The Workplace Mental Health Toolkit

In 2019, the New Zealand Workplace Barometer determined that more than a quarter of employees feel depressed. Stress can be a significant predictor of mental health-related illnesses. Compared to other countries, workplace bullying was seen to be abnormally high in New Zealand. Between one in five to one in three New Zealand workers report being bullied at work.

During the pandemic, 23 percent of Australian and New Zealand adults reported experiencing anxiety, stress, and sadness — despite the government taking swift action. 18 percent of adults in New Zealand and 21 percent in Australia reported hardship related to paying for basic necessities, compared to 7 percent in the Netherlands and 6 percent in Germany.

If employees felt that they weren’t being supported before, they are likely to be even more in need now.

Australia and New Zealand have been able to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic through isolation and shutdowns. But these shutdowns themselves, while necessary, can eventually take a mental toll, especially due to lower social interaction and feelings of isolation. This is something that employers are going to need to consider moving forwards.

Industries with low mental health wellbeing often correlate to lower instances of physical safety (Agriculture scores particularly low marks, as does Administrative and Support Services), but not always. It’s easy to understand why: workers are easily stressed when they can be easily injured.

What does it mean to be a high-risk industry? High-risk industries for mental health are industries that are inherently more stressful.

1. Agriculture involves long hours and potentially dangerous machinery. Drought and fires have affected the Australian agricultural industry and upset its stability and sustainability. Workers need more time to themselves as well as assurances that their positions are secure.
2. Public Administration and Safety includes policymakers in high-stress positions, as well as police officers, security officers, and guards who may be frequently at risk. Anxiety, depression, and PTSD are all common. Those in this industry need more mental health support and need it to be readily accessible.

Transport, Postal, and Warehousing, as an industry, is one of the areas that has been most financially stressed in recent years due to its susceptibility to economic shocks. and is one of the areas in which employees themselves are feeling much of this stress. In fact, studies find that 1 in 4 workers report that they are dealing with financial stress. Employers need to be able to promise employees stability, or at minimum transparency, to counter this.The more demanding the work is, the more employee mental health needs to be addressed and protected. When employees sense danger lurking around every corner, they don’t feel supported by their employers — and they don’t feel valued by their organization.

There are limitations to what an employer can reasonably accomplish. An employer cannot make a high-risk industry low-risk. But employers can do everything under their control to reduce the risks that are present. Employers should understand what makes their industry high-risk, and tackle the challenges that are unique to them — by giving their employees support with the problems that they face.

Demographics and Culture as Key Risk Factors

In addition to generally high-risk industries, there are also high-risk demographics. The Maori population is almost twice as likely to experience mental illness. In Australia, the Indigenous population is far more likely to experience depression. More than 30 percent of the Aboriginal population reports mental distress, compared to 20 percent for other Australians.

Another large demographic that is less likely as a whole to seek help with mental health? Men.

For high-risk populations, mental illness increases often have to deal with the unique challenges those populations are experiencing. While employers and HR managers may not be able to address societal problems directly, nor the difficulties inherent to their industries, they can provide their employees with the mental health tools they need to cope, and they can be understanding about these mental health challenges.

Beyond legal duties and obligations, employers in high-risk industries need to:

• Provide employees with mental health resources.
• Make employees aware of the resources available.
• Ensure that employees have easy access to those resources.

Thus, even though the employers may not be able to eliminate the risks inherent to the industry, they can give employees the tools that they need to cope with the high-risk work they are engaged in.

What can workplaces do to support mental health? It requires a two-pronged approach: one, to reduce risk factors, and two, to help employees be more resilient and to foster a culture of openness and support.

This must be combined with the understanding that the world is changing, and that there may be additional elements of uncertainty in an employee’s day-to-day life. Signs that might once have been symptomatic of a “poor performer” could today be indicative of a deeper problem.

What are some of the signs that someone could be struggling with their mental health? According to Health Direct:

• Feeling anxious or worried : Employees may be complaining more frequently about their work, may be avoiding work that they feel particularly sensitive about, or may be asking for consultations and second opinions more often. Anxiety and worry can manifest in many ways to an employer, and an employer may need to be understanding with the employee, or take some of their work off their plate.
• Feeling depressed or unhappy : Employees may start calling out sick more frequently or may seem apathetic and unavailable when they are present. They may have an attitude that “nothing matters.” Without context, this might appear to be poor performance. Employers may need to be more understanding of poor employee performance and offer employees resources before punitive action.
• Emotional outbursts : Employees may show higher levels of interpersonal conflict at work. They may be getting into more disagreements than is typical or may be arguing with their supervisory staff more often. Emotional outbursts can also exist without conflict: Employees may break down in tears, or need moments to compose themselves.
• Problems with sleep hygiene : Employees may come to work looking exhausted, or appear to be fatigued and unable to concentrate. They may mention they are experiencing insomnia or may arrive late at work because they have overslept.
• Weight or appetite changes : Employees may experience rapid weight gain or weight loss. Understandably, weight is a sensitive subject and should never be directly broached. Still, it may be a warning sign that an employee is experiencing either a mental or physical health issue.
• Becoming quiet or withdrawn : Employees may become quieter than they have been in the past. They may stop interacting in employee text channels, stop taking calls, and be unreachable through email. Employers should communicate with employees who appear to be “disconnecting” or “dropping out” to determine whether there may be issues that need to be addressed.
• Engaging in substance abuse : Employees may act erratically or unpredictably due to substance abuse. They may come in exhausted after a night of drinking or may appear to be intoxicated during work. Substance abuse issues need to be addressed immediately by employers because they can be dangerous, especially on work sites.
• Feeling guilty or worthless : Employees may start to take criticism particularly hard, and may no longer want to work on projects they are well-qualified for because they feel as though they wouldn’t be able to accomplish them. Employers should endeavour to maintain programs that can build up employee confidence and give them the tools they need to recover their self-esteem.
• Changes in behaviour or feelings : Finally, a general change in an employee’s habits may indicate that something is wrong, regarding their mental health or their general at-home situation.

As an employer or HR professional, it’s important to keep a finger on the pulse – understand how employees are feeling and notice things that may be affecting them. Often, the best option for an HR professional is to ensure that resources are available when employees need them. Aside from this:

• Engage employees in resilience training such as The Good Day Project.
• Managers should have training to recognize the potential signs of mental distress.
• Employees should regularly be trained on their own coping skills, styles, and mental health management.
• Care should be taken to ensure that employees have the resources they need and are not overburdened. This may include providing access to EAP, and the provision of resources from non-profit organisations such as The Blackdog Institute and Beyond Blue.
• A general emphasis on health, including physical health, should be integrated into the organization’s processes. We recommend engaging employees in physical classes, as their crucial health will be pertinent to their mental health.
• Senior management should be brought on-board and encouraged to take a role in shaping health initiatives.

Vitality Works has formed a partnership with The Healthy Minds Program and Dr. Tom Nehmy, a global pioneer in preventative psychology. Through this partnership, clients are offered a bundle of Mental Wellbeing webinars and workshops — to better equip their employees with the skills and knowledge they need to maintain an optimal level of mental health and well-being. The Program takes a cutting-edge approach to preventive psychology, helping employees to build resilience, promote wellbeing, and drive performance. It https://vitalityworks.health/contact-us/ successfully takes the sophisticated psychological skills that promote mental health out of the therapy room and into workplaces through tailored personal development programs, seminars, and webinars.

Mental Health in the workplace should be a priority at any time during the year as mental ill-health can happen at any time. But Mental Health Week in September (NZ) and October (AU + International) is a great opportunity for employers to promote mental health in the workplace and integrate their new mental health initiatives. By calling attention to mental health, and creating a safe space for employees who are struggling, employers can encourage employees to take control of their mental health and utilise the resources and tools they have available.

Contact Vitality Works to learn more about our mental health programs.

It’s estimated that untreated mental health conditions cost Australian workplaces approximately $10.9 billion a year. This includes $4.7 billion in absenteeism, $6.1 billion in presenteeism, and $146 million in compensation claims. In NZ, the direct cost of absenteeism is $1.4 billion, and it’s estimated that each employee has three times as many “presentee” days as “absentee” days. Ultimately, there’s no denying that employees’ unhealthy habits as a result of poor mental health can kill your bottom line.

Employees who are experiencing mental health issues may not show up to work, and if they do, they may not be effective. Employees may experience serious medical issues that need to be addressed — and that can lead to claims for compensation. Overall, poor mental health can become part of company culture, leading to flagging productivity, increased injuries, and reduced efficiency throughout.

Of course, employers want their employees to be healthy — not just because of funding, but because they care. Employers do have an ethical obligation to their employees, and most employers would prefer that their employees be as happy, safe, and healthy as they can.

But today — during an indefinite period of economic uncertainty — many companies are being asked to strip down their budgets simply to survive. Careful companies are reducing their budgets to bare bones because they don’t know what the future might look like, and they don’t want to overextend themselves. During this budget-cutting, it’s easy for employee health and wellness programs to get the axe, especially if employees are working fewer hours, or working from home.

With that in mind, it’s essential to understand the relationship between ROI and mental health. Employers who decide to pull back on their mental health spending may not get the results they want or expect.

First, there’s an expectation among workers that employers should assist those experiencing depression or anxiety. Employees who feel abandoned may not work effectively or may not work at all.

75 percent of Australian employees believe that their workplaces should support someone experiencing depression and anxiety, and 64 percent believe they should have some form of support from colleagues, management, or a union. This can equally be a challenge to achieve if employees are no longer working in an office, or if employees are being called in less frequently. In NZ, 30 percent of employees have personal experience with mental illness. This is a substantial number of employees who may need their employer’s help to remain active and whole.

67 percent of employees and 68 percent of leaders agree that workplace mental health is a shared responsibility — a relatively equal number. And that means that employees expect the leadership of their organization to work with them to protect their mental health.

Fundamentally, an employee’s belief that their employer has an ethical obligation to support their mental health is stronger than their belief that they have a legal obligation to support their mental health. Only 61 percent of employees believe that employers have legal responsibilities, while 75 percent believe workplaces have an ethical obligation. This expectation forms the basis of how employees approach their employers in terms of their mental health, and how morale, respect, and trust can suffer when mental health is sidelined.

One in five Australians (21 percent) have taken time off from work because they felt stressed, anxious, or depressed; these are employees who would have been present at work if they weren’t experiencing mental health difficulties. This statistic is almost twice as high (46 percent) among those who consider their workplaces mentally unhealthy. All this impacts the company’s productivity, and can indirectly affect the bottom line. Similarly, New Zealand has also experienced increased stress and anxiety, costing the New Zealand economy $1.79B in 2018 due to absenteeism.

Though an organization may be able to cut back on its mental health initiatives, this will ultimately cost them in terms of employee morale, the quality of their output, and consequently, employee productivity. And when the economic situation rebounds, these employees may be the first to look to leave.

Employees who believe their workplace is mentally unhealthy are unlikely to disclose to their employers that they are experiencing a mental health condition. They are also unlikely to seek support from HR/management or even to offer support to a colleague with a mental health condition. Ultimately, this leads to issues that are allowed to fester. Employees with low morale will take more time off, will be less active and proactive when they are present, and may ultimately walk away from the job entirely. So, an employer hoping to save money by cutting back on mental health could actually be costing themselves money.

But that doesn’t mean that mental healthcare for employees has to be expensive. Just as employers invest in their infrastructure proactively to avoid expensive issues down the line, employers can invest in mental health to avoid bigger problems. The easiest way for employers to manage both their budget and their healthcare programs is to become creative about the ways in which they’re providing mental health support.