Mental Health Education and Awareness in your Workplace.
Mental Health in the Workplace.
With the amount of time spent at work each week and untreated psychosocial hazards in the workplace, it is no wonder that mental health issues, of all forms, present themselves in the workplace. Stigma surrounding mental health can be damaging, making mental health education extremely important in the workplace.
Striving to recognise and control the psychosocial hazards that are present in the workplace and educating your employees about mental health, mental illness and its effects can greatly improve mental wellbeing and provide an overall sense of contentment.
A lack of mental health training in the workplace can aggravate negative situations such as a stressful environment, creating a host of new issues which end up being a cost to the business.
Why Mental Health Education is Important.
It’s imperative to create solid mental health awareness training programs in the workplace as happier workers will not only be more productive but improve the success and wellbeing of everyone around them.
Often starting with poor management and communication, issues such as unclear work objectives, strict working hours, and low levels of support can have serious negative effects that are exacerbated by a lack of education.
Problems like inadequate health and safety policies, and a lack of control over one’s area of work and decision making can lead to work-related stress which over long periods of time can present as serious mental health conditions.
How Mental Health Education can help your Workplace.
Tackling mental health education head-on will lead to positive outcomes for both management and staff, preventing avoidable issues such as high levels of sick leave. By building a workplace environment that is conducive to health and wellbeing, your organisation will reap the benefits.
Employees will appreciate the support systems and atmosphere of understanding, leading to a sense of job security and visibility of workplace growth opportunities. For employers this will translate to higher workplace productivity and better quality of work. These combined benefits of mental health education result in an overall improvement to the working environment, meaning increased job loyalty and a lower staff turnover.
How to Implement Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace.
To set up a successful mental health education system in your workplace there are certain strategies that can be implemented. Start with an honest conversation about mental health issues to create an atmosphere of understanding, as speaking candidly about the benefits of mental health education to staff of all levels will show clear support and set leading guidelines to be followed.
It’s vital to provide education around key areas of mental health, specifically anxiety, depression, suicide, bullying, and harassment. At MHJA our experienced team is on hand with workshops, training programs and most importantly, experience to assist with mental health awareness training in your workplace.
Begin Your Workplace Mental Health Journey with Team Training.
Resources.
Heads up
National Workplace Program
AusHealth Work
Mental Health Education and Awareness for Employees
World Health Organisation
Mental health in the workplace - Information sheet
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- 0480 307 637
- info@mhja.net.au
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