Your how-to: Establishing a foundational leadership commitment to mental wellness
Establishing a foundational leadership commitment to mental wellness involves the dedication and promotion of mental health principles and strategies from an organisation's top management. This concept is rooted in the understanding that a company's success highly depends on their employees' mental health and wellbeing. It includes creating policies, procedures, and a work culture that supports and prioritises mental health.
In an Australian context, this also means adhering to the obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, which requires employers to ensure the health and wellbeing of employees in the workplace. It is about making mental wellness a key business focus, integrating it into business metrics, and championing it at all levels of direction and supervision.
This commitment necessitates tangible actions such as regular mental health training, open conversations about mental wellbeing, accessible support services, and regular employee check-ins. It is crucial for leadership to lead by example, demonstrating healthy work-life balance and consideration for mental health in their own practices.
By embedding a commitment to mental wellness in the organisation's leadership, you can catalyse a holistic shift in the company's approach to health and wellbeing. This helps businesses to comply with Australian standards for workplace mental health while also creating a work environment that encourages team members to thrive.
Step by step instructions
Establish a Mental Wellness Vision: Start by defining your organisation's vision for mental wellness. Make it clear that promoting mental wellbeing is one of the organisation's top priorities. This vision will guide all future actions and decisions related to mental health.
Develop Mental Health Policies and Procedures: Design policies and procedures that foster mental wellness. These might include flexible working hours, the provision of mental health resources, and clearly defined procedures for when an employee is experiencing mental health challenges. You will need to consider the requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
Normalize Work Mental Health Conversations: Encourage open and honest conversations about mental health. This involves normalizing discussions around mental wellbeing and making it as concerning and routine as physical health.
Perform Regular Check-ins: Institute regular employee check-ins dedicated to discussions around mental wellness. During these check-ins, encourage employees to openly share their experiences and concerns related to mental health.
Appoint Mental Health Champions: Identify members of top management who are passionate about mental health and wellbeing and who can be ambassadors for this cause. This team of champions will help to promote the importance of mental health internally.
Provide Mental Health Training: Offer regular training sessions to all members of the organisation. These sessions should include mental health awareness training, stress management techniques, and resilience building skills.
Ensure Support Services are Accessible: Employees should have access to mental health support services, such as employee assistance programs, counselling, and mental health professionals. Encourage staff to utilise these support services when required.
Lead by Example: Leadership should demonstrate the importance of work-life balance in their own practices. This includes taking regular breaks, limiting after-hours work, and utilizing mental health resources themselves.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
Every office has its unique culture, needs, and challenges. Simply adopting a panacea for all approach will not be effective. Thoroughly understand your workspace, its culture and devise plans specific to what works best for your employees.
Omitting buy-ins from senior management can lead to unsuccessful initiatives. It's vital for leaders and managers to support, uphold, and actively practise the values of mental wellbeing at work, leading by example.
Communication must be clear, transparent, and frequent to ensure employees understand and benefit from the mental wellness initiatives. Ensuring everyone is on board and understands why these initiatives are important is a critical step to success.
As an Australian business, you have a legal responsibility under Australia’s Health and Safety legislation to provide a healthy work environment. It's important to not just implement wellness initiatives but ensure they are grounded within the applicable legal frameworks to avoid legal ramifications.
Different individuals may react differently to mental wellness initiatives, so a one-size-fits-all approach might not work. Implement inclusive strategies that cater to various needs, taking into account factors like age, gender, and cultural background.
Initiatives blunted by lack of resources and training may not yield desired results. Foster a mentally healthy workplace by investing in suitable resources, equipping management and staff with adequate knowledge, and skills on mental health.