[Mental Health and Return/Integration to Work: International Concertation on Solutions and Priority Actions]

Introduction and Objective As part of the conference Crossed Perspectives on Mental Health and Return to Work, held in Montreal in 2021, a white paper was produced to highlight 10 solutions aimed at promoting mental health in the workplace and facilitating return to work (RTW). Examples include actions such as formalizing the RTW process with common guidelines for personalized follow-up, training managers on mental health prevention and employees support during their RTW, and generating evidence-based data to better understand and promote sustainable and healthy return to work after medical leave. Three years later, during a roundtable discussion at the inaugural conference of the International Community of Practice on Mental Health and Work (CoP-SMT in French), the objective was to revisit these solutions by engaging stakeholders involved in employee support and company representatives. Method During the round table, eight individuals holding executive positions in RTW services or management roles in public and private organizations from Belgium, France, and Quebec were invited to select one or two solutions from the white paper. They were asked to share which solutions they had implemented or wished to implement in their work contexts. Additionally, participants were encouraged to identify one or two priority actions they deemed essential for discussion at the next conference in 2027. A synthesis of their responses are presented as the outcome of this exercise. Results and Conclusions The results provide insight into current practices, challenges, and needs identified by the experts consulted, helping to outline research directions to support the implementation of practices/initiatives across different countries. These reflections also consider emerging responsibilities and evolving roles of various stakeholders involved. Notably, the concept of workplace mental health should extend beyond merely addressing psychosocial risk factors by incorporating protective factors as well.