How mentally healthy is your workplace?
05 September 2023
5
min read
Australian workplaces scored 72.8 out of 100 on a national survey1 measuring mentally healthy workplaces. See what it means for your workplace.
A report by SuperFriend1 on Indicators of a Thriving Workplace has found Australian workplaces scored 72.8 out of 100 when it comes to mental health in the workplace. It means there’s plenty of room for improvement in mental health among Australian workers and workplaces.
The national survey, in its eighth year, involved almost 10,000 Australian workers in 2022.
It included over 100 questions across five key indicators:
- Connectedness
- Safety
- Leadership
- Work Design
- Capability
Mental health in Australian workplaces
Workers ranked connectedness as the top-scoring thriving workplace indicator at 78.5 out of 100. The score suggests that many Australian workers have high-quality relationships with their co-workers.
The survey found 28% of workers reported experiencing a mental health condition in the past 12 months. Those who sought support for their mental health from co-workers had a higher connectedness score.
Australian workplaces scored 76.1 out of 100 for safety, based on what the workplaces did to make sure workers were free from harassment, bullying, discrimination and violence.
The survey found one in 10 people experienced bullying at work in the past 12 months. The same number experienced discrimination. Workplaces scored better on safety if workers reported their workplace had a mental health or wellbeing policy in place.
Workers ranked workplace capability the lowest. This finding indicates workers want more skills and resources to support their mental health and that of others in the workplace.
Which industries produce thriving workplaces
Information Media and Telecommunications was the highest scoring industry in the survey. The Arts and Recreation Services industry came next.
Other Services, that includes roles like car or machinery maintenance, hairdressing and funeral services, scored the lowest at 69.1.
Education and Training came in at number 18 of the 19 industries with a score of 70.2.
Who works in a thriving workplace
Across the five indicators of a thriving workplace, the report found key factors among workers scores.
6 factors leading to a higher thriving workplace score:
- Being aged between 30 and 44 years
- Working somewhere between 30 and 49 hours per week
- Working full-time
- Working in an organisation with over 200 employees
- Owning the business or being a manager at some level
- Coming from Tasmania or NSW
6 factors leading to a lower thriving workplace score:
- Being aged between 55 and 64 years
- Working over 60 hours per week
- Working on a casual basis
- Working for a SME (2-200 employees)
- Being financially stressed and unable to access emergency funds
- Coming from Queensland or the ACT
Excessive workload impacts workplace mental health
The 5 most poorly addressed hazards in Australian workplaces were:
- Inappropriate workload: having too much or too little work or responsibility
- Low recognition: lack of positive feedback, recognition or rewards for good work
- Poor change management: lack of clear communication, consultation or effective processes during workplace changes
- Poor management support: inadequate assistance or guidance from leaders
- Low job control: limited control over decisions relating to how work is performed.
On the other hand, working from home was rated a positive by Australian workers.
Working from home for up to 50% of the time had a positive impact across eight out of nine of the psychosocial hazards that the survey identified.
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1 SuperFriend, 2023, Indicators of a Thriving Workplace survey: 2022 Key insights, 2023, accessed 8 August 2023 at superfriend.com.au