Mental health model project: Does your employer count?

Mental health model project: Does your employer count?

On August 6, 2025, an important cooperation between the FernUniversität in Hagen and the Arnsberg district government signed to start a model project on mental health in the workplace. Over 2,000 district government employees are invited to anonymously take part in a comprehensive online survey. The main goal of this project is to identify psychological stress, such as work pressure, time pressure and a possibly negative error culture, in order to derive effective measures for improvement.

The project is led by Prof. Dr. Jan Dettmers, a recognized industrial psychologist in Germany. It builds on the previous PROGRESS project and receives funding from the Administrative Trade Association (VBG) and the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry Trade Association (BG RCI). As part of this project, the questionnaire for the risk assessment of psychological stress (FGBU) is carried out in three phases:

• Erste Erhebung zur aktuellen Situation der Mitarbeitenden.
• Umsetzung konkreter Maßnahmen bei identifiziertem Handlungsbedarf.
• Zweite Befragung zur Überprüfung der Wirksamkeit der Maßnahmen.

Legal basis and responsibility of employers

How Haufe reports, employers are legally obliged to carry out a risk assessment in order to protect their employees from danger. This also includes psychological stress at work. The legal framework is anchored in the Occupational Safety and Health Act, according to which employers must assess working conditions and risk factors.

The psychological risk assessment goes beyond a mere assessment of mental health; it is a systematic study of working conditions that takes into account various aspects such as work requirements, content and the social environment. Employers have a responsibility to take occupational health and safety measures to avoid overloading due to unsuitable working conditions.

Effects of the modern world of work

The challenges of the modern working world, especially due to change and digitalization, increase the stress level and psychological strain on employees. Loud BMAS These factors can have negative effects on the health of employees and on work results. It is important that stress does not automatically lead to mental illness; There is a fine line between stress and overload. However, employers have a responsibility to ensure that their work environment does not make people sick.

The causes of psychological stress are complex. It is not enough to just focus on preventive measures in the company; Individual support offers are just as important. Projects like psyGA, which have been providing operational offerings to strengthen mental health for over a decade, play a crucial role in this context.

The Mental Health Offensive, a joint project by BMAS, BMG and BMFSFJ, aims to strengthen prevention in Germany and discuss the topic of mental health more broadly. By exchanging current findings and promoting open conversations, those seeking help should be better reached.

Overall, the FernUniversität Hagen model project shows how important it is to actively address and promote mental health in the workplace in order to create a healthy working environment for all employees.