Private organisations, public bodies, educational institutions as well as non-government organisations are eligible for joining the Charter.
Organisations signing the Charter may choose to attain either of the two titles, namely Mental Health Friendly Organisation or Mental Health Friendly Supreme Organisation, by completing a designated number of action items from a set of 12 action items (coded from A to L) which carries the following objectives –
The actions to be taken to attain the title Mental Health Friendly Organisation or Mental Health Friendly Supreme Organisation are set out in the table below –
| Mental Health Friendly Organisation | Completed at least 3 actions under Objective I |
| Mental Health Friendly Supreme Organisation | Completed at least 3 actions each under Objectives I and II |
For a complete list of actions items, please refer the table below.
| Item | Action | Examples |
| Objective I - Promote mental well-being at workplace including a respectful and positive environment, active listening and communication, encourage help-seeking, and facilitate early identification of mental distress and timely treatment (A-H, eight items) | ||
| A | Organise family and staff gatherings to promote sharing and activities for fun and enjoyment | Organise family and staff fun day, festival celebrations Organise interest groups, voluntary services, sports, other recreation activities |
| B | Organise talks / workshops / activities to strengthen positive minds and respect in workplace | Arrange talks / workshops / activities on positive thinking, stress management, resilience building, listening, giving feedback and conflict resolution |
| C | Promote information flow on mental health | Raise awareness about common mental health issues such as anxiety and depression |
| D | Encourage help-seeking behaviour by providing information on mental health support services | Provide hotline, counsellors, employee assistance programmes |
| E | Organise talks on mental health | Go a bit deeper with speakers with expertise or personal experience |
| F | Offer training to staff to equip them with basic skills to resolve conflict, provide peer support, and handle mental health emergency | Organise or send staff to training courses on mental health and communication skills Provide guidance on how to offer peer support, such as proper ways to start a conversation concerning mental health and listening with a respectful and non-judgmental attitude |
| G | Encourage colleagues to listen to each other and share mental health related experience | Encourage colleagues to listen to each other and talk about mental health related experience, e.g. how they deal with stress or anxiety or depressive mood if they feel comfortable doing so. Senior members can take the lead to do so by arranging relevant sharing session(s) |
| H | Introduce mentorship scheme to facilitate sharing on mental health-related concerns | Use informal setting to listen, to encourage help seeking and to promote healing |
| Objective II - Create an inclusive and friendly workplace environment for colleagues with mental distress (I-L, four items) | ||
| I | Assign a team / coordinator to implement committed measures | Have a person or team that will help organise, follow up and collect feedback on actions your organisation is committed to |
| J | Introduce human resources policies to care for employees with mental health needs and offer supportive environment to facilitate recovery | Arrange suitable position / work condition for colleagues with mental health needs; create an encouraging environment (e.g. flexible working hours) for colleagues to attend necessary medical consultation(s) / attend training courses on mental health; adjust work arrangements to facilitate employees with mental health needs to return to work |
| K | Introduce measures to promote work-life balance | Implement a five-day work week; provide incentive or special holidays to employees for personal development / interests Avoid generating work outside office hours unless it is occasional and strictly unavoidable Prioritise work Communicate regularly with employees to better understand their individual needs |
| L | Offer job opportunities to persons recovered or recovering from mental health issues | Recruit the concerned job seekers through the Selective Placement Division (SPD) of the Labour Department or relevant NGOs |