2024 AI LEADERSHIP SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS
Evidence clearly demonstrates that healthy workplaces are more creative, have better staff engagement, increased retention, improved performance and greater sustainability, writes Therese Joyce, Manager, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Fisher Leadership.
After two and a half years of a global pandemic, wellbeing at work is more important than ever. Evidence clearly demonstrates that healthy workplaces are more creative, have better staff engagement, increased retention, improved performance and greater sustainability. A mentally healthy workplace is also more than just a nice-to-have, it is a legal obligation and an ethical responsibility.
Today we have an extraordinary opportunity to make meaningful change. We have never been through a global pandemic before and we have therefore never returned to work after one. We will not be returning to the lockdowns of 2020 or 2021, nor should we return to life pre-COVID. How often have we heard about the need for disruption? Here we are with the greatest global disruption of our lifetime – let's not waste this opportunity by going backwards to ‘what we've always done’.
The cost of lost productivity to Australian business attributed to mental ill-health is $39 billion every year. In 2014, research by Beyond Blue and PwC found a return of $2.40 for every dollar invested in mental health initiatives. In 2020, Deloitte found this increased, with up to $11 return on investment (ROI) for every dollar invested. However, mental ill-health will not be fixed by lunchtime yoga and bowls of fruit. Leaders must prioritise mental health as an organisational strategy.
Wellbeing at work is a dual responsibility, shared between employees and the organisation. After such relentless change, it is neither appropriate nor realistic to put the responsibility for resilience and health entirely on the individual. As COVID-19 has affected people differently, we must not forget the human factor at a uniquely personal level and give attention to our systemic approach through processes and policies. The experience of the past two years has differed depending on people’s living environment, whether they have school-aged children, live alone, and according to individual differences in discomfort with uncertainty. It is much more likely to have negatively impacted women and it has been significantly more damaging to young adults aged 18-24.
While some people are flourishing and keen to get back to life as usual, others are not. Many people are exhausted. Ongoing uncertainty affects existing levels of anxiety or mental ill-health, and change fatigue is real. When we are overwhelmed and exhausted, it may not be enough to simply have a rest. Some people are showing signs of burnout. In 2019 the World Health Organisation defined burnout as a “syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” There are evidence-based ways to support people to prevent or overcome burnout. Transparency and clear communication are more important than ever.
How can employers manage workload in a productive and helpful way?
It is also important to clearly articulate your expectations on location of work, including if remote or onsite is entirely optional. If two or three days per week in the office have been mandated, explain why and set a timeline. Try things out and consistently review, revise and re-evaluate.
For many, boundaries have blurred over the past few years. Our home has become our office. The kitchen table our children’s school. Respect and encourage time away from work, a ritual to signify the end to the workday. Discourage working over the weekend or into the evenings, and model this at the leadership level.
Nobody knows the perfect way to do this. We can establish what this new world of work looks like. Leaders must lead with curiosity, compassion and open communication. The agility used to adapt and respond over the past few years should continue to create a healthier modern workplace that truly values our people as well as our productivity.
Since the 1970s, the Australian Government has acknowledged the critical need for policy evaluation through a succession of reviews and legislative changes. Unfortunately, evaluation in the Australian Public Service remains poor. As shown by CEDA’s recent report Disrupting Disadvantage 3: Finding what works, once new policies are adopted, there is often little or ineffective follow-up. This includes a lack of resourcing and proper evaluation guidelines for organisations contracted to deliver the policies and programs. This is particularly the case in the disadvantage space, writes CEDA Graduate Economist Sebastian Tofts-Len.
CEO of PwC Australia and Vice Chairman of PwC Asia Pacific, Luke Sayers discusses the 2017 Federal Budget and what it means for Australia.
Read more Opinion article September 14, 2015