Last week, I opened an email from my son’s school that really upset me. On the face of it, it seemed like a great email – it was to advise the upcoming casual clothes day where there would be some fun activities and all for the low cost of a gold coin donation. What kid doesn’t love casual clothes and reduced classroom time?

It was the reason for the ‘fun’ that really bothered me. The school is promoting RUOK Day and the premise for the activities is to support mental health. Sure, that’s a great thing to do and teaching kids that it’s OK not to be OK, along with where and how they can seek support is truly very important. But on seeing this email, my anger boiled over because my child has been the subject of some pretty relentless bullying. He is not alone in this and there seems to be a culture of harassment and toxic behaviour that has become well entrenched in this school.

Despite our best efforts to work and communicate with the leadership of the school, the response has been appalling. In fact, the only solution they had was that my child play more sport (apparently golf, basketball and swimming wasn’t enough). Yep, that’s one way to deal with the declining mental health of a kid who’s been told to end his own life by classmates…

RUOK Day in the workplace

Now take my reaction to a simple school email and apply it to employees who receive an invitation to join a special morning tea with fancy RUOK Day themed cupcakes. For those businesses who take the mental wellbeing of their employees seriously and have initiatives in place that support their people for the other 364 days of the year, I’m sure such an invitation is welcomed, and an enjoyable morning will be had by all.

Imagine though, the business that ignores the mental health of its employees all year but whips out morning tea and some balloons in September and then pats itself on the back for all the good work it does looking after the wellbeing of its employees. It’s a meaningless gesture and it will only serve to further highlight that you are missing a well thought out mental health program, and cupcakes – or casual clothes days – have the potential to make those employees who are struggling, feel more isolated.

To be clear, I do think RUOK Day is a fantastic initiative, and we absolutely should be talking about mental health and looking at ways we can support each other. The key to making this day really work when it comes to your business, is what you put around it and how you address mental health and workplace psychosocial hazards all year round.

Build a healthy workplace

The Black Dog Institute advises that “mental illness is now the leading cause of sickness absence and long-term work incapacity in Australia”. Research from Safework NSW shows that for every dollar spent improving mental health at work, returns of up to $4 can be achieved through improved productivity and reduced workers comp claims.

While the return in investment is clear, the thought of implementing mental health infrastructure may be daunting - how much will it really cost, where do I start, who will manage it, what are my legal obligations – the list goes on. In reality, it doesn’t need to be difficult.

Building a mentally healthy workplace really comes down to walking the walk all year round and there are some easy gets such as:

• Creating a safe workplace where employees know who or where to go to in order to address issues in the workplace.
• Having clear policies around negative behaviours such as bullying and harassment. This includes how to report it and how it will be addressed.
• Taking appropriate action when a concern is raised about bullying and not putting your head in the sand
• Addressing gaslighting behaviour when observed (can be rampant in meetings), but is often overlooked
• Having a clear set of behaviours or values, and managers who address people who fail to demonstrate these
• Considering flexible working arrangements where viable – this can help deliver better work/life balance.
• Providing mental health education and training to your team – there are some great services available that are no or low cost
• Advertising Beyond Blue’s services – did you know that an employee can pick up a phone and talk to a counsellor today – for free?
• Reduce stigma. Speak openly about mental health conditions.
• Regularly assess and manage workloads to maintain productivity and well-being, including being aware of excessive overtime and taking action if needed
• Create a safe and supportive physical work environment that fosters motivation and positivity.

Employee Assistance Program

If you are serious about supporting happy and mentally healthy employees, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is absolutely worth considering if your budget allows. An EAP is paid for by the business and allows employees to have access to confidential and professional counselling services. Consider this option if it is financially viable for your business as workplaces that have an EAP in place report improved productivity and retention, lower levels of absenteeism, and reduced WorkCover claims.

Make RUOK Day more than a token gesture

Underlying any healthy workplace is a culture of support and openness and how the leaders in your business behave and the programs you implement will speak volumes about how mental health is perceived in your company. If your actions all year round show that you take the mental well being of your team seriously, then I am all for a special morning tea to celebrate and acknowledge RUOK Day. Grand one day gestures that are designed to simply tick boxes and give the illusion that you care will ultimately alienate and infuriate team members that see through the tokenism. And if it is token, then our advice is to not do it.

If you want to build a healthy and supportive culture that provides you with an engaged and productive team and you don’t know where to start, contact HR Staff n’ Stuff and we can help you work through your options. And yes, my child is changing schools where they absolutely take the mental health of our young people very seriously and casual clothes on RUOK Day is way more than lip service!