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MentalHealthistheNEWSAFETY!AndinthisemergingarenaweneedtoensurethatemployeesarebothphysicallyANDmentally‘FIT’.Theclubindustryisapressurecookertoworkin;that’swellrecognised.Longgonearethedaysofhavingto‘suckitup’or‘justdoitbecauseIhadtowhenIwasinyourjob’.Thisdoesn’thaveaplaceinthemodernworkplace.Toooftenwehearofatragedythatcouldhavebeenaverted‘ifonly’thepersonaffectedhadreachedoutforassistance.Howdoyouopenthatdialogueandwhatdoessupportlooklike?Findouthowyoucanharnessthebenefitsofnurturingacultureofwellness,mindfulnessandmeditationinyourclubthatwillensureyourmostimportantasset;yourstaffarethe‘FITTEST’bothphysicallyANDmentallytheycanbe.

AreWellness,Mindfulness&MeditationthenewCoffee?

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AreWellness,Mindfulness&MeditationthenewCoffee?

Dr Jane AustinConsultant Psychologist

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Howwillyoushowuptoday?

Iinviteyoutohaveanopenmindandshowupwithcuriosity?

Reflect,Rest,Recalibrate

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What we will cover in the next 60 minutes

ü Why think about mental health in the workplace?

ü What is a mentally healthy workplace?

ü What is mental health and wellbeing?

ü Roles and responsibilitiesü Effective conversations

Statistics

• AlmosthalftheAustralianpopulationwillexperienceamentalhealthconcern• It'sestimatedthat45percentofAustralianswillexperienceamentalhealthconditionintheirlifetime,themostcommonbeinganxietyanddepression.• ResearchwithAustralianGPshasshownthatupto 25%oftheirpatientloadperdayiscomprisedof individualsseekingsupportortreatmentforanxiety ordepression.• 62%ofpeoplewithDEPRESSION don’tseektreatmentorintervention• Anxietyanddepressiontendtoaffectpeopleduringtheirprimeworkingyears.

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StatisticsonSuicideinAustraliaABS2017:3128

• 8suicidesperday

• Men3xmorelikelytodiebysuicide

• Highestrateamongmen30’s-50’s

• Suicideistheleadingcauseofdeathformalesaged25-44yearsandfemalesaged25-34years

Suicideattempts

• Foreverycompletedsuicide,itisestimatedthatasmanyas30peopleattemptsuicide

• That’saround200suicideattemptsperday

• That’smorethanonenewsuicideattemptinAustraliaevery10minutes

• 500,000havemadeasuicideattemptintheirlifetime

Thoughtsofsuicide(Suicidalideation)

• Itisestimatedthataround250peoplemake

asuicideplaneveryday.

• Itisestimatedthataround1,000people

thinkaboutsuicideeveryday

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Mentalill-health

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• Aspectrumofproblemsthatinterferewithanindividual’scognitive,socialandemotionalabilities.

• Thistermencompassesboth‘mentalhealthproblems’and‘mentalillnesses’.

Ø Mentalillnessormentaldisorderisaclinicallydiagnosableillnessthatsignificantlyinterfereswithanindividual’scognitive,emotionalorsocialabilities

Ø Amentalhealthproblemalsointerfereswithaperson’scognitive,emotionalorsocialabilities,butmaynotmeetthecriteriaforadiagnosedmentalillness

Positivementalhealthandwellbeing(definedbytheWorldHealthOrganisation)

astateofcompletephysical,mentalandsocialwellbeingandnotmerelytheabsenceofdiseaseorinfirmity.Itisastateofwellbeinginwhicheveryonecan:ØRealisetheirownabilities

ØCopewiththenormalstressesoflifeØWorkproductivelyandfruitfully

ØContributetowork,familyandcommunity.

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Peopleunemployedornotinthepaidworkforcehadthehighestratesofmentaldisorder,aprevalencerateof26%forunemployedmenand34%forunemployedwomen

IsWorkGoodForUs?

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“Thereinwehaveoneofthefundamentalparadoxeswefacetoday:Workisgoodforyourmentalhealthandworkcanmakeyoucrazy”

Merv Gilbert-OutoftheShadowsatLast:TransformingMentalHealth,MentalIllnessandAddictionServicesinCanadaStandingSenateCommitteeonSocialAffairs,ScienceandTechnology(2006)

Thecostofuntreatedmentalhealthconditions

to Australianworkplacesisabout

$10.9billionperyear

• $4.7billionAbsenteeism• $6.1billionPresenteeism• $146millionCompensation

• 2dayssickleave perworkingAustralianisattributabletountreatedmentalhealthissues(SANEAustralia)

• 1personwithDEPRESSIONwillcosttheirorganisationaround$10,000peryear(LawyersWeekly)

Increased Disability ClaimsØ Stress-relatedworkers’compensationclaimshave

doubledinrecentyears,costingover$10billioneachyear

Ø Stressclaimsmostexpensiveworkerscompclaim

Ø Claimsinvolvingmentalhealthconditionsareusuallyassociatedwithanaboveaveragetimeoffworkandhigherthanaverageclaimcosts

Ø Inrelationtopsychologicalinjury claims,workpressureaccountsforaroundhalfofallclaimsandbullyingandharassmentforaroundaquarterofclaims

wellbeing continuum

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PreventionEarly Intervention

Treatment/Support/Rehab & Monitoring

Well Becoming Unwell Unwell Recovering

$

$$

Ref:MentalHealthFirstAidManual

INDICATORS

FlourishingWorkplace

PsychologicallySafeWorkplace

UnhealthyWorkplace

↑absenteeism↑presenteeism↑conflict↑psychologicalinjury↑incivility↓performance↓engagement

• respect• robustcommunication• person/jobfit• productivity• engagedworkforce• robustpsychologicalmeasures(riskregisters)

• highalignment• innovationandcreativity• highdiscretionaryeffort• rigorousskilledfeedback↑performance↑engagement

ResonantLeadership:• Developingresilienceinothers• Resiliencethroughchange• Coaching• Mindfulness• Othermicro-skills

• OutofdateJD• Noassessmentofpsychologicaljobdemand/fit

• Outofdateorinsufficientpolicy/procedure(RTW,Complaints,B&H)

INDICATORS

ThrivingWorkplacePsychologicallySafeWorkplace

UnhealthyWorkplace

↑absenteeism↑presenteeism↑conflict↑psychologicalinjury↑incivility↓performance↓engagement

• respect• robustcommunication• person/jobfit• productivity• engagedworkforce• robustpsychologicalmeasures(riskregisters)

• highalignment• innovationandcreativity• highdiscretionaryeffort• rigorousskilledfeedback↑performance↑engagement

SupportiveLeadership:• Developingresilienceinothers• Resiliencethroughchange• Coaching• Mindfulness• Othermicro-skills

• OutofdateJD• Noassessmentofpsychologicaljobdemand/fit

• Outofdateorinsufficientpolicy/procedure(RTW,Complaints,B&H)

ThrivingorSurviving

EmployerObligations

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• Discrimination• Workhealthandsafety• Privacy• Fairwork

MentallyHealthyWorkplaces:CommonElements

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• Positiveworkplaceculture• Stressandotherriskstomentalhealtharemanaged

• Peoplewithmentalhealthconditionsaresupported

• Zero-toleranceapproachtodiscrimination

IntegratedApproach:3KeyDomainsofAction

“Anintegratedapproachtoworkplacementalhealthseekstosimultaneously:• preventwork-relatedharm• topromotethepositiveaspectsofwork,and

• tomanagementalillnessasitmanifestsintheworkplace.”

AnIntegratedApproachtoWorkplaceMentalHealth

Promotethepositive

PreventharmManageillness

Prioritiesforpreventingharm:

1.Developknowledge,skillsandresourcesforpsychologicalhealthandsafetyatalllevelsinworkplaces.

2.Requireandsupportemployerstodevelopapsychologicalhealthandsafetystrategy,policyandprocedures.

3.Developemotionalandsocialintelligenceinleadersandmanagers.

Prioritiesforpromotingthepositive:

4.Designjobstopromotepositivementalhealth.

5.Providetraininganddevelopmentinpositiveapproaches.

6.Assessandpromotethestrengthsofindividualsandteams.

Prioritiesformanagingmentalillness:

7.Undertakestigmareductionandmentalhealthliteracyprogramstofosteraworkenvironmentwherepeopleareabletoseekhelpearlywithoutadverseconsequencesintheworkplace.

8.Ensureclearroles,responsibilitiesandprocessesforsupportingemployeeswithmentalillness.

9.Implementflexibleworkpracticestofacilitateaccommodationofindividualneeds..

Organisational Readiness

Around90percentofemployeesthinkmentalhealthisanimportantissueforbusinesses,butonly50percentbelievetheirworkplaceismentallyhealthy.(headsup.org.au)

• HasaMHWPbeenidentifiedasabusinesspriority?• DoyourExecutive/SeniorLeadersunderstandthebenefitsofMHWP?

• DoesyourpeopleplanincludeKPI’sreMHWP?• IsWellbeing/MHdiscussedatH&S/Teammeetings?

PsychosocialRiskAssessment-ToolsandTechniques

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Review - HRData/Metrics– e.g.,Grievancecomplaints,Psychologicalinjuryclaims,turnoverstatistics,

leavestatistics,mentalhealthrelatedpolicies,EAPusage,etc.

Consult – Keystakeholderstoensurebuyin,developbusinesscasefortheorganisation,exploreHRData/Metric

results,develophypothesesandapproachesforfurtherexploration.

FocusGroups– Includingeducation,andqualitative/quantitativedatacollectioncovering:•Policy/Procedure/Systemeffectives/accessibility•BarrierstoMHW(organisation,workunit,levelandrole)•RequisiteMHWcapabilities/confidence•Businessspecificrecommendationsreportingandactionplanning

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JobDemandsandResoucesJobDemands DefinitionandReference

1.RoleOverload RoleOverloadoccurswhenanindividualfeelspressuredbyexcessiveworkloads,difficultdeadlines,andageneralinabilitytofulfilorganisational expectationsinthetimeavailable(Gilboa,Shirom,Fried,&Cooper,2008;Petersonetal.1995).

2.RoleAmbiguityRoleAmbiguityisdefinedasthelackofclarityoruncertaintywithrespecttojobresponsibilities,ortheperceivedlackofimportantjob-relatedinformation.Unclearorconstantlychangingspecificationsregardingexpectationsanddutiesdefininganindividual’sjobalsoconstitutesroleambiguity(Rubino,Luksyte,Perry,&Volpone,2009).

3.RoleConflictRoleConflictreflectsthedegreetowhichemployeesareexpectedtoperformtwoormoremutuallyexclusivetaskssimultaneouslyandhasbeendescribedasincompatibledemandsandexpectationsplacedonanemployee,bydifferentgroupsorpersonswithwhomanindividualmustinteract(Cousinsetal.,2004;Kahn,Wolfe,Quinn,Snoek,&Rosenthal,1964).

4.CognitiveDemand CognitiveDemandisdefinedasthedegreetowhichanindividualmustengageincognitivemonitoringandattentivenessinordertomeetthedemandsoftherole(Jackson,Wall,Martin,&Davids,1993).

5.EmotionalDemandEmotionaldemandoccurswhenemployeesareconfrontedwithemotionallytaxing,upsetting,ordisturbingsituationsinherentinthejobthatimpactonthempersonally,andisparticularlyprominentinjobsthatinvolveinteractionswithcustomersorclients(deJonge&Dormann,2003).

6.GroupTaskConflict

GroupTaskConflictreferstodisagreementswithone’scolleaguesregardingtheworktobeundertaken(Giebels&Jannssen,2005).Suchconflictmayinvolvedifferencesinviewsaboutpoliciesandprocedures,disputesregardingallocationanddistributionofresources,ordisagreementsinjudgementsandinterpretationoffacts(DeDreu&VandeVliert,1997;DeDreu&Weingart,2003).

7.GroupRelationshipConflict GroupRelationshipConflictreferstointerpersonaldisagreementsandfrictionswithone’scolleaguesarisingfromdifferencesinpersonalstyle,values,andnorms(Pinkley,1990).

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JobResources DefinitionandReference

1.JobControl JobControlisthedegreetowhichanemployeehasthediscretiontoapproachtheirworkinamanneroftheirchoosing.Itreflectsanemployee’scapacitytomanagehisorheractivitiesatwork,includingchoiceofworktasks,methodsofwork,workpacing,workscheduling,controloverresources,andcontroloverthephysicalenvironment(Breaugh,1985;Caza,2012;Ganster,1988).

2.SupervisorSupport SupervisorSupportconsistsofboth‘instrumental’supportand‘emotional’support.Instrumentalsupportreferstoofferingpracticalhelptosolveproblemsorprovidingtangibleassistanceoraidintheformofknowledgeoradviceneededtoresolvetheissue,whereasemotionalsupportinvolvesofferingcareorlisteningsympatheticallytoanotherperson(Fenlason &Beehr,1994;Swanson&Power,2001).

3.Co-WorkerSupport Co-WorkerSupportcanbeinstrumentaloremotionalinnature.Instrumentalsupportreferstopracticalhelptosolveproblemsortangibleassistanceoraidintheformofknowledgeoradviceneededtoresolvetheissue,whereasemotionalsupportinvolvescareorlisteningsympatheticallytoanotherperson(Fenlason &Beehr,1994;Swanson&Power,2001).

4.PraiseandRecognition PraiseandRecognitionreferstoanemployee’sfeelingsofself-worththatgrowfromtheperceptionthattheorganisation andthepeopletheyworkforvaluethemandwhattheyhavetooffer(Chen,Ford,&Farris,1999).Praiseandrecognitionfromsupervisorscanbeintheformofencouragement,compliments,andothergesturesofappreciation.

5.ProceduralJustice Onetypeoforganisational justiceisProceduralJusticeandreferstoemployees’perceptionsofthefairnessoftheformalpolicies,procedures,andprocessesusedtoarriveatdecisionsandachieveend-goalsandotheroutcomes(Colquitt,2001).

6.ChangeConsultation ChangeConsultationreferstothedegreetowhichemployeesareprovidedwithinformationaboutorganisational changesandprovidedtheopportunitytoparticipateindecisionsthatmayaffecttheirwork(Cousinsetal.,2004).

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1. Whatarethepsychosocialhazardsimpactingyourteam?

2. Whatcontrolmeasurescanyouimplement?

PsychosocialHazards

Work health & Safety Act

2012

1. Identification of Risk

• Direct observation • Informed by a third party • Person disclosing

2. Assessment of Risk

• Have an informal conversation with the person to see how they are travelling and how you may assist.

• Formal assessment of risk if required.

3. Review of Risk

• What is the impact of the situation on the person? Is anyone else impacted?

4. Manage the Risk (eliminate or control)

• Link the person in with Manager, HR • If this action is not appropriate or the person doesn’t want work to

know, link the person in with EAP, GP, friend or family. High risk = action.

This legislative requirement has implications for shifting the focus of mental health from an intervention model to a prevention model to eliminate its occurrence as much as possible.

ChangesinBehaviour@Work

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appearingrestless,tenseandonedge

avoidingcertainworkplaceactivities

suchasstaffmeetings

becomingoverwhelmedorupseteasily

findingithardtomakedecisions

havingdifficultymeetingreasonable

deadlines

referringtobeingconstantlyworriedandappearingapprehensive

Conflictortensionwithotherstaff

Uncharacteristicallyirritableordefensive

Workplace interventionWhat is NOT your role?• To ‘fix’ the issue• To diagnose• To provide counselling• To problem-solve personal issues• To become too involved• To judge and pass comment• To disclose the issue beyond relevant

parties• To make contact with employee’s family

members without their permission• To minimise or make light of the

employee’s concerns

What is your role?• Early identification• Initiate an informal discussion• Take action to assist• Manage presenting work issues• Listen to but refer on for personal

issues• Provide an appropriate referral• Provide support• Monitor and follow-up• Remain objective and impartial

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How to have a conversation

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1 ‘R U OK?’

• Start a general conversation; preferably somewhere private & informal.

• Use caring language such as; “Thanks for talking with me. I just wanted to check in with you to see how you are? I’ve noticed a change in you in the last couple of weeks in that you don’t seem to be as happy and satisfied at work. What is going on for you?”

• Build trust through good eye contact, open and relaxed body language.

• Ask open-ended questions.

• If they deny your concern, don’t criticise them. Acknowledge they’re not ready to talk.

• Say you’re still concerned about changes in their behaviour and you care about them.

• Enquire again if there’s no improvement….be gently persistent!

2 LISTEN

• Guide the conversation with caring questions and give them time to reply.

• Don’t rush to solve problems for them.

• Help them understand that solutions are available when they are ready to start exploring.

How to have a conversation

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3 TAKE ACTION

How to have a conversation

• Summarise the issues and gently encourage action.

• “Where do you think we should go from here?”

• “How can we resolve this?”

• “What would be a good first step we can take?”

• “How can I support you?”

• Ensure your language shifts from “I” to “We” statements

• Encourage them to take one step, such as see P&D, EAP, or GP

• If they’re unsure about where to go for help, help them to connect with someone.

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60% of our wellbeing is predicted by the quality of

our relationship with our direct line manager

SelfCare

“thosewhoworkedinorganisations withhigherlevelsofsupporttendedtoemploymore'integrativeself-carestrategies'thanthoseworkinginorganisational settingswithlesssupport”.• Wascoetal.(2002)

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TipstoSupportingRecovery

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üOffersupportüDevelopingaplantoremainatorreturntowork

üBeinginclusiveü StayingintouchüAddressingthecausesüSettingclearexpectationsüMaintainingconfidentialityandprivacy

üMakingadjustments

CommonReasonableAdjustments

• offeringflexibleworkinghours,toenablethepersontokeepappointmentswiththeirtreatinghealthpractitionerorworkaroundtheeffectsofmedication

• shiftorlocationchanges

• adjustingtheenvironmentoftheworkspace(ifpossible)

• establishinggoals,prompts,remindersandcheckliststoassisttheemployeewithtimemanagementandtostayontopoftheirworkload

• reducingworkloadorspecifictasks

• providingaccesstoprofessionalmentoring,coachingoron-the-jobpeersupport

• ensuringthattheemployeedoesnotreturntoabacklogofworkoremails

• identifyingandmodifyingtasksthattheemployeemayinitiallyfindstressfuloroverwhelming,forexample,managingothers,publicspeakingordirectcustomercontact.

StandardPerformanceManagement?LastResort

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Thekeyquestionemployersmustaskbeforeperformancemanagementiswhethertheunderperformanceormisconductiscausedbyamentalhealthcondition,orisitsimplyunderperformanceormisconduct?Itisimportanttoidentifythereasonforperformanceissuesbeforetakinganyperformancemanagementordisciplinaryaction.

TerminationDueToInabilityToDoTheJob• Considerwhethertheworkerisabletoperformintheirrole.Youmustbeclearaboutwhataretheinherentrequirementsoftheroleandgetgoodmedicalevidence(fromamedicalreportstatingclearlywhatthepersoncanandcan’tdo)abouttheemployee’sconditionbeforeconsideringtermination,asanti-discriminationprovisionsmayapply.

Employerswillhaveadefence toageneralprotectionsordiscriminationclaim,andbeinabetterpositiontodefendanunfairdismissalclaim,ifitcanbeestablishedthat:• theemployeecannotperformtheinherentrequirementsoftherole;and• reasonableadjustmentsprovidedbytheemployerarenotsufficienttoenabletheemployeetocarryouttheinherentrequirementsoftherole,ortheadjustmentsthatcouldbemadewouldconstituteanunjustifiablehardshipontheemployer.

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OrganisationalProtectiveFactors

• Staffarerecognized,acknowledged,respected,valued

• Stafffeelsafeandasenseofbelonging(teampsychologicalsafety)

• Peersupportisintegraltoworkenvironment

• Reflectivepracticeisencouraged,expected

• Opencommunicationbetweenpeers,andstaffandleaders

• Leadersidentifypsychosocialhazardsandtakeaction

• Adequatesupervision,positiveleadershipstyle(opentofeedback,gooddecision-making)

• Consistentpoliciesandprocedures

• Businesshasresourcestomeetdemandsofwork,andprovidesupporttostaff

• Staffhaveopportunitytocontinuallylearn

USEFULCONTACTDETAILS

• EmployeeAssistanceProgram• RUOK:www.ruokday.com• Beyondblue:www.beyondblue.org.au• BlackDogInstitute:www.blackdoginstitute.org.au• Headspace:www.headspace.com• Lifeline:www.lifeline.org.au(Ph:131114)

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For more information, please contact:

Dr Jane AustinPsychSafe services0412890324