National Workplace Initiative Updates

We are delighted to share with you that the Mentally Healthy Workplaces digital platform is now live at: https://beta.mentallyhealthyworkplaces.gov.au/

During this Beta phase, we will be fine-tuning the platform's content, navigation, functionality and layout based on feedback we receive from users. You can read more on the beta testing here.

The platform includes modules on a range of topics associated with the three pillars of the Blueprint for Mentally Healthy Workplaces. More modules will be published in coming weeks after they have been through our review process.

We encourage you to visit the platform, engage with all its features, and please provide your feedback to help shape its development.

We also suggest you forward this email to your contacts and in your networks and help spread the word about the Mentally Healthy Workplaces digital platform.

We are delighted to release the Small Business Guides to Mentally Healthy Workplaces, developed by Ahead for Business, Everymind as part of the National Workplace Initiative.

Over the past few years, small business has been doing it tough, often due to issues beyond their control, such as COVID-19.

The Mentally Healthy Small Business Guides provide information about key topics, clear examples, helpful tips and links to further support and guidance.  

The guides are built around the three core pillars of the Blueprint for Mentally Healthy Workplaces for creating environments that protect, respond, and promote to support mental health.  

• The Protect guide helps small business to identify and manage work-related risks to mental health.  
• The Respond guide helps small business to identify and respond to support people experiencing mental ill-health or distress.  
• The Promote guide helps small business to recognise and enhance the positive aspects of work that contribute to good mental health. 

Access the guides here

New research, resources and other initiatives in mentally healthy workplaces that have come across our desk.

WA regulations on psychosocial hazards:Work health and safety regulations for the control of psychosocial risks came into effect on 24 December 2022 in Western Australia. These regulations require employers to eliminate psychosocial risks, or to minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable. It follows the introduction of regulations in NSW and Tasmania last year.

WHS regulations for Comcare: New work health and safety regulations on managing psychosocial hazards in the Comcare jurisdiction will come into effect on 1 April 2023. Click here for more information.

New podcast for drivers: Transport and logistics company Linfox, in partnership with LiSTNR, has developed a podcast series covering the health of drivers and logistics workers. The podcast covers mental and physical health, with each episode directly relating to issues facing drivers across Australia and New Zealand. Click here for information.

Study into available tools: A new study by researchers at the University of Tasmania has identified available instruments to help organisations implement an integrated approach to mentally healthy workplaces (acting to protect and promote mental health and respond to mental ill-health). The study identified 207 instruments of which 10 were relevant to multiple domains. The study was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Click here to access it.

New WHS survey launches: The National WHS Radar is a new survey of the health and safety experiences of workers in Australia. The survey by the NSW Government’s Centre for Work Health and Safety aims to capture worker feedback to help shape new research, policies and solutions to current and emerging WHS challenges. The survey closes on 31 January and takes 10 minutes to complete. Click here for the survey.

Many of our readers have requested access to the latest research, reports and information from the sector. The above list of resources have been shared with the Commission this month. Please note these resources are provided as a service to our readers and do not imply endorsement.

We are delighted to release the Quality Assurance Framework for quality assuring third-party content within the Mentally Healthy Workplaces digital platform.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our draft Quality Assurance Framework, which we developed to ensure the content you read in the Mentally Healthy Workplaces platform is current, relevant and supported by evidence.

The Quality Assurance Framework has been created in collaboration and consultation with representatives of businesses, unions, academics, regulators, service providers and people with lived experience of mental ill-health.

The Quality Assurance Framework is applied to each resource submitted to the platform.

New research, resources and other initiatives in mentally healthy workplaces that have come across our desk.

Resources for work design: Work design is a primary prevention and protection strategy for psychological and physical health and mentally healthy workplaces. The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) and the OHS Body of Knowledge have published a new chapter on Work Design. The chapter is targeted at OHS professionals but provides valuable information for anyone interested in psychological and mental health at work good work. The chapter is by Lisette Kanse and Laura Fruhen from the University of Western Australia. Access the chapter for free here.

Wellbeing initiatives - finding what fits: If you missed Comcare’s recent Mental Health Community of Practice featuring speakers from the Future of Work Institute, Medibank, and the ATO - the recording, slides and resources are now available on its website.

New assessment tool: The NSW Government has launched the free Workplace Wellbeing Assessment tool to help organisations survey staff and measure how mentally healthy their workplace is. The tool provides a report on how the organisation compares with others of similar size and industry. It also provides information on what the organisation can do to make the workplace healthy and productive. Click here to access the tool.

CEDA on workplace mental health: Organisations need to embrace job design, manager training and business-wide strategies to meaningfully impact mental health of employees, according to a report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). The report warns that without meaningful action by organisations, workers compensation claims for mental health are set to double by 2030. Access the report here.

Research into workplace injury cost: Safe Work Australia has released summary findings from research it commissioned exploring the cost of workplace injury and illness in Australia. The analysis by Deloitte Access Economics used innovative computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling to estimate how much value could be created within the Australian economy by removing work-related injury and illness.

US releases workplaces framework: Mentally healthy workplaces are gaining traction internationally, as seen by the United States Surgeon General recently releasing a new Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace. The framework outlines the foundational role that workplaces should play in promoting the health and well-being of workers and our communities. This follows the release in September of World Health Organization Guidelines on Mental Health at Work, and accompanying Policy Brief from the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization.

Focus on prevention in 2023: Comcare’s first Prevention Strategy provides a coordinated pathway to support workplaces to prevent harm from psychosocial hazards such as bullying, harassment and work demands, and to enable a culture of health and safety, compliance and reporting.

Many of our readers have requested access to the latest research, reports and information from the sector. The above list of resources have been shared with the Commission this month. Please note these resources are provided as a service to our readers and do not imply endorsement.

Many of you shared positive feedback to the recent release of our new guide Creating Resources to Support Mentally Healthy Workplaces.

You told us the guide is helpful in outlining what to include in different resources and how best to present them.

The guide was designed to support people commissioning or producing new resources or communications around building mentally healthy workplaces.

It shares general principles for creating effective resources and outlines the essential elements for different types of resources that have been identified as key for supporting mentally healthy workplaces, such as case studies and awareness campaigns.

New research, resources and other initiatives in mentally healthy workplaces that have come across our desk.

National Safe Work Month: October is National Safe Work Month – a time when organisations and businesses are asked to commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians. Safe Work Australia is providing a range of resources for organisations to promote Safe Work Month. State work health and safety regulators are also undertaking campaigns to promote Safe Work Month. For details, visit SafeWork NSW, WorkSafe Victoria, WorkSafe Queensland, WorkSafe WA, WorkSafe Tasmania, SafeWork SA, WorkSafe ACT and NT WorkSafe.

World Mental Health Day: Organisations and individuals are being encouraged to make mental health a priority this World Mental Health Day on 10 October. Mental Health Australia suggests people share your tips on how to look after wellbeing and mental health and follow #LookAfterYourMentalHealthAustralia and #WMHD2022 on social media. Visit the website for resources and tips.

WHO guidelines released: The World Health Organization Guidelines on Mental Health at Work, and accompanying Policy Brief from the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization, have been released. These global guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations to improve mental health at work by supporting those who live with, or without, a mental health condition to participate and thrive at work.

Receive Comcare updates: The Comcare eNews provides a regular newsletter and email updates on topics like latest research, hazards, prevention, mental health, rehabilitation, compensation and training. Click here to subscribe and access previous versions.

Psychosocial hazards infographic: Safe Work Australia has produced a new infographic on Managing psychosocial hazards at work. The infographic lists psychosocial hazards, the four steps to prevention and some key statistics and tools.

NSW implements WHS amendment: The NSW Government has implemented the Work Health and Safety Amendment Regulation 2022 under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. This introduces regulations defining psychosocial hazard and risk and enshrines in law the need to manage psychosocial risks at work, with effect from 1 October.

Report on financial wellbeing: New research confirms previously anecdotal evidence that people face a range of mental health impacts including stress, diagnosable mental health conditions and suicidal thoughts when experiencing financial challenges. The Money and Mental Health Social Research Report was commissioned by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission in collaboration with Beyond Blue. The report showed people experiencing financial challenges are at least twice as likely to encounter mental health issues than those who aren’t. Access the research here.

Many of our readers have requested access to the latest research, reports and information from the sector. The above list of resources have been shared with the Commission this month. Please note these resources are provided as a service to our readers and do not imply endorsement.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our draft Quality Assurance Framework.

The Quality Assurance Framework outlines a process for assessing third-party content submitted to our digital platform.

Overall, we heard many positives about the proposed framework, including that it was a comprehensive approach to quality assurance. Some of the areas for improvement included:

• Providing more detail on the proposed process such as the expected timeframe for receiving an outcome of a submission.
• Considering cultural appropriateness in the quality assurance criteria.
• How issues such as accuracy of submissions and conflict resolution are handled.

We are working to improve the Quality Assurance Framework based on this feedback and look forward to sharing the final version soon.

We are delighted to release the Creating Resources to Support Mentally Healthy Workplaces guide, which shares principles and practical tips for creating clear and compelling resources and communications. 

The guide also outlines the essential elements of different types of resources including: 

• case studies 
• instructional content 
• awareness campaigns  
• news articles 
• in-depth resources. 

There are also some ideas for how to draw on behaviour change principles to create effective resources and communications.  

New research, resources and other initiatives in mentally healthy workplaces that have come across our desk.

WHO guidelines for release: The World Health Organization Guidelines on Mental Health at Work, and accompanying Policy Brief from the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization, will be released on 28 September. These are the first global guidelines from WHO on mental health at work. They provide evidence-based recommendations to improve mental health at work by supporting those who live with, or without, a mental health condition to participate and thrive at work.

Model Code approved: Work Health and Safety Ministers have approved the model Code of Practice: Managing psychological hazards at work. The Code reflects the psychological regulations recently added to the model Work Health and Safety Regulations. Visit Safe Work Australia for more information.

New regional resource kit: The NSW Government has released a Regional resource kit to help regional businesses build mentally healthy workplaces. The online kit has tailored advice and resources for regional businesses to promote, manage and support mental health at work.

Improved WorkWell Toolkit: WorkSafe Victoria’s WorkWell program has launched the new and improved WorkWell Mental Health Toolkit for small business. The WorkWell Toolkit contains practical ideas, tips, tools and good practice suggestions to help employers prevent mental injuries in their workplace. The resource is free and can be accessed without an account. The resource was designed by OHS and mental health specialists and tailored for all business sizes, with a focus on small business.

Wellbeing at work: Comcare is hosting Professor Karina Jorritsma from the Future of Work Institute at its next Mental Health Community of Practice on 7 September. Professor Jorritsma will speak on the theme Wellbeing initiatives: finding what fits. Click here to register for the event.

Supporting small rural agribusiness: The Rural Agribusiness Wellbeing Project aims to support the mental health of small business owners working in some of Australia’s largest rural industries: agriculture, forestry and fishing. A survey being conducted by Everymind will help develop an interactive online wellbeing plan tailored to the unique mental health and wellbeing needs of relevant organisations.

National Safe Work Month: Every October, Safe Work Australia asks businesses, employers and workers across Australia to join National Safe Work Month and commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians. Visit the website for further information and resources.

Scotland launches digital platform: Mentally healthy workplaces are gaining traction internationally. Earlier this month, Public Health Scotland released a digital platform to help organisations build mentally healthy workplaces. The platform, developed in partnership with a range of organisations, has information on mental health, the law, organisational culture and case studies.

The Connections2022 Survey: The Making Connections for Your Mental Health and Wellbeing program (Connections2022) is the National Mental Health Commission’s outreach program where the Commission seeks to connect with, listen to and learn from people in communities across Australia. The Connections2022 Survey is part of this program and the Commission is keen to hear from as many people as possible who have interacted with the mental health and/or suicide prevention systems in Australia or who work in mental health and related [social and welfare] services. Visit the website for more information or take the survey.

Many of our readers have requested access to the latest research, reports and information from the sector. The above list of resources have been shared with the Commission this month. Please note these resources are provided as a service to our readers and do not imply endorsement.