Mental health at work isn’t just a wellbeing issue: it’s a workplace right

Work takes up roughly a third of most people’s lives, which is a big enough share that it’s worth asking honestly: is the workplace helping, or hurting? Close to one in five Australians experience poor mental health in any given year, and unsupported, it’s estimated to cost Australian businesses billions annually in lost productivity. This Mental Health Month, Together We Thrive is a call to make workplaces part of the solution.

There are three things every mentally healthy workplace gets right:

• Preventing harm: fair workloads, safe conditions, and jobs designed so they don’t quietly grind people down.
• Promoting wellbeing: genuine inclusion, real development opportunities, and a workplace people actually want to be part of.
• Providing support: awareness, and the practical capability to act when someone needs help.

If you’re an employee, it helps to recognise the early signs of burnout in yourself, such as persistent stress, exhaustion or a growing sense of dread about work, and to reach out for support before things become overwhelming. If you’re an employer, the same three pillars apply at a bigger scale: thoughtful job design, real training, and managing psychosocial risk with the same seriousness as physical safety.

It’s also worth knowing this isn’t just goodwill. Under Australian discrimination, privacy and work health and safety laws, workers living with a mental health condition have rights, including the right to reasonable workplace adjustments, and protection from discrimination.

For some people, exercising that right can be the difference between struggling to stay in work and finding a workplace where they can genuinely thrive.

Matthew knows what the right adjustment can mean. Living with chronic pain, an invisible disability, he needed an employer willing to work around his condition rather than around a rigid roster. He found one, and a role that gave him back a sense of purpose.

Attaining a job has afforded such an opportunity for myself… to feel valued.” (Matthew)

Read Matthew’s story

Whether you’re navigating your rights as an employee or building a more supportive workplace as an employer, CoAct can help you work out what genuine support looks like in practice. Get in touch. For NDIS participants, that support might start with our Support Coordination team helping you make sense of your plan, or with Nurah, our counselling and psychology service, for a safe space to talk things through.

Click here to contact us and find out how we can help.