SafeWork NSW has updated and relaunched its Mentally Healthy Workplaces Strategy in response to the changes in ways of working which have come about due to COVID-19.
Minister for Better Regulation, Kevin Anderson said the re-designed Strategy was aimed at improving workplace mental health and focused on helping every type of business in NSW become mentally healthy.
“SafeWork has already done a fantastic job in supporting businesses implement mental health plans for their workplaces and have trained up more than 14,000 employees, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” Mr Anderson said.
“In the last two years SafeWork NSW received more than 5,000 calls for assistance and information in relation to bullying and other psychosocial risks as well as how to get started in creating a mentally healthy workplace,” he said.
“The re-designed Strategy is about helping employers move from a model of only prioritising mental health at work following an incident, to offering targeted and proactive support to their employees throughout the year.”
Mr Anderson said that under its updated Strategy, SafeWork would launch a pilot program, for small and medium businesses, to provide business leaders with one-on-one training from experts on workplace mental health.
The Minister said that through the Direct Practical Coaching pilot every business could receive tailored guidance on how to address workplace mental health issues and create plans to mitigate them.
Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor said that in the wake of COVID-19 it was increasingly important for businesses to know how to prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of their staff, which could make a big difference to morale and productivity.
SafeWork’s updated 23-page Strategy can be accessed at this PS News link.
