Your how-to: Creating initial digital content for mental health awareness
Creating initial digital content for mental health awareness involves taking the first steps to foster open dialogue and support around mental wellbeing within your organisation.
This means developing and producing various forms of digital content such as blog posts, articles, informative videos, webinars, newsletters or infographics that focus on mental health topics pertinent to your workforce. The content should ideally promote awareness, understanding, tolerance and support for mental health issues.
Under Australian law, particularly the Fair Work Act 2009, employers have a 'duty of care' to provide a working environment that is safe and free of risks to health – and this includes mental health. Incorporating digital content on mental health awareness into your company’s internal communications is a crucial part of adhering to this legal and ethical commitment.
Moreover, this process involves aligning your content with Mental Health Australia's standards and guidelines for promoting positive mental health in the workplace, as well as any applicable guidelines from the Australian Human Resources Institute.
In essence, creating initial digital content for mental health awareness in your workplace involves much more than simply generating text or producing a video. It is an important part of a wider commitment to supporting employee mental wellbeing, maintaining a healthy work environment, and promoting a supportive company culture.
Step by step instructions
Understand the Importance and Relevance of Mental Health Awareness in Your Workplace: Understanding the significance of mental health awareness in the workplace is crucial. Identify how mental health issues may currently be impacting your employees and the work environment. This may involve looking at employee engagement, productivity, and absenteeism, or even conducting a staff survey.
Research Mental Health Australia's Standards and Guidelines: Research Mental Health Australia's standards and guidelines for promoting positive mental health in workplaces. Align your content with these guidelines to ensure the information provided is accurate, beneficial, and supportive.
Choose the Digital Media Forms: Determine the types of digital content that will be most effective in your workplace. This could be blog posts, articles, infographics, newsletters, or videos. Use a mix of mediums to keep your content engaging and accessible to all employees.
Comply with Legal Obligations: Remember your 'duty of care' under the Fair Work Act 2009 to provide a working environment that is safe and poses no health risks. Incorporate content that educates staff about their rights and responsibilities towards mental health in the workplace.
Identify Relevant Mental Health Topics: Identify the mental health topics that are most relevant to your workplace. This could include stress management, work-life balance, depression, anxiety, or other conditions. This can be based on staff demographics, nature of jobs, or specific mental health issues prevalent in your industry.
Draft a Content Outline: Create an outline for the content you're planning to create. This will help you ensure that essential topics are covered and that your content is structured well. Remember to make it engaging and rooted in empathy, removing any stigma associated with addressing mental health.
Create the Content: Once you've decided on your topics and structured your information, create your content. Ensure that it's easy to understand and incorporate stories, testimonials, or case studies where appropriate to keep the content relatable.
Plan for Content Distribution and Engagement: Design a plan for how you will distribute this content to employees. This could be through emails, company intranet, or staff meetings. Ensure opportunities for staff to engage with the content, such as comment sections or discussion forums, are provided.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
When creating digital content, remember to use accessible language that the average person can understand. Mental health terminology can be complex, and incomprehensible to many. So avoid alienating your audience with complicated medical jargon.
It's easy to get trapped in the technicalities of creating your content, and forget to ensure it effectively raises awareness about mental health. Remember, the primary goal is to eliminate stigmas, create a safe environment and educate your staff about mental health.
Your content should effectively cover a wide range of mental health issues. Try not to disproportionately focus on one over the remainder. This maintains a holistic awareness of mental health, respecting the varied experiences within your workforce.
Mental health topics can be sensitive. Ensure your content respects privacy rights and does not force employees to disclose personal information or delve into intrusive discussions.
It's vital to approach this serious topic with the right tone. Make sure your content doesn't trivialise mental health issues but emphasises their weight, helping your employees understand the seriousness of these conditions.
Culturally specific attitudes towards mental health can vary widely. Be aware of your employees' cultural backgrounds to ensure your content doesn't accidentally offend or exclude anyone.