Heyday Group: A collaborative approach
OzHelp and Heyday Group have partnered since 2014 to ensure staff have access to timely and accessible health and wellbeing support. Heyday Group provides electrical design, construction and maintenance services across ACT and NSW, in both metropolitan and regional communities.
Safety and positive team environments are among the core values espoused by the leadership of Heyday Group.
Management know all too well the wellbeing challenges that face workers – particularly in male dominated, high risk industries. The challenges of lived-experience with mental ill health and the tragedy of suicide is something the organisation has had to face first-hand. Unfortunately, this is not a problem isolated to any one company, but rather an issue that is common within the industries that OzHelp aims to support.
Since 2014, OzHelp has cemented its ongoing support of Heyday Group’s employees year-on-year. This has included Tradie Tune Ups at various worksites; confidential counselling services; and training and education courses for the general workforce and identified peer supporters. These services have complemented the company’s own resources and commitment to health and wellbeing.
Heyday Group Director and ACT General Manager, Doug Prail, talks openly about mental health, emphasising that it is important to maintain a positive dialogue and have avenues for support, particularly in industries where stigma persists, preventing some people from speaking out or seeking help.
“It’s slowly shifting for the better and we’ve seen the benefits of a more nurturing culture that shows genuine concern for people. This is facilitated in part by engagement with OzHelp’s mental health programs. We value their support and they are our first point of contact on these matters,” says Doug.
“There are also two major factors that I think are leading the overall change in workplace mental health. The first is increased industry awareness of mental illness and suicide, and the second seems to be somewhat generational. Younger workers seem to be increasingly open to talking about these things, which suggests awareness and education are having a longer-term impact.”
Doug’s observations are testament to the tireless work that continues across sectors to raise awareness, reduce stigma and increase mental health literacy.
Not only does the construction industry represent a higher risk cohort, but suicide more broadly remains a leading cause of death for men under the age of 45 years (ABS, 2018). To this purpose, Heyday Group have highlighted the value of having all their Project Managers and Site Foremen trained to recognise the signs that a colleague might be having problems and have the confidence and skills to act on this.
Heyday Group’s decision to engage OzHelp to facilitate their mental health support package was based on the experience, accessibility, availability and reputation of OzHelp’s team.
OzHelp is honoured to be viewed in this light by a long-term workplace partner such as Heyday Group and looks forward to many more years of combined efforts to support their people.
OzHelp specialises in providing mental health and wellbeing support packages, which complement existing workplace health and safety practices. This may include workshops; health screening; counselling support; and referral pathways – dependent on the unique needs of each organisation.
Contact us for more information or to access our support.