Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace - Supporting employers with the how to

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2 Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace - Supporting employers with the how to Claire Nivarovich Director, WorkHealth Grant Whyte Executive General Manager Staff Engagement Altus Traffic

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4 You can be part of the online conversation by using the event hashtag in any tweets or Instagram pics. #hsmonth

5 Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace - Supporting employers with the how to Claire Nivarovich Director, WorkHealth

6 Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace: Why it matters A mentally healthy workplace can see improvements in: Engagement and morale Productivity Staff turnover Meeting legal obligations Skill retention & experience Interpersonal relationships Mental injuries: Are complex, and take longer to resolve. 38% of mentally injury claims take more than two years to return to work Cost an average of $86,000 per claim Are the fourth highest cost claim in the scheme 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental health condition each year

7 Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace: Why WorkSafe Our mission is that Victorian workers return home safe everyday Mental illness and injury is a Health and Safety concern in the workplace To support employers and workplaces to: Promote total health and wellbeing Physical and Mental Prevent mental injury and illness Address mental injury and illness

8 The re-establishment of WorkHealth

9 Key recommendations for WorkHealth program development The new WorkHealth program s priority focus should be the promotion of positive mental wellbeing and prevention of mental injury and illness in the workplace, with support for employers to access physical health programs The integration of OHS with health promotion and HR should be embedded in the new WorkHealth program design, to ensure that workplace health and safety improvement and cultural change are sustainable The new WorkHealth program should take a co-ordinated approach with government, agencies and social partners to engage with workplaces The new WorkHealth program should be evidence based, reflect best-practice and be underpinned by an evaluation program to establish a baseline and enable measurement of the program s effectiveness The new WorkHealth program should offer two levels of support: a) All Victorian workers and employers b) Targeted programs for vulnerable workers

10 Taking a big picture approach to mental health and wellbeing An integrated approach to workplace mental health and wellbeing combines the strengths of disciplines such as OHS, health promotion, and psychology, and has the potential to optimise both the prevention and management of mental health problems in the workplace. *Ref: Adapted from Anthony LaMontagne et al. 2014

11 The WorkHealth model A focus on workplace mental health and wellbeing

12 Universal offering: Workplace navigation tool Online workplace mental health and wellbeing navigation tool Workplace navigation tool Info, tools & resources Information provided to employers is tailored to your industry, readiness, and maturity to improve mental health and wellbeing Resources are based on the integrated approach to ensure sustainable change Potential for co-branding with industry partners to deliver industry specific tools and resources Navigation tool will evolve as based on feedback and as new resources becomes available, providing employers with information increasingly tailored to their needs

13 Targeted support: Mental health improvement fund Mental health improvement fund High-value investment for targeted populations/workplaces Funds will expand successful programs, and encourage new ways of working Third party intermediaries will likely deliver initiatives Applications will be assessed by a steering committee

14 Targeted support: Learning networks Development of network employer groups for knowledge sharing Learning networks Networks may be led by employers, industry, representative bodies, service providers, or local agencies Network leads will be guided and supported by WorkHealth Networks can be tailored to provide specific support or focus

15 Advocacy and Leadership Advocacy & leadership Social marketing and leadership engagement will be used to: - shape attitudes, - generate demand for tools and resources - encourage behaviour change - showcase individual and workplace leadership to inspire others - drive change across workplaces Exemplar organisational performance will be rewarded Promotional partnerships will support increased reach.

16 WorkSafe resources Updated hub on website with work related stress & mental injury information for employers and workers worksafe.vic.gov.au work related stress Employer guidebook on how to prevent and manage stress in the workplace worksafe.vic.gov.au stress guidance

17 The Victorian Workplace Mental Wellbeing Collaboration Register with the Collaboration now at:

18 WorkHealth launching soon Register your interest now at:

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20 Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace - Supporting employers with the how to Grant Whyte Executive General Manager Staff Engagement Altus Traffic

21 About Altus Traffic 1800 team members nationally Largest traffic management business in Australia Safety & People focused business Trusted by road authorities, constructors and road users our motto is getting you home safely Performing tasks ranging from local road closures, events, construction sites and major infrastructure projects

22 Why focus on Mental Health & Wellbeing? It s something that effects us all no-one is immune As employers we are traditionally conditioned to: Look for visible hazards Implement control mechanisms via a hierarchy Be on the look out for any physical injury However, we now know: Mental Health is not overtly visible Wellbeing cannot be controlled with any lineal mechanism Health and Wellbeing indicators are often hidden

23 Why did Altus focus on Mental Health & Wellbeing? Our leadership team recognised that performance and safety doesn t start and finish with operational policy and procedure you need something to specifically address wellbeing (we started with a conversation, which grew into a policy, then a strategy) Our team members come from a variety of backgrounds and have varying levels of heath and wellbeing Lifestyle factors (general fitness, alcohol & tobacco), limited amenities, casual employment, varying shift patterns, varying work locations and remote work, all contribute to the health and wellbeing, or lack thereof of our team To keep our people safe we needed to stay in contact with our team and give them easy access to information and support We knew there was no silver bullet had to look at a few ways to engage and motivate the team

24 Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategies

25 What can a traffic management company teach me about Health & Wellbeing? Practical application of a Health & Wellbeing strategy for a disbursed workforce Focus on what you can do, not on what you can t no one item will solve all problems Make your program relevant and accessible to your people Identify a cause that others can rally around Make it FUN.if possible

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27 Our team flying the Win4Sarah flag

28 Other significant initiatives We identified that in a largely casualised industry people saw Traffic Control as a job, not a career we created a career pathway (TC DRIVE) providing direction and security for our staff Access to information and support for field based workforce is critical we created an app which was a one stop shop for information. Employees can access work details, payslips, elearning, and our Health & Wellbeing Hub.

29 Benefits & lessons learned EAP access up 75% year on year the more we talk about it, the more it is used Improved lines of communication with staff Win4Sarah chats often turn into more\ Significantly improved understanding and awareness of Mental Health & Wellbeing not just something the HR reminds us of on R U Ok day anymore Don t be disappointed if not everyone gets involved we have had some challenges with 100+ participants and others that struggled to get 20. Try many different angles not everyone will participate in each event it took us 12 months to get some people involved Find a cause that everyone can get behind their engagement in the cause will lead to greater awareness and improved communication

30 Thank you.

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32 How did we do? Please take a minute to answer some quick questions about this talk. You could win one of five $100 Visa gift cards* Go to or scan this QR code with your phone. You should be able to do it from there! *one entry for each session evaluated

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