Thursday 13 September is National R U OK? Day.
R U OK? Day is a national mental health day on the second Thursday of September to encourage Australians to connect with their colleagues/employees by asking them: Are you okay?
One in five people experience depression at some point in their lives. That means that approximately 4 million Australians will suffer from depression. More than 2,000 Australians suicide each year. Depression is the most common mental illness, followed closely by anxiety. Approximately 7 per cent of Australian employees in any organisation suffer from depression each year.
So chances are that at least one person at each workplace may be suffering from a mental health problem right now.
Workplace Stress and Productivity Loss
Work stress can be a large contributor to mental health problems. Stress and depression are the largest contributors to lost productivity in Australia. A study by Medibank Private revealed that workplace stress is responsible for a loss of 2.14 working days per employee annually, which equates to a cost of $533 per employee.
Given that a large number of people spend most of their time at work, it makes sense for workplaces to be the focus of mental health strategies.
How Workplaces Can Support Mental Health
In 2010, 7000 organisations formally participated in the R U OK? Workplace Initiative, and in 2011 one in five Australians got involved. There are several ways that workplaces can get involved, but the basic idea is to engage with people in the workplace and check on their mood and whether they are grappling with work-related or other issues. Most people find it hard to open up and share their feelings, particularly men.
It is hoped that this great initiative will raise awareness and encourage stress and mental health to be an ongoing focus in workplaces. This can be difficult, however, particularly in large organisations, due to time restrictions, multiple demands placed on managers, lack of knowledge about issues faced by employees and how to respond to these, to name just a few.
While it would be fantastic if managers or HR representatives could have individual conversations with all employees on a regular basis, this is not always feasible.
RightPeople Employee Attitudes & Commitment Surveys
Employee surveys are an efficient way of gathering information from a large group of employees on issues that may contribute to their mental health, including stress, burnout, work-life balance and job satisfaction.
The RightPeople Employee Attitudes & Commitment Surveys do just that. Psychologists and academics developed these research-based surveys using key constructs from organisational psychology. The surveys cover a wide range of factors that help create and sustain a happy, engaged workforce.
You can use the results to develop training programs or health and safety initiatives. Organisations can create or adjust mental health initiatives, such as Employee Assistance Programs and work-life balance programs, based on these insights.
People are your most important asset. Contact us to find out more about how you can use our Employee Attitudes & Commitment Surveys to check if your employees’ R OK.
