Developing and Maintaining Mentally Healthy & Supportive Workplaces (Part 1)

Stellar’s Managing Director, Shaun McCambridge, sits down with Dan Hunt, former professional rugby league player and founder of The Mental Health Movement. They discuss how The Mental Health Movement has created mentally healthy workplaces and the necessary steps to achieve this. Dan draws on past experiences and shares a wealth of knowledge on navigating towards a better mental head space.

Dan’s Highlights:

1:55 - Views on “Absenteeism” and “Presenteeism” and what needs to change to address this phenomenon

7:22 - How drug and alcohol abuse is used as escapism and the big reluctance of seeking help

12:50 - The reality lived during the height of Dan’s mental illness and how to navigate your way to a better head space.

23:05 - What a mentally healthy sustainable workplace looks like and the blueprint to achieve this.

Views on “Absenteeism” and “Presenteeism” and what needs to change to address this phenomenon

When looking at absenteeism and presenteeism in the workplace, it is not only about the psychosocial hazards in the workplace. There are external contributors like finances, pressures, upbringing, and expectations which affect a human being and will be brought into the workplace. There is no one answer to better manage absenteeism and presenteeism, but the findings from the commission have elements which can help create and develop a mentally healthy workplace. Assess your individual workplace and align to the best standard or practice for that workplace. If you are thinking better, feeling better and being better, you will want to come into the workplace.

How drug and alcohol abuse is used as escapism and the big reluctance of seeking help.

There are nine Australians who take their life each day. 76% of these individuals are male. Thus, 7 men are taking their life every day. Drug and substance usage can coexist with anxiety or depressive orders and can be used for escapism or as a coping strategy. However, these are not positive coping strategies. What defines a substance use disorder is when it starts to affect the law, health, work, relationships and can’t be cut back. People will self-medicate to numb the pain; however, it can only amplify situations.

The reality lived during the height of Dan’s mental illness and how to navigate your way to a better head space.

Leading into the struggle, Dan was a product of his own environment; full of anger, hated the world and everything in it. Professional rugby league gave a sense of identity, purpose and belonging to help get back on the straight and narrow. When that identity was taken away before the pinnacle of Dan’s career, it hit like a tonne of bricks. After reaching out to his support network, Dan realised it was okay to struggle and show vulnerability; you didn’t have to suffer in silence and do it on your own. Find your network to confide in and prepare to be vulnerable. People need to go through their own catalyst to get them to a point where the perception shifts. By adhering to the following three steps, you will be able to navigate your way to a better head space.

1. Knowing you don’t have to do it on your own.

2. Have a level of awareness to understand that what goes on in your life can affect the way you think, act, and feel.

3. Have awareness on how it affects how you think, act, and feel

4. Once the above steps are considered, you can then build out to better manage and cope.

This can be through exercise, mindfulness or even challenging your mindset.

What a mentally healthy sustainable workplace looks like and the blueprint to achieve this

Mental health it is not ADHOC. The best practice for creating a mentally healthy sustainable environment is measuring where the workplace is at. Having surveys which can help you understand the contributing factors, leadership capabilities and psychosocial hazards, will enable you to build your mental health framework or strategy.

If you have a brain in your head, you have mental health. A mentally healthy supportive workplace is one where you can build mental health literacy. In addition, integrating mental education across the workplace through the use of a blueprint and improving help seeking barriers are elements which will both build and sustain a positive mental environment. Consider what capabilities can be inherited by the leadership team and identify where the workplace is heading in relation to the ISO standard.