Workplace Mental Health Resources
SFMCA encourage every site to have at least one trained
Mental Health Wellbeing Ambassador on site.
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Improving workplace mental health is in everyone's interests, and we all have a role to play. Both employers and employees have formal rights and responsibilities under discrimination, privacy, and work health and safety legislation.
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The duty of care to ensure the health and safety of workers extends beyond just the physical work. Health is defined under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) to include both physical and psychological health. A psychologically safe and healthy workplace is one that promotes workers’ psychological wellbeing and does not harm their mental health. Improving the psychological safety of a work setting involves managing risks that have a powerful impact on individual and organisational health. see Working Together: Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work guide (PDF, 13.8 MB)
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Workplace stress, anxiety, depression, financial pressures, marriage breakup, COVID-19 restrictions, addiction, bullying; there are so many causes to mental illness. Whether the cause is internal or external to work, it is likely impacts will be felt in the workplace. Work colleagues may be well placed to notice when people are struggling and it is important that we assist where possible. Early intervention is important to minimising the impacts. It is also important to understand that mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of position. High level managers and middle management can be equally susceptible so all staff should be mental health aware.
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SFMCA strongly encourage all organisations to prioritize mental health and participate in the webinars and programs that we will run over the course of the year. Our aim is to have at least one trained Mental Health Wellbeing Ambassador on site.
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1 in 5 Australian adults experience a mental illness in any given year
Mental ill health costs Australian workplaces $4.7b in absenteeism, $6.1b in presenteeism & $146m in compensation claims per year.
Only 22% of full time workers with signs of common mental illness receive treatment for their MH problems
What is a healthy workplace?
In the link below Heads Up looks at:
What is a healthy workplace,
Why it matters,
Workplace Stress,
Legal rights and responsibilities,
&
Strategies for a healthy workplace.
These resources are available through Heads Up who provide Mental Health First Aid Resources
Heads Up
Online Training & Resources
These free online resources have been developed by Beyond Blue to increase understanding of mental health in the workplace and provide practical strategies to support you. Each resource takes up to 20 minutes to complete and can be used on desktop computers, laptops, and tablets.
Some of the resources are also Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which means they can be imported into your Learning Management System (LMS) if you have one.
Heads Up
Suicide Prevention
- A Competency Framework
The intent of this domain focuses on the individual’s knowledge required to support someone in crisis.
This domain describes the skills and knowledge required for promotion of wellbeing and support; prevention of suicidial behaviour; and postvention for people affected by suicide.
These collections of competencies explore how to identify and recognise warning signs, protective and risk factors, responding and connecting to appropriate services and understanding self-care, self-compassion, and boundary setting.
Suicide Prevention Australia
Employee Assistance Program Services
The Australian Government's Comcare better practice Employee Assistance Program resources and guidance supports employers with the procurement and monitoring of EAP services that effectively and sustainably improve organisational outcomes and workers’ health and wellbeing.
Australian Government
SFMCA Partner with
Mental Health Partners
for healthy people and higher productivity
SFMCA, FIAAA and ATMA are proud to provide free of charge*, a Workplace Mental Health Awareness training program for all our members. Courses are offered each year in May, and again in September on RU OK day. When open for registrations you will find the link to register on the Events webpage. This is a 1.5hr online webinar to raise awareness of people struggling in the workplace and how to help them.
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To book a fully certified, 3 year Mental Health First Aid accreditation course (approx. 13 hrs), go to MHP's website here. SFMCA's aim is to see a trained First Aid Mental Health employee on every site.
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Delivery of both programs is by the fully accredited company Mental Health Partners.
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* Up to 3 people per annum are free of charge. Additional staff are encouraged to attend with the cost being invoiced back to the company.
Disclaimer
The information in the Guides and resources are not a substitute for medical advice, nor is it to be used for diagnosis and treatment.
You, or anyone you are concerned about, are encouraged to seek professional advice and treatment from General Practitioners and/or qualified practitioners and providers in specific cases of need. If you or the person you are concerned about appear at risk of self-harm or harm to others, please seek immediate professional assistance.
When seeking professional advice, ensure the practitioners are qualified, accredited, registered and members of the peak representative bodies, such as the The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and/or The Australian Medical Association, The Australian Psychological Society and The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry.
SFMCA makes no guarantees, representations or warranties in relation to this Guide or the information and materials provided within this Guide. The SFMCA. will not be liable in relation to the contents or use or otherwise in connection with this Guide.