The state of mental wellbeing in Australian workplaces
Research snippet
This page contains a snapshot of the state of mental wellbeing in Australian workplaces.
Mental health in Australia
Mental health is the 3rd biggest health problem in Australia.<superscript>1<superscript>
Anxiety disorders affect 1 in 7 people, and affective disorders such as depression affect 1 in 16.<superscript>2<superscript>
45% of Australians aged 16-85 will experience a mental disorder in their life.
Mental wellbeing in the workplace
25% of all Australian workers take time off each year due to stress.
Half of all psychological injury claims arise from stress.
Australian businesses loss $6.5 billion every year by failing to implement adequate preventative wellbeing measures.<superscript>1<superscript>
The business case: productivity
There is a 500% return on productivity for every dollar spent on supporting mental health conditions in the workplace.<superscript>3<superscript>
This translates to a $2.50 return on every dollar invested.<superscript>4<superscript>
Workplace perceptions
9 in 10 Australian workers believe having a mentally healthy workplace is important.
75% believe workplaces should be providing support for mental health conditions.
Alarmingly, only 1 in 2 perceive their workplace to be mentally healthy.
The majority of management recognises that mentally healthy workplaces are important (89%) but only 56% of employees perceive that management recognised this.<superscript>4<superscript>
3. Hilton M, Assisting the Return on Investment of Good Mental Health Practices as cited in Cowan G, Best Practice in Managing Mental Health in the Workplace.