the individual, time management and the right to disconnect, equality and harassment prevention, health promotion, participation, and healthy leadership. It is based on the WHO’s Healthy Workplace Model and mental health guidelines, ISO 45003, and the Spanish Strategy for Safety and Health at Work 2023-2027.

    Content
    1. What does workplace well-being include?
    2. Well-being and prevention obligations
    3. Well-being programmes: quality criteria
    4. Organizational application: how to build a workplace wellness program
    5. Limits and common mistakes
    6. Practical example
    7. Regulatory and reference framework
    8. Related concepts
    9. References

    A–Z dictionary →

    What does workplace well-being include?

    Workplace well-being rests on several interdependent dimensions. The physical dimension encompasses safety from accidents, protection from chemical, physical, and biological agents, ergonomics, and the environmental conditions of the workstation. The psychosocial dimension includes workload and pace, autonomy, social and leadership support, role clarity, recognition, organizational fairness, job security, and the absence of violence and harassment. The work-life balance dimension covers the organization of working time, flexibility, the right to disconnect, and compatibility with personal and family life. Health promotion adds healthy habits related to physical activity, nutrition, sleep, substance abuse prevention, and mental health support, always as a complement to, and not a substitute for, improving working conditions.

    The World Health Organization defines a healthy work environment as one in which workers and managers collaborate in a process of continuous improvement to protect and promote the health, safety, and well-being of all workers and the sustainability of the workplace. Its 2022 guidelines on mental health at work , developed with the International Labour Organization, recommend organizational interventions to reduce psychosocial risks, training for managers and workers, individual interventions, and return-to-work and employment support programs for people with mental health problems.

    ISO 45003:2021 provides guidelines for managing psychosocial risks within an occupational health and safety management system compliant with ISO 45001. It focuses on identifying, assessing, controlling, monitoring, and improving psychosocial hazards, with particular attention to leadership, participation, and culture. At the European level, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work dedicates campaigns and tools to psychosocial risks and well-being, and the European Commission promotes mental health at work within its strategic framework.

    Well-being and prevention obligations

    • Psychosocial risk assessment. Law 31/1995 requires the assessment and control of all risks, including psychosocial ones; well-being begins with fulfilling this obligation using validated methods and organizational measures.
    • Adapting work to the individual. Article 15 of Law 31/1995 requires adapting work to the individual, especially the design of jobs, the choice of equipment and methods, and mitigating monotonous and repetitive work.
    • Working time and disconnection. The Workers’ Statute, Law 10/2021 on remote work and Organic Law 3/2018 regulate working hours, timekeeping, remote work and the right to digital disconnection.
    • Equality and prevention of harassment. Equality plans and protocols against sexual, sex-based and workplace harassment are legal obligations and components of well-being.
    • Health surveillance and promotion. The health surveillance of article 22 of Law 31/1995 and the health promotion programs at work complement the preventive measures.
    • Participation. Consultation and participation of workers and their representatives, through worker safety representatives and the health and safety committee, is the basis of any credible welfare program.
    • Leadership. The involvement of management and the training of managers in healthy leadership determine the effectiveness of the measures.
    • Indicators. Absenteeism, turnover, climate and psychosocial risk surveys, incidents of violence, use of work-life balance measures and health surveillance results allow for objective monitoring of well-being.

    Well-being programmes: quality criteria

    • Prior diagnosis. Start from the assessment of psychosocial risks, health and absenteeism data and consultation with the staff, not from generic catalogs of activities.
    • Priority should be given to organizational measures. Addressing workload, organization, leadership, and work-life balance should be prioritized over individual habits.
    • Voluntariness and confidentiality. Health promotion and psychological support activities are voluntary and respect privacy and data protection.
    • Integration into the management system. Objectives, responsibilities, resources, indicators and periodic review within the occupational health and safety management system, in accordance with ISO 45001 and ISO 45003.
    • Equity. Coverage for all staff, including shifts, contracts, temporary staff and remote work, with attention to vulnerable groups.
    • Evaluation of results. Measuring the impact with indicators and reviewing the actions, avoiding image programs without effect on working conditions.

    Organizational application: how to build a workplace wellness program

    1. Conduct an integrated diagnosis: assessment of psychosocial risks with a validated method, data on absenteeism, turnover and health surveillance, and consultation with the staff and their representatives.
    2. Define objectives and priorities based on the diagnosis, with preference for organizational measures (workload, autonomy, support, leadership, work-life balance) over individual ones.
    3. Integrate the program into the health and safety management system, with designated responsibilities, resources, a schedule and indicators, and with visible commitment from management.
    4. To train managers and executives in healthy leadership, workload management, harassment prevention and early detection of problems.
    5. Offer health promotion and support measures (physical activity, mental health, habits) on a voluntary and confidential basis, as a complement.
    6. Ensure coverage for all staff, including remote workers and contractors, and consistency with equality plans and harassment protocols.
    7. Measure results with objective and perception indicators, review the program periodically, and communicate progress.

    Preventive management software allows the integration of psychosocial risk assessment, absenteeism and health indicators, wellness program actions with responsible parties and deadlines, employee surveys, and results tracking into a single system with traceability.

    Limits and common mistakes

    1. Replacing the assessment and control of psychosocial risks with individual wellness activities (fruit, yoga, apps) without taking action on the organization.
    2. Designing programs without diagnosis or participation of workers and their representatives.
    3. Violating voluntariness or confidentiality in health promotion activities.
    4. Excluding groups (shifts, temporary workers, contractors, teleworking) from the scope of the program.
    5. Do not involve management or train supervisors, whose behavior determines the daily climate.
    6. Not measuring results or reviewing the program, turning it into an image-building action.

    The criteria for managing psychosocial risks and well-being are developed in ISO 45003, in the WHO guidelines and in the INSST guides; this sheet is for informational purposes.

    Practical example

    Situation: A service company with 250 people, mostly in telephone support and partial remote work, detects an increase in short-term absenteeism and high turnover.

    • Diagnosis. The prevention service carries out the psychosocial risk assessment with a validated method and compares it with absenteeism data and a consultation with the staff: high workload, little control over breaks, insufficient support from management and difficulties disconnecting in remote work are identified.
    • Measures. Objectives and call handling times are reviewed, self-managed breaks are introduced, managers are trained in leadership and workload management, a digital disconnection policy is approved and participation channels are reinforced; as a complement, a voluntary and confidential psychological support program is offered.
    • Integration. The program is incorporated into the health and safety management system with assigned responsibilities, deadlines, and indicators, and is communicated to the staff and worker safety representatives.
    • Follow-up. At twelve months, the psychosocial re-evaluation shows improvements in workload and support, short-term absenteeism decreases and turnover is reduced; the measures are adjusted and the review cycle is maintained.

    Regulatory and reference framework

    The Workers’ Statute regulates working hours and timekeeping, Organic Law 3/2018 regulates the right to digital disconnection, and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the INSST publish tools on psychosocial risks and health promotion at work.

    Related concepts

    References

    1. Official State Gazette. Law 31/1995, of November 8, on Occupational Risk Prevention. 1995, current consolidated text. Official source
    2. Official State Gazette. Resolution of April 20, 2023, of the State Secretariat for Employment and Social Economy, publishing the Agreement of the Council of Ministers of March 14, 2023, approving the Spanish Strategy for Safety and Health at Work 2023-2027. Official source
    3. World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on mental health at work. 2022. Official source
    4. World Health Organization. Healthy workplaces: a model for action. 2010. Official source
    5. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 45003:2021, Occupational health and safety management. Psychological health and safety at work. Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks. 2021. Official source
    6. Official State Gazette. Law 10/2021, of July 9, on remote work. 2021, current consolidated text. Official source

    Editorial information

    Publication date: August 30, 2026 .

    Editorial Manager: Sabentis Editorial Team .

    Editorial review by Pablo Rodríguez LinkedIn

    Executive Vice President of the ORP International Foundation and Chief Financial Officer of Sabentis.

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