New tool to measure mental health in the workplace

The NSW Government has released their Workplace Wellbeing Assessment, a free digital tool to survey your employees’ mental health.

The assessment allows companies to help keep workers safe and engaged, compare with other businesses, see how experiences vary across teams and track changes in the workplace over time.

This initiative comes off the back of SafeWork NSW’s 2020 Benchmarking Tool Survey. The study found that since 2017, 12.5 per cent more employers were taking effective mental health action. By the end of 2022, NSW Government wants to have 90,000 NSW businesses taking action, 14,042 more than 2020, and to have a 30 per cent reduction in serious workplace injury and illness.

Head of SafeWork NSW, Natasha Mann said: “The free self-assessment tool helps set up a survey which businesses can use to confidentially survey their staff, with the results informing businesses how to plan and respond to risks and create workplaces where mental health thrives.”

“The tool measures and monitors a workplace’s capability by identifying gaps and areas for improvement. It also provides actions for the business to take to reduce risks and allows them to compare themselves with others across the State,” she explained.

October is Mental Health Awareness Month in Australia, so the release of the tool is timely. SafeWork NSW has encouraged businesses to take part, as according to Ms Mann, 80 per cent of NSW companies take a reactive approach to mental health issues at work, rather than proactive.

“A mentally healthy workplace provides many benefits back into the business, including increased staff engagement and productivity. But despite the benefits, many people in NSW are not aware of the role workplaces play in preventing mental health issues and supporting recovery,” said Ms Mann.

“As a free resource, it’s a great investment for any small business to make in looking after the mental health of their workers.”

She added: “This is not just about the mental health of your workers; this is about making the best workplace environment in your workplace both mentally and physically.”

To access this tool, visit the site’s homepage. Some stipulations are made, including: “A minimum of 5 team leaders / workers plus 1 business leader are required to create a survey.” From there, employers will be able to conduct an anonymous survey of their staff in order to gauge, for example, opinions on leadership and culture within the company.

To read more and sign up to the Workplace Wellbeing Assessment, click here.

Jack Campbell

Jack is the editor at HR Leader.