Requisite HR October Newsletter 2016
Mental Health in the Workplace
Although there are many factors that can influence the existence of mental health issues in the workplace, the provision of support to a team member is a simple and most effective way to reduce people being at risk. To do this you and your team need to be observant to changes in the behaviours of other team members. As early intervention can help to prevent and manage the situation from escalating. Once it is identified that a team member is experiencing a problem you need to take action instead of hoping that things will sort itself out. People tend to shy away from these discussions due to the uncertainty of how the person will react. Will the person appreciate it being raised or will they be defensive? You don’t truly know, but when you consider the potential consequences of inaction, it is worth asking the question R U OK? When you are speaking with them, focus on the goal of the discussion, which is to assist the person in their time of need. You are firstly helping them express the issues that are bothering them, then trying to develop some strategies to resolve or overcome these issues.
It starts with a question... Start by giving the person your full attention in a private
It is recommended that you advise them to
setting. Then let the person know what has been observed
speak to a professional counsellor or
whilst creating an opportunity for them to provide details about their situation, by using open ended questions:
psychologist at the end of your discussion
“You don’t seem to be your usual self today?”
because mental health needs can be complex. If
When you do this be interested in what they have to say
left untreated it can be harmful to the individual
and be sincere. This will encourage the person to talk
and have long lasting effects on them, their
freely. If the person acknowledges that there is a problem, then
family, your team and the team member's future.
offer support: “What can I do to help?” If at this time; or any other time, the team member becomes emotional, help them to express their feelings and clarify their understanding of the situation. Using active listening skills, acknowledge how the person is feeling, encourage them to continue talking and respond to body language. Once the person has worked through their emotions, try summarising the situation. This will give the person the opportunity to clarify whether your understanding of the situation is correct or not: “Let me see if I have an understanding..”. The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics figures Once you have had a discussion, try to refocus them on the
reveal 3,027 Australians took their own lives in 2015 – that
here and now:
represents two and a half times the national road toll. And
“Let’s go grab a coffee and go for a walk.” Then transition
for every person who dies by suicide, 20 more make an
the team member towards considering the future and
attempt.
solutions. That’s why beyondblue, Monash University and the When seeking a solution, start by broadening your team
Movember Foundation teamed-up to develop the
member’s perspective:
BeyondNow app and website, ensuring help is at the
“What do you think you need to do?”
fingertips of people who are at risk of suicide. It is vital that
“What might be the best option for you?”
support is available anywhere, anytime. The free app helps
“If it was possible what would you need to do?”
people create a structured plan – ideally with support from
Once they have developed a plan, the most important thing
a health professional or someone they trust such as a
it to ensure that it is put into action. Each person is
family member or friend – that they can work through
different and the time it takes for them to overcome the
when experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress or
issues they are facing will depend on them and level of
crisis. When needed, the plan can be easily accessed via a
support they receive.
smartphone, tablet or desktop.
re you willing to be influenced by others?
Article by Tasha Broomhall
A lmost half of all adults will experience mental illness
and to provide reasonable workplace adjustments to
in their lifetime and this can have wide reaching costs for
support employees with mental illness. However, many
the workplace. Unfortunately, despite the high impact of
managers and supervisors do not know what this
mental illness in the workplace, many supervisors,
actually translates to in terms of behaviour, action and
managers and colleagues do not know how to recognise
support.
developing mental health problems or how to appropriately support an employee with mental illness. The overall financial impact of mental health issues in the workplace is estimated to be: • 6 million work days lost in absenteeism annually due to untreated depression. • 12 million more work days lost to absenteeism each year • $10.9 billion lost in productivity per year (average cost of $9,665/year/FT employee) • $10 billion a year for the cost of stress‐related workers’ compensation claims (this has doubled in recent years)
This is particularly pertinent for small business owners with limited or no access to a HR or OSH team. Small business leaders need to have an understanding of their businesses responsibilities to its employees; the skills to have appropriate conversations and the knowledge to design workplace adjustments for employees, especially when considering potential mental health issues impacting in the workplace. As a leader in your business do you: • Know how to appropriately respond to mental health
Additionally, when considering psychological injury
issues in your staff?
claims, work pressure is reported as the cause of half of all
• Understand your obligations around privacy and
claims, and harassment and bullying is the cause of almost
confidentiality?
a quarter of all claims. Australian research shows that for
• Know how to design and implement reasonable
every dollar invested in this area, there is on average a
adjustments for staff with mental health issues that
$2.30 return on investment. So the economic case for
support both the individuals’ and the business’s needs?
taking proactive and responsive action is strong. As well as the costs, the law requires that organisations provide reasonable adjustments for employees with mental illness and that employers do not discriminate against an employee on the grounds of mental illness or disability. An employer’s basic legal responsibility is to not discriminate against an employee because of mental illness
Workplace Mental Health for Leaders is a one-day seminar that will provide you with specific strategies to implement and frameworks to follow to develop your organisations positive mental health culture. Through this seminar participants will: • have increased awareness and understanding of the common mental illnesses of anxiety, depression and of psychosis • recognise the possible symptoms and functional impacts in the workplace of each of these illnesses • obtain awareness of their roles and responsibilities when responding to mental health issues in the workplace • develop strategies to approach and address staff with mental health issues • understand how to develop reasonable workplace adjustments for mental illness • develop strategies and the language to use to talk to their staff appropriately about mental illness • learn how to develop and implement a Workplace Mental Health Strategy with take away planning tools to assist them to create a mentally healthy workplace • learn about resources available to assist Managers and Supervisors to support employees with mental illness.
REGISTER here to attend a Mental Health for Leaders seminar bloomingminds.com.au/leaderseminar
Tasha Broomhall Tasha is the Director and lead facilitator for Blooming Minds. She has been providing mental health and wellbeing training programs throughout Australia or more than 16 years. Holding a Principal Master Trainer status from the MHFA Australia program, Tasha is accredited to deliver the Mental Health First Aid program. She has delivered this renowned course to more than 200 groups over the last 11 years, including: teachers; psychiatric nurses; HR personnel; mental health consumers and carers; aged care staff; disability staff; vocational rehabilitation providers; case managers and various government departments. Tasha’s work has been recognised with the ICCWA Suicide Prevention Award in WA and recently as a finalist in the national Life Awards for Excellence in Suicide Prevention. Tasha has published a number of books focused on both personal and workplace mental health, including her latest entitled “Bloom at Work – A Mental Health Guide for Leaders”. She is currently completing Masters of Mental Health Psychology.
1. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results 2007 date viewed 30/8/2015 http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/6AE6DA447F985FC2CA2574EA00122BD6/$File/43260_2007.pdf 2. Price Waterhouse Coopers, 2014, Creating a mentally healthy workplace return on investment analysis, Price Waterhouse Coopers, viewed 30/8/2015 < http://www.headsup.org.au/docs/default-source/ 3. Medibank Private, 2008, The Cost of Workplace Stress in Australia, Medibank Private, viewed 30/8/2015 < http://www.medibank.com.au/client/documents/pdfs/the-cost-ofworkplace-stress.pdf> 4. Australian Human Rights Commission 2010, 2010 Workers with Mental Illness: a Practical Guide for Managers, Australian Human Rights Commission, date viewed 30/8/2015, <https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/2010-workers-
Mental Health is a very broad and encompassing term, it also includes people living with disorders, disabilities and other conditions. Even though there are laws protecting them from discrimination, it can be very difficult for them to find or maintain employment. Watch this powerful video to see what job interviews can be like for a person with autism. >>> Could you stand the Rejection?
Interview
JESSICA NUICH Our company is a small HR consulting firm that is dedicated to providing you with personal and quality service. So we thought, there's no better way for you to get to know our wonderful team than by featuring them in our monthly newsletter. Each interview provides a quirky and fun insight into how our consultants got into their speciality and why they love it. This month we interviewed our HR Consultant;
In your opinion, how important is good mental health in the workplace?
Jessica Nuich.
Good mental health is an essential component of an effective
What was your first job?
poor mental health it effects not just that individual and
My first job was working in Reception/Accounts, I completed an Advanced Certificate of Office Management and secured this job when I was 17. It was a great opportunity working for a small family business. This gave me an insight and understanding of small business. What was your most memorable experience in your working career? My most memorable experience is working for WMC Resources. I had amazing opportunities and learnt so much. I was promoted to a variety of HR roles and also had the opportunity to relocate, work on site and visit sites. I was very involved in process improvement which is something I am very passionate about. How did you get into HR? I actually fell into HR. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was working in Sydney for a telecommunications firm in a Reception role and my Manager that recruited me was the HR Manager. She had excess work and asked me if I was interested to learn more about HR. This became my first step towards an enjoyable career provide support to managers and people. I enjoyed it so much I obtained HR qualifications to underpin my work experience, to ensure that I had the knowledge required to provide great service.
and productive team. When an individual is impacted by their family, but the whole team leading to a decrease in team wellness and team productivity. It is a team leader responsibility to create positive uplifting environments in which their team can thrive. What have been some challenges or interesting experiences in your career? Working on mine site as a HR Advisor was always interesting and varied. From going underground and learning about evacuation procedures to escorting people to the airport for reasons of misconduct, I had the opportunity to experience a world vastly different experience from the corporate styles found in Perth and Melbourne Tell us a little bit about your family. A bit about me, I am married and have three beautiful girls 9, 6 and 5. My family is everything to me. We have recently built a house which has been a massive project. My youngest is due to start school full time next year, which will give me the ability to increase my HR contact hours, which; apart from my family, is my true passion. With 15 years of experience Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to the project work she tackles. She is available for both outsourced HR support and fixed term project work. Contact her today if your business needs any HR support or advice 1300 164 737.
Monthly Competiton
COMPETITION CLICK HERE TO ENTER
We hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter, answer the following question to go in the running to WIN: "How many Australian Adults Experience Mental Illness Every Year?" a) 1 in 5 b) 1 in 10 c) 1 in 100
Submit your answers via private
RE TO E H CK CLI R ENTE
message on our Facebook page or you can email the answer to info@requisitehr.com.au. Terms & Conditions apply.
TERMS & CONDITIONS OF COMPETITION: Each monthly competition's closes 30 days from the published date. Each person may only enter once per month. Answers must be submitted via Email or private message on Facebook. The first 3 people to correctly answer the question will receive 4,3,2 points and every other participant after the top three will receive 1 point. All points will be kept in a tally and added to throughout the year. Competition winners will be announced via Facebook or Email and prizes will be awarded in December 2016. First Prize: Veuve Clicqot Champagne (valued between AUD$99.95-$69.99), Second Prize: Johnnie Walker Platinum Label Scotch (valued between AUD$98.95-$70.99), Third Prize: Godiva Signature Truffles (valued at AUD$50.00). Competition organisers can terminate or exclude entries if they do not meet the T&Cs of the competition.
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