Mental Health in the Riverina’s workplaces will be in the spotlight at an upcoming event by the NSW Business Chamber.
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The NSW Business Chamber Murray-Riverina is running its next ‘Workplace Update Seminar’, focusing on mental health in the workplace.
Wagga psychologist Dr Karl Wiener said a number of external and internal workplace issues may lead to mental health issues.
“Mental health is influenced by many factors and need to be addressed at both an employee level and organisational level,” he said.
“Both individual and organisational factors are likely to impact not only on an employee’s well-being but also on the organisational performance in the marketplace.”
Dr Wiener said one way to prevent mental health issues was for organisations to promote their employee-assistance programs regularly.
“Apart from the direct approaches to assist employees, employers must ensure that the workplace is not only physically safe but also ensure the emotional well-being of employees,” he said.
The NSW Chamber said that one in five Australian employees reported that they have taken time off work due to feeling mentally unwell in the past 12 months.
“Managing employees who are experiencing stress, anxiety or some form of mental health condition has become a major challenge for employers today,” it said.
“In this Workplace Update Seminar, our expert presenter from Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors will provide clear guidance on how to nurture a safe and high-performing workplace, underpinned by compliance in workplace relations.”
A 2017 SafeWork NSW research paper found that the cost associated with additional sick leave and severe mental ill-health was 0.9 days and $454 per employee, respectively.
Further, the annual cost to NSW employers of mental ill-health was estimated to be $2.8 million.
Earlier in 2018, SafeWork NSW launched a $55 million NSW Mentally Healthy Workplaces Strategy 2018–22.
Minister for Mental Health Tanya Davies said: “By strengthening mental health support available in the workplace, we can better prevent mental illness and promote recovery”.
“Early intervention is a critical part of our comprehensive approach to improving mental health in our cities, rural areas and regional centres,” Ms Davies said.
Topics to be discussed at the upcoming forum will include the following:
- Managing performance and the invisible challenge of mental health in the workplace
- ‘I’m now a permanent employee!’ Game-changing court decision for ‘regular and systematic’ casual workers – understand your employer responsibilities
- Emerging trend: modern slavery and compliance in supply chains
The feature topic will be under-performance and the invisible challenge for employers: excessive sick leave.
The event will be at 9am on Thursday, October 18 at Wagga Commercial Club (77 Gurwood Street).
- To book: visit NSW business Chamber
SafeWork NSW’s Mentally Healthy Workplaces Strategy 2018–22
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