Mental health at work: projects in Ticino

Context

TL;DR

• One in three people in Switzerland is emotionally exhausted.
• In Ticino, nearly one in three apprentices reports anxiety disorders.
• DSS and Forum GSA Ticino launch two projects.
• Workshops and training focus on companies.

Key facts

• Date → October 8, 2026
• Place → Bellinzona
• Switzerland statistic → one person in three emotionally exhausted
• Ticino statistic → nearly one apprentice in three with anxiety disorders
• Source → latest survey by Promozione Salute Svizzera
• First project → apprenticeships, apprenticeship trainers
• Second project → companies, leadership, employees
• Method → practical workshops and training

On October 8, 2026, in Bellinzona, mental health at work was placed at the center of a new collaboration between the Department of Health and Social Affairs (DSS) and Forum GSA Ticino. The decision is based on the results of the latest survey by Promozione Salute Svizzera on work-related stress: one third of people in Switzerland feel emotionally exhausted, while in Ticino nearly one apprentice in three reports anxiety disorders.

The DSS has decided to strengthen prevention with workshops and training. Forum GSA Ticino, active in workplace health management, is bringing two projects to Ticino for different target groups: the first concerns apprenticeships, the second companies.

The program dedicated to apprenticeships

The first initiative is aimed at apprenticeship trainers, identified as figures in close contact with apprentices. The project, already prepared by Promozione Salute Svizzera, starts with awareness-raising and a general understanding of the topic: how it can manifest itself at a young age and what risks may arise.

Elisabetta Cogotzi, director of Forum GSA Ticino, explained that this work focuses on the people closest to apprentices. The goal is to raise awareness in companies, not to create psychologists within them.

The second project, on the other hand, is aimed at companies and involves leadership, employees and staff. It focuses on shared collaboration and work on corporate culture, so as to create greater awareness at all levels of the organization. The question also includes the role of companies and why mental health should be addressed within them.

“The issue is very much on people's minds, but it is frightening”.

For a cross-border commuter who works in Ticino, the point of contact with this news is therefore the company: the source speaks of people, leadership and employees without distinguishing where the workers come from. No separate measure is indicated for those who cross the border. The news concerns prevention and workplace culture, while annunci di lavoro belong to a separate service.

Operational details

From awareness to psychological safety

The most concrete part of the intervention concerns the way a company recognizes the signs and opens the dialogue. In the Forum's account, an environment that supports mental health is a welcoming environment, in which behaviors are attended to and a certain degree of psychological safety is built. From there, communication channels can be opened that are capable of bringing situations to light before they become problems.

The role of frontline personnel

This point is relevant for people who work in Ticino, including cross-border workers: the source does not indicate different treatment based on origin, but speaks of difficulties that reach the workplace. Sensitivity to people and their changes, together with effective communication, can help bring to light issues affecting different areas of life. The connection with work is therefore described through relationships, communication and corporate culture.

The Forum also insists on the role of technical frontline personnel. These people need soft skills, knowledge and skills to recognize certain situations; this does not mean turning them into psychologists. It means having people in the company who are more sensitive and aware of difficulties that may arise among workers.

For small and medium-sized companies in Italian-speaking Switzerland, the workshops should offer a practical space to open up discussion and raise awareness. The simple and streamlined format is presented as a possible first step, precisely because the topic is acknowledged but may still be frightening.

The issue is not simply understanding whether awareness exists. Cogotzi reports that companies have noticed the problem, but are occupied with many things. The request is to move mental health higher up among the priorities, especially when talking about future generations. For those who cross the border to work, the practical point remains the one indicated by the source: the person's difficulty may also reach the workplace, regardless of their origin. The site collects the aziende che assumono in a separate section, but this news concerns the way those entities can build awareness internally.

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Key points

From the topic to the first step

The source does not indicate an individual procedure for the worker, nor a deadline or a place to participate in the workshops. However, it describes a concrete sequence for bringing the topic into a company. The first step is recognizing that mental health is a meaningful topic and that it can cause apprehension. The second is choosing the level at which to intervene: apprenticeships or company organization.

An operational framework for companies

1. Involve the people closest to employees. In the case of apprenticeships, the relevant people are apprenticeship trainers, who are expected to develop a general understanding of the topic, its manifestations at a young age and the risks.

2. Open the discussion with a workshop. The Forum's proposal focuses on practical, simple and streamlined activities designed to increase awareness and create openness.

3. Broaden the dialogue. The project aimed at companies includes leadership, male and female employees. The stated objective is shared collaboration and the involvement of multiple levels of the organization.

4. Work on the company culture. Thoughtful behavior, a welcoming environment and psychological safety can create communication channels. Through these channels, situations can emerge before they become problems.

5. Strengthen skills without changing the roles of technical staff. Soft skills, knowledge and competencies help recognize situations; they are not intended to create psychologists within the company.

For the cross-border worker, this framework does not introduce different documents or steps: the source presents the topic in terms of the work environment and does not describe a separate path for those living across the border. The practical question remains whether the company actually brings the discussion into its own organizational levels and whether it offers opportunities for discussion. No calendars, registration procedures or workshop costs are indicated, so it is not possible to add operational details.

The first step indicated in the interview is an opening: learning more about the topic and raising awareness. To learn more about calculating pay, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: tio.ch