How well does your workplace support the wellbeing of your people?
It might depend on who you ask…
71% of healthcare employers say they support people very well, yet only 27% of frontline workers agree according to a recent worldwide survey of 1,500 Senior Human Resource decision makers[1]. This indicates a disconnect between what organisations believe they are offering their employees in terms of health and wellbeing, and what employees experience.
Workplace mental health and wellbeing has seen an increase in attention from workplace leaders in recent times – especially post COVID-19 where individual mental health plummeted with many isolated and working from home.
Yet, looking at the healthcare and social assistance industry sector, Work Safe Victoria 2020 indicates that whilst the sector accounts for approximately 14% of working Victorians, it accounts for 29% of all mental injury claims. That’s more than double the amount of people working in the sector.
At the end of 2021, WorkSafe CEO Colin Radford said mental injury claims were expected to grow to a third of all claims across the board in the next decade.
"With many adults spending a third of their life at work, mentally healthy workplaces offer huge benefits to workers, their families and communities, and the productivity of their workplaces," Mr Radford said.
Mentally healthy workplaces have measures, strategies, and processes in place to identify and control risks to prevent harm and manage and support recovery when harm does happen.
"Employers have a responsibility to provide and maintain safe working environments and systems and to control risks to workers' physical and psychological health,” Mr Radford said.
This is important as research indicates:
45% of Australians will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.
One in five Australians (21%) have taken time off work in the past 12 months because they felt stressed, anxious, depressed or mentally unhealthy.
Each year on average, 90% of work-related mental disorder compensation claims are attributed to mental stress – it is now the leading cause of sickness absence and long-term work incapacity in Australia.
Mental health conditions are costing Australian businesses between $11-$12 billion dollars each year through absenteeism, reduced productivity, increased staff turnover and compensation claims.
Mentally healthy workplaces are not just vital for the people that work there - but they are also good for business in general.
The Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health (2020) estimates that for every $1 invested into workplace mental health initiatives, there is a return of up to $4.
When employees are well and healthy with a focus on enhancing individual and collective wellbeing, evidence has shown higher levels of:
Engagement
Productivity
Employee satisfaction
Customer satisfaction
And lower levels of:
Absenteeism
Staff turnover
Burnout
Additionally, in mentally healthy workplaces:
People look out for each other, checking in to see if they’re ok
Both teams and managers understand mental health and are comfortable talking openly about it
People know what they can do to build resilience for challenging times at work and home
Staff with mental health issues seek help early because they feel supported in their recovery
It’s clear that there’s a lot of work to do in this space, and there are also practical, effective strategies to enhance the wellbeing of your people, teams, and workplaces!
For more information regarding workplace wellbeing and wellness, please contact us, explore our resources, or head to our training page for more information on courses specific to workplace wellbeing.
[1] Unmind, Workplace Mental Health Trends 2022
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