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Spotlight Topic: Mental Health
Productive and fulfilling work enhances mental health and wellbeing, contributing to an individual’s sense of identity and self-worth, skill development, relationship building and social skills. However, it’s estimated that one in every seven workdays lost to mental health is related to work issues. Stress in the workplace can come from bullying, workload, inflexible work scheduling or being left out of decision-making. Stress levels can vary from industry to industry.
Good mental health, a positive frame of mind and supportive environments make it easier for employees to resist stress, tackle challenges, and develop resilience to the pressures of modern life.
Mental health and wellbeing at work is a shared responsibility. There are many strategies employees and employers can do to enhance mental health and wellbeing. With mental health month in October, now is the perfect time to attend one of the many free events and learn more about supporting your staff and workplace. For further information and resources, click on the following links.
Reduce stigma and raise awareness
- talk openly about mental health
- provide training on mental health
- build confidence to approach someone you are concerned about
- make mental health information available
- promote available support services to employees
Prevent harm and reduce risks
- review the workplace to identify risk factors to mental health
- take action to reduce these risks
- for example, manage workloads to minimise stress, prevent bullying and discrimination, and manage workplace change
Intervene early and support recovery
- assist workers with a mental health condition to remain at, or return to work, by developing a stay at home or return to work plan
- make reasonable workplace adjustments and provide support as needed
Support leaders and managers
- with the appropriate skills and capabilities
- provide ongoing support and opportunities such as training and mentoring
Develop the physical and cultural work environments to support positive mental health
Promote available self-care, positive wellbeing information and services for employees
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Mental Health Month October 2021 | We All Have a Role to Play
Mental Health Awareness Month aims to improve community awareness and interest in mental health and wellbeing. The theme for Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 is "We All Have A Role To Play". The Mental Health Coalition of South Australia organise and promote mental health events year-round. For more information including events happening throughout October for Mental Health Month, and promotional resources available for your workplace, visit their website.
What role can your workplace play in supporting good mental health?
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WayAhead Workplaces - Mental Health Month Resources
WayAhead have some fantastic resources available in line with their 'TUNE IN' theme for this year's Mental Health Month. These include a morning tea guide, workplace calendar, conversation cards, trivia, posters, email signatures, social media tiles, and more. View their website to download your toolkit. For those not familiar with WayAhead Workplaces, it is a fantastic network for individuals or organisations that are interested in promoting employee health and wellbeing within their workplaces to connect and learn from each other.
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SafeWork Month October 2021
A time to commit to building a safe and healthy workplace
During October workers and employers across Australia are asked to commit to safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians. Being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm. No job should be unsafe and no death or injury is acceptable. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone.
The theme for National SafeWork Month this year is think safe. work safe. be safe.
SafeWork SA are running the Organise your own workplace activity where businesses can register their event and go into the running for a prize. The schedule of activities will be continually updated and added to as things become finalised and locked in. For free promotional resources visit the SafeWork SA and SafeWork Australia websites.
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Join SA's Billion Steps Challenge
Wellbeing SA is excited to bring South Australians together for the 2021 Billion Steps Challenge! This state-wide challenge is about inspiring us to find enjoyable ways to walk and move more throughout the day. Get your workplace involved, tally your steps from 1 October and help us reach a billion steps to keep South Australians active and healthy!
When does the Challenge start?
Friday 1 October 2021
When does the Challenge end?
The Challenge will be completed when South Australians reach one billion steps!
How will the Billion Steps Challenge work?
We are encouraging all South Australians to sign up to the 10,000 Steps program before the Challenge begins on 1 October. All steps and other forms of activities logged from 1 October will be automatically added to South Australia’s total. How can I participate?
How can my workplace get involved?
Set up a workplace tournament to engage your staff for some healthy and fun team competition.
- Select that you want to register as a "Coordinator" and add your organisation’s details
- Once your Coordinator registration has been approved, you will have access to information, resources and support to run your workplace tournament.
- Access the 2021 Billion Steps Stakeholder Pack to help spread the word and get your work mates involved in the Billion Steps Challenge.
Share your progress
Share your work team photo by tagging @10000steps.1 and @wellbeingsa.southaustralia in your social media posts and the hashtags #SABillionSteps #10000Steps #WellbeingSA for a chance to feature on our social channels!
For more information, visit 10,000 Steps or email 10000steps@cqu.edu.au. |
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Messaging to support Healthy Workplaces
Workshop for business | 28 September 2021
Over the past six months we have been working with our counterparts in the QLD and NSW governments to develop messages that encourage businesses and other organisations to create healthy workplaces. We've now completed our research with some very promising findings on effective messages.
We would like to share these messages directly with businesses in an online workshop to hear your feedback and suggestions, and make sure the messages work for business.
During the workshop we will outline the messages and seek your top-of-mind responses. The workshop will be recorded so that we can review your responses and refine the messages as required. No preparation is required.
We will be holding the workshop on Tuesday 28 September at the following two alternative session times. Please click on either link below to register your interest in attending your preferred session time.
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Webinar: Leaders as Agents of Change
Cultivating a workplace wellbeing culture
1.00pm 14 October 2021
Brought to you by Wellbeing SA and SafeWork SA, this free 1 hour webinar aims to position leaders as change agents in cultivating a wellbeing focused culture. Katrina Walton, a leading Corporate Wellbeing Specialist will discuss the associations between leadership behaviours, styles and techniques on how to lead to enhance physical and mental capacity, boost employee engagement and reduce the likelihood of injury and illness. Katrina will explore how leaders need to ‘be well to lead well’, and the importance of optimising personal wellbeing as a foundation of effective and sustainable leadership. For more information email healthyworkers@sa.gov.au
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Mind Your Health Challenge
Business SA's 'Mind Your Health Challenge' is returning in October as part of Mental Health Month. Business owners are invited to take part in the FREE workplace ‘Mind Your Health’ challenge. You will receive a month-long plan on easy to activate and free initiatives to implement in your organisation that are designed to help create healthy, positive, and productive workplaces.
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December Community of Practice | Save the Date
Join us in person or virtually for the next Community of Practice event, scheduled for Wednesday 1 December 2021 from 11am - 2pm. The event will be held at the University of South Australia with lunch provided for participants. Hear from guest speakers about new resources and research, providing the opportunity to learn from others in learning circles and to network with like-minded people who are championing workplace health and wellbeing in their workplace. More information will be emailed closer to the time.
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Useful Information and Resources
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5 Ways to Wellbeing
Wellbeing SA recently launched the 5 Ways to Wellbeing campaign which aims to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of maintaining mental and social wellbeing. Prioritising our wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around us can help us live happier, healthier lives. The Five Ways to Wellbeing are simple ways to improve the mental and social wellbeing and includes the 5 actions of: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, and give. Incorporating the Five Ways into your daily routine is easy, free, and can be done anywhere and in a way that suits you.
If you're looking to improve the mental health and wellbeing of your organisation, the five ways to wellbeing can be promoted within the workplace, through positive and aspirational messages and actions.
For more information visit wellbeingsa.sa.gov.au/5ways
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SuperFriend Wellbeing Self Check-in
Did you know that SuperFriend has a free 15 minute online wellbeing self check-in? It includes learning components and personalised recommendations for action based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing. Use this free, confidential module to check-in or your wellbeing, get tips on managing your mental health and make your own self-care action plan.
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Is your Balance as Good as you Think?
A local study at Flinders University is taking a new approach to falls prevention. The research, led by physiotherapist Nicky Baker, is investigating the relationship between postural sway – the movement of the body over its base of support – and stumbling. The study is looking for participants aged 40-74 for balance testing occurring weekdays & weekends in various workplaces until October 2021. The study is testing to see if sway changes when people are distracted or fatigued, which is often the case at work while people are busy. For more information on the study and for your workers or workplace to be involved, contact Nicky Baker at nicky.baker@flinders.edu.au or phone 7221 8745.
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Health Benefits of Good WorkTM
The Health Benefits of Good WorkTM (HBGW) is an initiative from the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). This initiative is based on compelling Australasian and international evidence that good work is beneficial to people’s health and wellbeing and that long term work absence, work disability and unemployment generally have a negative impact on health and wellbeing. The RACP and AFOEM are committed to advancing the HBGW philosophy across the health and industry sectors. For access to policy documents, or to become a signatory organisation, visit their website.
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Ageing Workforce Ready Project
Australians today are living longer and healthier lives. Australians are also working longer and it is now commonplace to see four or five generations working side by side. Australian workplaces are reporting they have an older workforce than ever before, with almost 20% stating that more than half their workforce is over 50 years old. The Ageing Workforce Ready Project has sourced a variety of materials available to organisations that can inspire and support positive action for older workers. These include fitness for work, flexible work policy and retirement management guides.
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Loneliness in the Workplace
WayAhead Workplaces have published an interesting think piece by Dr Michelle Lim, Scientific Chair and Chairperson at Ending Loneliness Together, Co-Director of the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection. Workplace loneliness affects all employees across different demographics, seniority, and industry. Around 37% of Australian workers feel lonely, while nearly a quarter do not engage in any activities to connect them with their colleagues.
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New Resources: Supporting better practice Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Is your Employee Assistance Program meeting organisational needs and influencing positive outcomes for your workers? Comcare have released evidence-based resources that support the design and evaluation of better practice EAP services that can improve organisational outcomes and workers’ health and wellbeing.
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Research Articles of Interest
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How are social relationships important? This meta-analysis investigated to what extent different social stressors show distinct (versus similar) patterns of associations with well-being and health. A review of 557 studies investigated correlations between social stressors and outcomes in terms of health and well-being (e.g. burnout), attitudes (e.g. job satisfaction), and behaviour (e.g. counterproductive work behaviour).
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A year long population study led by the Psychosocial Safety Climate Observatory at the University of South Australia has found that full time workers employed by organisations that fail to prioritise their employees’ mental health have a threefold increased risk of being diagnosed with depression. And while working long hours is a risk factor for dying from cardiovascular disease or having a stroke, poor management practices posed a greater risk for depression.
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Dr Amy Zadow, Research Fellow, UniSA Justice & Society, has undertaken research which indicates answering your work emails after hours can negatively affect your mental and physical health. Read more about the research in articles that have featured in the Daily Mail (UK) and The Conversation. Further details about the study can be found on the University of South Australia's Centre for Workplace Excellence webpage. |
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A new research trial among university employees during the COVID-19 pandemic found exercise and nutrition interventions helped participants increase physical activity, reduce sitting time and improve health-related quality of life. |
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Call out for Business Case Study
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Are you a South Australian business implementing a workplace health program that has demonstrated positive outcomes for your staff and business? We would love to hear from you! We are interested to learn more about your success and share your best practice strategies with other South Australian organisations.
Please share your story and send it through by email to healthyworkers@sa.gov.au
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Thank you for your interest in workplace health and wellbeing in South Australia. Please feel free to send us relevant information to be included in future updates or forward on to those that may like to subscribe. If you have any questions about this newsletter, please contact healthyworkers@sa.gov.au.
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