Mentally healthy workplaces

A mentally healthy workplace is a workplace that protects, responds to, and promotes positive mental health for everyone.

A mentally healthy workplace places the same importance on both mental and physical health and safety in the workplace. It has a positive workplace culture where people feel supported and able to do their best work, regardless of whether or not they have a mental health condition.

Why take action?

The financial cost of poor workplace mental health is significant. The cost to Australian businesses has been estimated to be up to $39.9 billion per year, through reduced productivity, absenteeism, and workers compensation claims.

It makes good business sense to invest in employee mental health to improve workplace productivity and profitability. Specific benefits to your business include:

• Significant economic return on investment - for every $1 spent to improve mental health at work, you can achieve returns of up to $15, through the follow-on increased productivity, retention, and reduced work injury claims.
• Reduced employee absenteeism - in workplaces that employees consider to be mentally healthy, mental health-related absenteeism is reduced by almost 50%.
• Increased productivity - organisations that actively promote employee wellbeing are rated as being three times more productive by their employees.
• Improved staff engagement and retention - creating a mentally healthy workplace is a great way for businesses to engage and retain staff, and to become an ‘employer of choice’.
• Being legally compliant - Australian work health and safety legislation requires workplaces to be, as far as reasonably practicable, physically and mentally safe and healthy for all employees.

Our Mentally Healthy Workplaces Service

The Mentally Healthy Workplaces Service provides organisations with a range of support services to help them create and maintain a mentally healthy workplace. More information on our free services is available in the Mentally Healthy Workplaces brochure- external site.

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Email mentallyhealthy@rtwsa.com- external site or call 08 8233 2310 to see how we can help you create and maintain a mentally healthy workplace.