Mental Health – it’s increasingly a topic that we all need to be aware of, and has the potential to have a severe impact on the workplace, with 1 in 5 Australians reporting they had taken time off due to feeling mentally unwell in the last 12 months. 91% believe mental health in the workplace is important (compared to 88% for physical safety) yet only 52% believe their workplace is mentally healthy! (Compared to 76% believing it is physically safe). Employees who believe their workplace to be unhealthy are less likely to disclose if they are suffering from mental ill health.
If your workplace is viewed by employees as mentally unhealthy, or people suffer from mental illness, the most obvious ramification that employers first consider is absenteeism and workers taking sick days. However, the costs of not taking time off to recover and rejuvenate (as with any other illness) can be much higher, including:
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Presenteeism (estimated to cost the Australian economy over $34 billion per annum) -
Increased risk of injury -
High turnover of staff and loss of key talent -
Increased risk of workplace conflict, and potentially bullying claims -
Impact on others in the organisation in the case of suicide or serious injury
On the flip side, the benefits of a positive workplace culture and mentally healthy workplace include
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Increase in staff loyalty and higher ROI on training -
Improved morale and minimised stress levels -
Avoiding potential litigation, including the time and cost associated with discrimination claims and industrial disputes
Research released by Minter Ellison reported that 94% of organisations believe that the HR department is formally responsible for managing employee’s mental health. Yet most organisations lack training and even a specific mental health policy. The successful implementation of a mentally healthy workplace can return an ROI (vs. financial cost of doing nothing) of up to 2.3.
So what can we do about it?
· Ensure your organisation includes potential mental health consequences on its risk register. This is particularly important during periods of change. This should consider that certain individuals, for example those who are dealing with personal issues at that point in time, may be more susceptible to workplace stress or change – so you may want to give each item two potential risk ratings whether other risk assessments only allocate one.
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Talk openly about mental health and normalise it so that staff feel comfortable raising any issues before they escalate. -
Consider training for key executives, directors and HR teams in how to effectively manage mental health in the workplace. -
Ensure alternate pathways for reporting issues or seeking help are available, in case the cause of stress is the workers direct manager.