BeyondBlue: Heads Up

Heads Up calls on business leaders to make a commitment and start taking action in their workplaces. Over 2,500 Australian business representatives has contributed their knowledge and experience to this initiative.

Create an action plan that’s tailored for your business, and use this interactive tool to define and prioritise your goals, identify risk areas and take a step-by-step approach to creating a mentally healthy workplace.

For many men work is an integral part of their lives which gives them part of their identity. Without work life would lose some of its meaning. Work can provide structure and a purpose for the day, as well as providing the satisfaction of doing something well. It also helps creating and maintaining friendships and social interaction.

Both men and women often spend long hours at work to provide for their families, and mental wellness in the workplace will assist employees to feel fulfilled, supported and appreciated. This will lead to increased performance.

The science of positive psychology is an emerging approach that considers the overall improvement of an individual's wellbeing rather than just addressing the at-risk employee or targeting people with a specific mental health issue.

Mental health in the workplace can be improved by, for instance, providing specialised treatment and support programs, accessing community-based partners and taking a leadership role in changing attitudes towards mental illness, inviting peer-support organisations to their workplace for presentations and workshops to reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues, and to encourage employees to talk about mental health and seek help.

Untreated mental health conditions cost Australian employers $10.9 billion every year through absenteeism, reduced productivity and compensation claims.

A mentally healthy workplace will increase productivity and happiness among the employees and lead to a healthier work force, and it will also result in reduced employee turnover and fewer compensation claims.

Heads Up Campaign

The Heads Up campaign is about giving individuals and businesses free tools and resources to take action to create a mentally healthy workplace. Develop an action plan, find out about taking care of your own mental health, and get tips on having a conversation with someone of concern. Register for Heads Up to allow them to keep in touch with you and you will receive support and updates on newly launched resources.

Resources Available

• Heads Up - PwC Workplace mental health productivity report (YouTube video 1.56 minutes)
  Heads Up encourages businesses and individuals to take action to improve mental health in the workplace as costs for loss of productivity for Australian businesses are around $10.9 billion a year. 
  
  
• Heads Up - Become an Employer of Choice - Join now (YouTube video 2.22 minutes)
  A survey conducted by Instinct and Reason showed that the key to attracting and keeping the best staff is to have a mentally healthy workplace. 71% of surveyed employees said that a mentally healthy workplace is important when selecting a new job. Becoming an employer of choice increases an organisation's chances of attracting and retaining the best staff. 
  
  
• 10 Things You Can Do To Make Your Workplace Mentally Healthy - Small Business -321 KB
  Simple, effective actions you can take to create a mentally healthy workplace and support your employees. Tips for small businesses.

• 10 Things You Can Do To Make Your Workplace Mentally Healthy - Medium to Large Business -321 KB
  Simple, effective actions you can take to create a mentally healthy workplace and support your employees. Tips for medium to large businesses.

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