Workplace mental health remains a ‘work in progress’

SuperFriend report provides a snapshot of mental health in Australian workplaces
17 February: SuperFriend, a not-for-profit mental health foundation focused on creating mentally healthy workplaces to reduce the incidence of suicide and the impact of mental illness on individuals and organisations, has released its second annual Work in Progress report, measuring the current state of mental health in Australian workplaces.
SuperFriend surveyed more than 1000 Australian workers, including business owners, managers, and staff, to identify where they believe their workplace is placed against 38 ‘desired-state characteristics’ that define a (mentally) healthy workplace.
The 38 characteristics were developed by SuperFriend to help employers identify workplace mental health needs and gaps, and decide priorities for improvement.
The study revealed that nearly half of all respondents, have left a job because of a poor mental health environment, indicating that there is a growing expectation that workplaces promote positive mental health. This was reinforced by only 17% of respondents saying that if they were not in a mentally healthy workplace they would “stay and try to improve the situation”. This is a decrease from 30% in the previous survey, and one of the biggest shifts recorded.
A mentally healthy workplace is an efficient workplace
SuperFriend Chief Executive Officer, Margo Lydon, said employers stand to benefit from improving the mental health of their workplace, with proven productivity, talent retention and long-term cost benefits.
“Three in four employees surveyed believe their company is more likely to recruit and retain the best talent by adopting mental health practices and initiatives.
“When you compound this with the increased productivity of mentally healthy workers, the reduced numbers of worker’s compensation claims and fewer absences – it is obvious that mental health is a worthwhile investment,” said Ms Lydon.
For every dollar invested in mental health and wellbeing training, it is calculated that there is a return in social value of between $3.10 – $3.60.
Moving towards healthier work places
Ms Lydon said mental health awareness and prevention was a “work in progress”.
“Employers are more likely to invest in intervention rather than prevention and there needs to be a shift in this mentality if companies are going succeed in creating healthier environments for their employees,” Ms Lydon said.
“While intervention procedures, such as Employee Access Programs, are undoubtedly important, preventative measures including mental health policies, training to support managers and staff,
adopting flexible work arrangements, recognition programs, and fostering a friendly team environment can actually be more effective. These preventative measures can also benefit every worker, irrespective of whether they are experiencing mental health problems.”
“Interestingly, the Work in Progress report highlighted that workplace civility and common courtesy are leading indicators of employee workplace satisfaction. This includes the most simple of gestures – being greeted in the morning with a smile, or receiving a thank you on the completion of work.”
The Work in Progress report found the most successful workplaces were investing in mental health prevention through mental health and wellbeing training, wellbeing policies, managerial training, and aligning mental health best practice with people management practices.
To ensure Australian business is moving towards mentally healthy workplaces, SuperFriend encourages companies to download the Work in Progress report, and incorporate the 38 ‘desired-state characteristics’ in their own workplace surveys to identify areas that need action.
The report enables business leaders to identify what a mentally healthy workplace looks like, what they can do differently and how they can move their organisation to support their team to succeed at work.
SuperFriend supports workplaces to promote mental health and wellbeing into their organisation and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Since 2012, more than 9,000 people have increased their knowledge and skills around mental health and wellbeing in the workplace by participating in SuperFriend’s programs
For a full copy of the report, please click here.