Your how-to: Setting up a simple dashboard for tracking mental health activities
Setting up a simple dashboard for tracking mental health activities within your organisation is essentially creating a centralised system for the monitoring, recording, and evaluation of various mental health programmes, initiatives, interventions, and responses within your company. It’s a tool that provides a clear overview of these activities, essentially allowing you to measure the efficiency and impact of these programmes and interventions.
This dashboard should be flexible and easy to update, utilising real-time data to provide accurate reflections of the current situation. This could include tracking the attendance and feedback of various support sessions or workshops, noting any reported mental health-related absences, monitoring the uptake of support resources, and more.
In the Australian context, such a dashboard could further align with standards laid out in the Fair Work Act 2009, which require employers to provide a work environment that is healthy and safe, not merely physically, but also in terms of mental well-being. By having a clear picture of the mental health initiatives and their effectiveness within the organisation, you can ensure compliance with Australian legislation and promote an inclusive, supportive workplace at the same time.
Step by step instructions
Identify Goals and Objectives: Before you begin, create a clear vision of what you want your dashboard to achieve. This could include tracking the recurrency of mental health-related absences, the use of mental health services by employees, or the efficiency of mental health training and workshops.
Choose the Dashboard Type and Software: Research and select the type of dashboard (operational, analytical, strategic, etc.) and software that best suits your needs. Consider factors such as ease of use, real-time data updating, data security, and cost.
Collect and Input Data: Consolidate relevant mental health-related data from various sources within your organisation and input these into your dashboard system. This might involve manual data entry or automated data feeds.
Maintain Transparency and Confidentiality: Ensure to comply with privacy and confidentiality obligations under Australian law, such as the Privacy Act 1988. Employees should be informed about how their mental health data is collected, used, and protected in the organisation.
Determine Key Metrics to Monitor: Identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) related to your goals. These could include the percentage of employees participating in mental health initiatives, the average response time to mental health incidences, and feedback on mental health services.
Design the Dashboard Layout: Design your dashboard layout, ensuring it is user-friendly and intuitive. Typically, the most important metrics should be at the top or centre of the dashboard, with additional details below or around.
Monitor Dashboard Regularly: Once your dashboard is up and running, ensure you regularly monitor and analyse the data. This will allow you to spot trends, gauge the effectiveness of mental health initiatives, and make necessary adjustments.
Review and Adjust: Finally, regularly review the effectiveness of your dashboard. Seek feedback from users and make necessary adjustments. Keeping your dashboard fit for purpose will ensure it continues to help you promote mental well-being within your workplace.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
Ensure you fully understand and comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988, concerning the collection, use and handling of personal information. Breaching these laws can result in severe fines and damage to your organisation’s reputation.
Proper training should be provided for the staff members who will be using this dashboard. Lack of adequate training can lead to incorrect data interpretation and hence, could negatively impact decision making.
Avoid the trap of collecting excessive or irrelevant data. Focus on key metrics and data relevant to mental health activities. This will keep the dashboard focused and useful.
Ensure the dashboard is user-friendly and easy to comprehend. If it is complex and difficult to navigate, employees may become frustrated and less likely to use it, thus defeating its purpose.
Once the dashboard is set up, some organisations tend to neglect the continued support it needs. Regular updates are essential to ensure the dashboard stays functional, accurate and relevant.
Remember all employees must give consent before their mental health data can be collected and tracked. Make sure to communicate transparently about what data will be collected, how it will be used and stored.