The psychosocial working environment: Global developments and pathways for action.

A significant new global report from the ILO highlights that psychosocial safety risks are not minor concerns but major occupational health and safety challenges with substantial human, organizational, and economic impacts.

The report estimates that work-related psychosocial risk factors are linked to over 840,000 deaths annually, nearly 45 million disability-adjusted life years lost, and approximately 1.37% of global GDP in yearly losses.

Using the IMF’s April 2026 world nominal GDP figure of about US$126.3 trillion, 1.37% equates to roughly US$1.73 trillion!!!!

This should transform discussions in every boardroom.

The key takeaway is this: psychosocial safety risk is not merely about bullying complaints, resilience training, or access to support services. It concerns how work is designed, organized, supervised, and governed.

The ILO categorizes the psychosocial working environment into three interconnected levels:

• the job itself

• how work is managed and organized

• broader policies, practices, and procedures that govern work.

Contact me to begin focusing on meaningful controls that go beyond EAP (Spoiler Alert!! - not a control in any event), resilience training, Mental Health First Aid, and fruit baskets!

Read the full report here: The psychosocial working environment: Global developments and pathways for action | International Labour Organization