The case for workplace wellbeing and mental health
Recent worldwide estimates are that 20% of the working population have moderate to severe mental health problems [1]. Loss of productivity has been found to be most associated with poor employee mental health, and it is estimated that 80% of lost productivity costs are associated with employees who have depressed mood [2]. In Australia, it is reported that the bulk of the costs associated with depression are borne by the employer, even above and beyond those met by the healthcare system [3]. Given this, mental health has a high cost for both the employee and the organisation.
Workplaces can equally be a cause of stress and distress and can contribute to poor mental health [4-8]. In fact, it has been hypothesised that “poor quality jobs may be more of a risk to mental health than being unemployed” [4 p.18]. Psychologically distressing work environments have been shown to increase distress in employees, but can also increase distress and risk of suicide in their children [9]. Particular professions are more at risk of suicide and factors related to the organisational climate can either help mitigate or exacerbate these risks.
What makes a good workplace wellbeing strategy?
A good workplace wellbeing strategy is one that is tailored to the individual organisation and considers the organisation's people, structure, industry, and existing resources and supports in place.
A good wellbeing strategy does not solely rely on employee assistance (EAP) services as a mainstay of support, but considers building the resillience of it's people in order to build organisational resillience. It is proactive, not reactive.
Developing a workplace wellbeing strategy can be an evolving process. If you don't have a strategy in place, don't worry! You can build this over time.
How does CASA approach working with businesses and organisations around workplace wellbeing and mental health?
CASA draws on expertise from the clinical and research world and from our experience working with large (and small) organisations to deliver evidence-based, practical solutions. We aim to make our workshops and strategies practical and engaging. There's is no point delivering a workshop if we can't keep people interested!
We will work with you to identify your aims for your wellbeing and mental health strategy and will tailor a solution to your needs.
Some of the services that we offer include:
- Review existing workplace wellbeing policy and supports.
- Workshops for staff on common workplace challenges such as wellbeing at work; building stress management skills; effective communication; supporting peers; and recognising and intervening when people are distressed. These workshops are tailored to the staff level and organisational requirements.
- Workshops for management such as managing distressed employees; effective supervision; building resilience and setting boundaries.
- Employee retention research.
- Crisis intervention and critical incident debriefs.
- Online training.
Why choose CASA?
It seems that these days everyone is offering something in the wellbeing space. It can be hard to choose who to work with! So why choose CASA?
We think CASA is a good choice for a wellbeing partner because:
- You get the benefits of having a dedicated team member to support you and to help develop the training to your needs.
- Although you may be dealing with one team member, they are backed up and supported by the wider CASA team.
- We have a diverse team with a range of backgrounds and organisational experiences (including both public and private sectors).
- We have flexibility in delivery due to having a team. Want more than one trainer? That's not a problem. Want to deliver training nationally? Great! We have team members throughout Aotearoa and our team members travel too. Worried our trainer may get sick (or dare we say it, be suck in Level 4 COVID restrictions)? We can draw on other members of the team.
- We have a proven track record as shown by ongoing contract roll-overs for training.
- We aim to offer affordable options as our ultimate aim is to work towards improving wellbeing. So if you're worried about cost, come and talk to us.
Would you like to know more?
We are happy to talk to you about your needs and what we can offer, whether a full review and well-being strategy development or one-off workshops. For further information, please contact:
Contact CASA to talk about your organisation's wellbeing needs today
1. Hoedeman, R., OECD. Sick on the job? Myths and realities about mental health and work. TBV–Tijdschrift voor Bedrijfs-en Verzekeringsgeneeskunde, 2012. 20(5): p. 234-235.
2. Stewart, W.F., et al., Lost productive work time costs from health conditions in the United States: results from the American Productivity Audit. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2003. 45(12): p. 1234-1246.
3. LaMontagne, A.D., K. Sanderson, and F. Cocker, Estimating the Economic Benefits of Eliminating Job Strain as a Risk Factor for Depression. 2010, Victorian Heath Promotion Foundation (VicHealth): Melbourne.
4. LaMontagne, A.D., et al., Job stress as a preventable upstream determinant of common mental disorders: A review for practitioners and policy-makers. Advances in Mental Health, 2010. 9(1): p. 17-35.
5. Melchior, M., et al., Work stress precipitates depression and anxiety in young, working women and men. Psychological medicine, 2007. 37(8): p. 1119.
6. Loerbroks, A., et al., Associations between work stress and suicidal ideation: Individual-participant data from six cross-sectional studies. J Psychosom Res, 2016. 90: p. 62-69.
7. Baker, M.A., Organizational social climate: Exploring its potential relationship with suicide ideation in at-risk military personnel. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 2019. 80(3-A(E)): p. No Pagination Specified.
8. Baumert, J., et al., Adverse conditions at the workplace are associated with increased suicide risk. J Psychiatr Res, 2014. 57: p. 90-5.
9. Aleck, O., et al., The impact of fathers' physical and psychosocial work conditions on attempted and completed suicide among their children. BMC Public Health, 2006. 6: p. 77.
