Given the important relationship between mental health
and work, and the central role of employment in peoples’
lives, the workplace is now recognized by the Ottawa
Charter as an important setting for health promotion inter-
ventions for depression.21 Within this context, ‘‘healthy or-
ganizations’’ can be viewed as systems that can promote
employees’ mental health through developing participatory
workplace cultures.22 Such organizations can improve men-
tal health and change health behaviors through multiple
levels of influence. These include direct efforts (eg, counsel-
ing, stress-reduction programs, opportunities for physical
activity) and indirect measures (eg, policy promoting a
healthy physical and social environment, social support). It is
also feasible to focus workplace health promotion efforts on
system-level care by using integrated approaches that con-
sider earlier detection, increased access to high-quality health
care, earlier return to work, improved clinical and occupa-
tional outcomes,23 disability management programs,24 and
employee assistance programs.25