Some great support ideas, but what about prevention?
David Burroughs
Chief Mental Health Officer at Westpac, Founder and Principal Psychologist - Australian Psychological Services
Anti-stress days, mindfulness sessions, wellbeing programs – they all have their place, BUT if organisations want to get serious about workplace mental health, they need to be more proactive. Many organisations (definitely not all) are pretty good at managing instances of mental-ill-health however most are still way behind where they need to be in areas such as good work design, maximising person-job fit, recruiting and developing across psychological job demands (and no, I don’t mean just generic ‘ how to do more with less’ or the ‘here, I hope this helps you cope better with the mess we have put you in’ resilience training!) and understanding and addressing psychosocial hazards.
I challenge every senior HR, WHS, Wellbeing executive out there to help drive the move from reactive (tertiary) to proactive (primary and secondary prevention/intervention) approaches to workplace mental health. Dealing with major issues like workplace related depression and anxiety are really important, however it is extremely short sighted not to invest in helping prevent them in the first place through good work-design, supportive leadership behaviour, civility, and ethical workplace behaviour. It isn’t as hard as it sounds and it is definitely not about just having an EAP!
There should be no more excuses from anyone as to not knowing where to start, what to do or where to go for the right information. There are so many resources freely available in this space that even a quick google search will point you in the right direction (I am also happy to point you in the right direction). Just be mindful of all the ‘experts’ - being a clinical psychologist doesn’t automatically make you an expert in workplace systems and psychosocial climate, being an organisational psychologist doesn’t automatically mean you have ever worked with or understand mental health or psychosocial risk management, having a personal lived experience of mental illness doesn’t mean you know about all mental illnesses etc.
Over the next few weeks I plan to cover some ‘key questions to ask providers’ to help organisations get the most out of the services they are using in the mental health domain. If this is of interest, watch this space…….
Business Owner/Founder, HR/Culture/Leadership Coach, Social & Health Sector Advisor & NED.
6 年Well said David.
Helping business owners harness their strength & thrive at work on their own terms. Workplace Mental Health Expert | Keynote Speaker | Bookstore Owner | Podcast Host of Fortitude at Work & Your Business Bookshelf.
6 年Wow David. You talk my talk! Yes, same applies in the corporate world too.
Co-Director/ Organisational Psychologist at Transitioning Well
6 年Well said Dave Burroughs!
Executive General Manager Health, Safety & Sustainability at InvoCare
6 年Totally agree David, there are so many snake oil salesmen/women out there. It’s a buyer beware marketplace. Trouble is doing a good job on psychological well-being is a tricky business without the guidance of a seasoned professional with depth of experience in workplaces - like you. Look forward to hearing from you next time.
Executive Leader | WHS, HR & Wellbeing | Driving Workplace Safety, Employee Engagement & Organisational Growth |
6 年Well said David Burroughs. Too many organisations think that having EAP or access to coaching post exposure is all that is required. Organisational leaders (especially CEO level and HR management) need to be listening more to what the staff are saying and exploring the issues raised at the ground level - without happy and healthy staff the strategic plans/goals of organisations will not be as successful.