Workplace mental injury is rapidly rising. The solution lies in changing work practices and attitudes to mental illness.

In the most recent national census Australians were asked for the first time if they have been diagnosed with a health condition.

According to the census, mental disorders are the leading chronic illness afflicting Australians. About 2.2 million – nearly 9% of the population – picked depression, anxiety or other mental condition.

The sobering statistics are playing out now across the country’s workforce.

Mental injuries accounted for 9.3% of overall serious claims in 2020/21, according to Safe Work Australia, the Commonwealth agency that sets national policy on work health and safety and workers’ compensation.

The median time lost per serious mental injury claim in 2020/21 was 30.7 weeks, according to Safe Work Australia’s Key Work Health and Safety Statistics 2022 report. The time lost for physical injuries, in contrast, is substantially less at 6.2 working weeks.

Safe Work Australia also points out that the median time lost in working hours for mental injuries has risen markedly in recent years. In 2015/16 the median time lost was just 18.8 weeks.

Signs that more and more people in the 13.75 million-strong Australian labour force are under duress are increasingly hard to ignore. It didn’t happen overnight, and the covid-19 pandemic was certainly not the sole culprit.

The 2021 Census findings do reflect partly the psychological toll of the pandemic. Lockdowns were in place and overseas travel was still banned when the census took place in August that year, with most of the country still masked-up and under one or more social restrictions. But long before that workers were already feeling stress.

Societal attitudes have changed – for the better.

In the past most chose to suffer mental illness issues in silence by default, out of fear they would be judged and discriminated against. But mental health organisation Beyond Blue says Covid has made it less taboo to be open about one’s struggles with stress, emotional exhaustion and other disorders.

Beyond Blue Lead Clinical Adviser Grant Blashki advises that “…the pandemic enabled deeper conversations about mental health and wellbeing”.

Allianz Australia, a key workers’ compensation insurance provider covering one in eight Australian employers, has seen a “steeper” rise in active primary psychological claims since the pandemic. In 2017 to 2019 the increase was about 12% and in 2020 to 2022 it was 17%.

“Our research shows that many employees are feeling a sense of fatigue and burnout as workplaces adjust to a new normal after two years of disruption,” said Chief General Manager of Personal Injury Julie Mitchell.

QBE has seen a similar trend in its workers’ compensation business. A spokesman says New South Wales (NSW) mental health claims were already trending up before covid erupted.

The NSW situation is, according to a QBE spokesman, “attributed to a combination of greater mental health literacy, rapid changes in societal expectations, including changing work and social demands, all leading to a greater self-awareness of individual psychological function and subsequent higher reporting of injury”.

Legal obligations to create “psychologically safe” offices or sites for staff.

Failure to take reasonable steps to prevent mental injury could lead to prosecution under Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, including potential fines of up to $332,000 for an individual or $1.66 million for a body corporate.

In 2022 WorkSafe Victoria prepared a toolkit for the business community, offering ideas, tips, tools and good practice suggestions to prevent or limit mental injuries in workplaces.

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/workwell-toolkit

Certain work-related experiences can negatively impact the mental health of workers. These include:

stress
bullying
fatigue
physical injury
violence, including family and gendered violence (including sexual harassment)

Workplaces that proactively address these work-related factors and psychosocial hazards not only keep their workers safe but also see benefits to the business, including:

reduced worker absenteeism
increased productivity, output and engagement
improved workplace reputation – increased attraction, retention and customer base
improved workplace culture
increased return on investment and benefit to your business's bottom-line

For every dollar spent on a successful mental health initiative, businesses can expect to see a $2.30 return on investment (PwC 2014).

WorkSafe Victoria suggests employers could look into skill utilisation to give workers more opportunities to use their capabilities. Initiatives such as recreational activities for employees will also support lifting workplace mental health safety.

Taking action on workplace mental health

Beyond Blue’s Dr Blashki says it appears more employers are taking action on workplace mental health, with some undertaking surveys to monitor psycho-social hazards and prioritising work design planning. But there’s still room for improvement.

“It can’t just be fruit bowls and yoga,” Dr Blashki says. “It’s about good job design, job clarity, a strong workplace culture, flexible leave options and leadership that prioritises mental health and takes decisive action to support staff wellbeing.

“Beyond Blue wants to see more workplaces implement a mental health strategy, including a focus on stigma reduction.”

References and Resources

Article by Bernice Han ‘Still Got The Blue’, published in Insurance News April/ May 2023 https://in-magazine.com.au/still-got-the-blues/
WorkSafe Victoria website https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/workwell-toolkit
Mental Health Australia website https://mhaustralia.org/need-help

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Workplace mental injury