Employee inductions are often principally focused on the operational components to initiate new employees into an organisation. Employee wellbeing is often overlooked, yet, employee wellbeing is one of the most important factors in the success of their transition into a workplace. 

Mental health impacts every area of our lives. It affects how we think, feel, and behave. It also has significant impacts on our job performance, our relationships and our physical well-being.

Understanding how to look after our own mental health, as well as supporting the mental health of those around us, requires appropriate knowledge and awareness. As a result of so many working-age Australians experiencing mental ill-health every year, addressing mental health in the office makes sense. However, with so many mental health programs out there, it can be difficult to know exactly where to start. Mentally Well Workplace’s advice is to induct all of your employees with a mental health workplace induction.

A mental health workplace induction is a great way to equip employees with the skills they need to approach mental ill-health while on the job – and they are more necessary than ever. A survey of Australian employees found that over a third (37%) look to their employers as their main source of mental health support.

Unfortunately, over one-third of employees (35%) do not believe that their office has appropriate policies, practices, or procedures to support mental health.

What is a mental health workplace induction?

Mentally Well Workplace offers workplace inductions that are Australia’s first online mental health inductions. They are short, evidence-based courses designed to give each and every employee a fundamental understanding of mental health at the office.

Our courses are also ideal for managers too. Our courses are also designed to keep employees up to date with the newly released WHO guidelines on mental health in the workplace, which state “manager training may also be given as part of pre-job training (including in management programmes, leadership curricula or inductions) or as on-the-job training.”

We offer several workplace inductions to suit the needs of you and your staff— all with a focus on education and early intervention.

Here are three benefits of a mental health workplace induction:

Affordable

While Mental Health First Aid training is important for every business (and we encourage organisations to have at least one accredited Mental Health First Aider on staff), we know it’s not always practical to send employees away for hours of training.

Workplace inductions help ensure all staff members have a basic level of mental health knowledge and education. You’ll still need a Mental Health First Aider, but our series of courses are an affordable and time-efficient option that all staff members can complete.

Effective

Mental health workplace inductions are evidence-based, meaning the skills and strategies you’ll learn are backed by valid research. These mental health workplace inductions familiarise your employees with common mental illnesses and focus on early intervention and awareness training.

We find this proactive approach to be the most effective because the focus is on early intervention and prevention. Other mental health support, such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), can be useful, but they generally focus on the crisis at hand. In an ideal world, we would intervene to minimize potential mental health problems before they reach crisis point.

All employees benefit

Mentally healthy office spaces operate best when a whole organisation is mental health aware, open to discussing mental health and supporting the mental health of others. This means staff at all levels have at least a basic working knowledge of mental health — something our workplace induction courses can provide.

An integrated approach doesn’t mean training every employee as a Mental Health First Aider, but it does mean providing all employees with a foundational level of mental health understanding. We have seen real results with our range of courses and the early intervention and awareness training they deliver.

When organisations make mental health training accessible to all employees and commit early intervention strategies that improve the well-being of all employees, not just those experiencing a mental illness, they’ll also reap the rewards. Investing in employee mental health also means investing in employee engagement and productivity, and therefore company performance.

Ensuring that every employee has some level of mental health training is a smart investment for your business. Get in touch with our team to see how we can provide your team with a mental health workplace induction.