Prioritising Mental Health Within Municipal Workplaces
European Mental Health Week (19–25 May 2025) offers an important opportunity to highlight the role of local governments as employers responsible for fostering equitable, safe and supportive working environments.
This year’s theme “Care for Mental Health, Invest in Social Rights” resonates strongly at the municipal level. Local administrations face increasing demands in a context of converging crises: climate adaptation, demographic shifts, housing pressures and growing social inequalities. These challenges directly affect the well-being of municipal staff, many of whom operate under sustained pressure and with limited institutional support.
Mental Health: A Structural Concern for Local Administrations
While mental health is often discussed in terms of individual care, its roots are deeply systemic. Evidence shows that public sector employees experience elevated levels of stress and burnout, particularly in frontline and administrative roles where resources are constrained and expectations remain high. Moreover, marginalised groups within the workforce are disproportionately affected by exclusionary practices or lack of institutional safeguards.
Mental well-being must therefore be addressed as an organisational priority. This entails shifting from ad hoc wellness initiatives to structural, equity-centred strategies that are embedded in institutional cultures, human resources policies and leadership approaches.
Tools to Support Inclusive and Healthy Workplaces
The DiGiN DEI Capacity Assessment Tool is designed to help municipalities evaluate the extent to which they are building inclusive workplaces. Grounded in a model for institutional change, the tool provides a structured method to:
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- Identify existing strengths and gaps in embedding DEI within the organisation,
- Reflect on workplace culture, safety and equity in relation to staff experience,
- Define practical steps for continuous improvement in internal policies and practices.
This self-assessment is particularly relevant for municipalities aiming to align their commitments to social inclusion externally with coherent, supportive practices internally.
A Call to Institutional Responsibility
Strengthening mental health in public service workplaces is not a matter of individual resilience or discretionary wellbeing programmes. It is a question of institutional responsibility and leadership. Municipalities that invest in the well-being of their staff are better positioned to deliver responsive public services, retain skilled personnel and model the values of inclusion they are tasked with promoting.
As Europe observes Mental Health Week, municipal leaders are encouraged to reflect on how internal organisational cultures can contribute to a more just and caring society. Sustainable change begins within the institutions that shape our collective lives.
References
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- Mental Health Europe. (2025). European Mental Health Week 2025 Toolkit. https://www.mentalhealtheurope.org
- OECD. (2021). Fitter Minds, Fitter Jobs: From Awareness to Change in Integrated Mental Health, Skills and Work Policies. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/fitter-minds-fitter-jobs_a0815d0f-en.html
- Eurocities. (2023). Mental Health in Cities: Beyond Traditional Healthcare Services. https://eurocities.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thematic-report-Mental-health_final.pdf
