Workers' Mental Health: Contemporary Challenges and Perspectives on Care

The accelerated transformation of contemporary work dynamics, driven by digitalization and the demand for constant productivity, has reshaped the fields of Occupational Health and Organizational Psychology. Currently, work is not merely a means of subsistence, but a scenario of intense pressures where excessive workload and occupational exposure to psychosocial risks have become ubiquitous. In this context, the mental health of workers emerges as a critical priority, since the line between the private and professional spheres has become increasingly blurred. The difficulty in maintaining a balance between personal and professional life has acted as a catalyst for the emergence of work-related psychological and behavioral outcomes, such as burnout syndrome, anxiety, depression, chemical dependency, and suicide.To achieve effective occupational mental health management, contemporary strategies must transcend individual support and focus on the structural transformation of organizations. The most significant advancement lies in the transition toward psychosocial risk management, supported by the ISO 45003 standard, which integrates emotional well-being into global occupational safety systems and organizational culture. Internationally, key developments include the implementation of the Right to Disconnect, protecting private life against hyper-connectivity, and the adoption of the 4-Day Work Week, which has proven to drastically reduce stress and burnout without productivity loss. Furthermore, creating environments of psychological safety and support, including the recognition of the second victim, allows workers to disclose vulnerabilities and failures without fear of retaliation. Modern care, therefore, requires a systemic approach combining rigorous legislation, evidence-based empathetic leadership, and job redesign grounded in organizational behavior research. These measures ensure that workloads are sustainable in the long term, aligning organizational practices with global sustainability and human dignity indicators, transforming the workplace into a space for health promotion rather than just damage mitigation.Areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following: • Work-related anxiety and stress; • Suicidal ideation and suicide; • Alcohol and other drug abuse; Burnout syndrome; • Compassion fatigue; • Moral distress; • Presenteeism and absenteeism; • Workplace harassment and power relations; • Organizational and institutional violence; • Occupational transition; • Integrative practices; • Organizational policies for worker health.Manuscripts focused on mental health treatment fall outside the scope of the Organizational Psychology section, but remain welcome within this Research Topic through the most suitable cross-listed sections. If you’re unsure which section fits best, contact the journal team at psychology@frontiersin.org. Topic editors: Vagner Ferreira Do Nascimento, Luciano Garcia Lourenção, Alisséia Guimarães Lemes Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81113/workers-mental-health-contemporary-challenges-and-perspectives-on-care