In this three-part series we will guide you through developing a mental health strategy for your workplace. The why, the what and the how.
Part 1 – Introduction February 2019
Part 2 – Framework for Change March 2019
Part 3 – How-to Guide to developing a Mental Health Strategy with Ten-step Action Plan, complimentary April webinar and Action Plan resource April 2019
Who is this series for?
Maybe you are just starting out, or perhaps have already started work in this space and would like to review how your current strategy stacks up to the recommended best practice.
Your organisation may be small, medium or large and how you manage mental health and wellbeing and the resources available to do so will look different according to your company’s size. Whilst every workplace is unique and your strategy will need to be tailored to suit your workplace, there are some fundamental principles you need to know in terms of the content. We will discuss these and walk you through a step-by-step guide to help you develop a successful strategy.
Why we are providing it
We know that a mentally healthy workplace has lots of benefits e.g.
- Thriving workers
- Increase in productivity
- Decrease in absenteeism
- Decrease in workers’ compensation claims
We are also know that a mentally healthy workplace should;
- Promote psychological health and wellbeing for all workers
- Eliminate and minimise psychological health and safety issues through the identification, assessment and management of psychosocial hazards
- Be free of stigma and discrimination
- Support workers with mental health conditions
- And importantly, adopt a holistic and integrated approach
Growing a Mentally Healthy Workplace
As with any other area of organisational development and change, it’s important to take a purposeful approach. One way of achieving this is by developing a strategic intent and outlining your activities in a mental health strategy.
One thing though that many of our clients have told us is that whilst they would like to take a structured and planned approach in their workplace by developing a mental health strategy, they are not really sure where to start.
We thought this issue might be true for some other organisations too, so we thought we’d share some of the practical things we cover when we support organisations in doing exactly that – developing a mental health strategy that is informed by current research, best practice and our own experience.
Developing a Mental Health Strategy – what will it give you?
Growing a mentally healthy workplace requires a systematic and holistic approach. A purposeful framework or strategy will help you achieve your goals around minimising workplace risk of psychological harm, promoting psychological wellbeing for your workforce and supporting workers with mental health conditions.
In this series we will outline the why and importantly, the how to develop a mental health strategy for your workplace.
What’s coming next?
So now we know a bit about WHY it matters, next month we’ll talk about the HOW, starting with how a mental health strategy fits in to a broader change process, and the critical elements for a successful culture change program such as what you’ll need to grow a mentally healthy workplace.
In the meantime – want to know more?
We are always happy to chat about how to support positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Contact us.
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