Mental health at work: good for people, good for business

If you’re an employer, here’s something worth paying attention to: mental health is increasingly being recognised as part of business strategy, not something separate.

Employees are paying attention too. Workplace mental health support can influence whether someone chooses to take a job, and that matters even more for younger workers.

But the impact of poor mental health at work isn’t always easy to see. Some employees are physically present but mentally checked out because of stress, burnout or other challenges. That lost focus and productivity can come at a significant cost to businesses.

This Mental Health Month, Together We Thrive is a reminder that supporting people isn’t just good for wellbeing. It’s good for business too. When people feel supported, connected and valued, workplaces are better placed to thrive.

What employers can do that really makes a difference:

• Look beyond attendance. Track how quickly people can access support, how engaged they are, and whether support is actually being used, not just whether a policy exists.
• Remove the friction. Make costs clear, offer more than one way to access support, and make booking support genuinely simple.
• Train managers to notice and connect, not diagnose. A manager’s job is to recognise when someone’s struggling and point them to the right support, not to play counsellor.
• Make psychological safety the default. Normalise asking for support and make sure people have the time and space to use it.
• Judge support programs on outcomes, not just uptake. The number of people who access support only tells part of the story. What matters is whether that support is actually making a difference.

Creating workplaces where people can thrive

A genuinely supportive workplace isn’t just about having the right policies and programs in place. It’s also about creating an environment where people have opportunities to contribute, build confidence, feel valued and be part of something.

We’ve seen the difference this can make through our work with employers like ICS Service Solutions. Glen Givens, Queensland State Manager at ICS, initially assumed hiring people with disability would mean additional challenges for the business. After spending a year working as a job coach himself, his perspective changed.

His first hire through an inclusive employment pathway was a former CoAct client. Through the role, that person gained financial independence, new friendships and greater confidence.

Today, more than half of ICS’s Queensland team have come through inclusive employment pathways.

These people don’t often get opportunities. No one wants to give them a chance, so when they do get a chance, it makes so much of a difference.” (Glen Givens, ICS Service Solutions)

The story is a powerful reminder that creating a workplace where people can thrive isn’t just about supporting people when they’re struggling. It’s also about creating opportunities, removing barriers and recognising the contribution people can make when they’re given the chance.

Read the ICS Service Solutions case study.

If you’re an employer looking to build a genuinely mentally healthy workplace, CoAct’s employer team can help. Talk to us.

And if members of your team are NDIS participants, our Support Coordination team and counselling and psychology service, Nurah, can provide additional support as part of a workplace that genuinely cares about people.

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