Abstract/Summary

The changes in the modern working world bring increasing health burdens for employees. Indeed, stress counts for 44% of all work-related diseases across all industries and professions in the United Kingdom and accounts for 54% of all working days lost due to ill health (Health & Safety Executive, 2019). For many employees, but also for executives, diseases might prove to be the last lifeline in permanently stressful work situations. This article describes how psychoanalytic thought on health in the workplace can help coaches and executives understand how stress and mental health problems provide the starting point for an examination of the organisation’s culture and ultimately can help on the journey of developing healthy and productive workplaces.