Nearly half of all Australians will experience a mental heath condition at some time in their lives (Black Dog Institute, 2018). There is no doubt that people in your organisation are and will experience mental ill health, especially depression and anxiety. Did you know that, by 2020, depression is set to overtake cancer as the second leading cause of time lost to the global economy (World Health Organisation)?

As a Human Resource professional you must be prepared to fulfill your role when you become aware that a staff member is suffering a mental health challenge.  The key elements of this role are to:

1. Support the manager.
2. Support the team member.
3. Ensure legislative obligations are met (or exceeded).
4. Support the business.

In the current environment you must be aware of your organisation’s legislative-driven and morally-driven responsibilities with regards to employees who have a mental health condition. You should be confident to support a manager and a team member to have the conversations they need to have in order to ensure mutual understanding.

iHR Australia’s Managing Mental Ill Health in the Workplace Program ensures that HR, OHS and WHS Practitioners and Senior Managers understand these obligations and how to fulfill them, in addition to understanding how to best support managers and team members in this complex area of workplace life, while balancing the needs of business and associated risk.

Recent articles

Reverse bullying

Reverse Bullying is a Threat to Your Workplace Culture: Here is What it Looks Like

Article updated on 15 March 2024 [Originally published in 2020] What is reverse [or upward] bullying? Simply put, reverse bullying...

The First Tranche of the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act 2023

Closing Loopholes Legislation Key changes taking effect from 15 December 2023 In late 2023, the Federal Government passed the first...
Low job control

Eliminate Low Job Control and Empower Your Employees: A Breakdown of the First Webinar

Safe Work Australia has pinpointed 14 psychosocial risks that can adversely affect not only productivity and engagement levels, but also...
Investigation process

4 steps to run a Successful Workplace Investigation Process: Insights from a Senior Investigator

Article updated on 15 February 2024 [Originally published in 2017] Workplace investigation process, whether conducted internally or externally, must follow...