OzHelp calls for increased focus on employee mental health and wellbeing
OzHelp Foundation, one of Australia’s leading providers of workplace wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention services, is calling upon business leaders to place a focus on protecting and improving the health and wellbeing of employees and communities.
OzHelp Foundation Acting CEO Jenny Permezel, said that days such as World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September), and R U OK? Day (12 September) provide the perfect opportunity for workplaces to shine a light on factors impacting on mental health and wellbeing.
“Suicide prevention and mental health is everyone’s business, and with many of us spending more time at work than at home, it makes sense that mental health and wellbeing is a priority just like physical health and safety.”
Ms Permezel said investing in mental health and suicide prevention in the workplace benefits both employees in relation to their own health and wellbeing, and employers in relation to workplace productivity and employee satisfaction.
“What we are seeing is that workplaces can build a positive culture around mental health and wellbeing and this can improve productivity. Targeted education to raise awareness, reduce stigma and build skills can create a safe space for open discussion around mental health and wellbeing, helping workers to identify and act on the things that keep them well.
This crucial focus can lead to increased individual capacity to seek help before there is a crisis, and it’s this early attention to life’s challenges that we know is fundamental in helping people to stay well,” Ms Permezel said.
OzHelp specialises in mental health and suicide prevention and engages with businesses and workers to:
- optimise their resilience
- increase their willingness and ability to seek support when they need it
- increase their willingness and ability to offer supports to others.
“We do this by establishing a human connection, delivering education and online screening tools, backed up by real-time, ongoing supports via phone or face-to-screen technology. This makes mental health and wellbeing awareness and skill development, screening and support accessible to workers nation-wide, regardless of remoteness,” Ms Permezel said.
“We equip people with the skills, knowledge, resources and support to flourish in life by delivering life-saving programs to workplace settings across Australia.”
“So, this World Suicide Prevention Day we would like business leaders to support the 2019 theme, ‘Shining a Light on Suicide Prevention’ and ask R U OK?”
Media Enquiries: Adrienne Moss .
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