Developing an integrated approach to workplace mental health: a hypothetical conversation with a small business owner

An integrated approach to workplace mental health encompasses three main areas of activity: (i) protecting mental health by reducing work-related and other risk factors for mental health problems, (ii) promoting mental health by developing the positive aspects of work as well as worker strengths and positive capacities, and (iii) responding to mental health problems as they manifest at work regardless of cause (work-related or otherwise). This represents an effort to distil what is a complex issue warranting a correspondingly complex set of responses into information for action that is accessible and engaging to workplace stakeholders, and that enables workplaces to begin from varying starting points to build over time towards mature multicomponent workplace mental health programs. This article, based on a plenary presentation at the Understanding Small Enterprises 2017 international conference (25–27 October 2017, Denver), is presented in two parts. Part I is a concise summary of our integrated approach to workplace mental health. Part II presents a hypothetical conversation with a small business owner/operator who has yet to implement workplace mental health programs, but is considering doing so. In this Conversation, representing an effort in knowledge translation, we attempt to convince the small business owner/operator to begin taking action.