Marking Mental Health Awareness Week
During NZ Mental Health Awareness Week let's look at how we can protect our mental health each day.
With Mental Health Awareness Week in Aotearoa New Zealand taking place this week (and World Mental Health Day being marked today), it feels like a good time to pause and think again about how we protect our mental health.
What do the stats say about mental health and work?
Globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity and that 15% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2019.
Local surveys tell us that Kiwis are aware of their mental health and well-being, generally and at work, and there are mixed feelings.
The 2023 Workplace Wellness Report from Business NZ and Southern Cross Insurance found that in many organisations, stress levels were rising. General workload was the biggest stressor, with long hours, changes at work and work relationships also highlighted. Financial concerns were the biggest non-work-related stressor. Around 1 in 5 organisations reported instances of quiet quitting (where an employee puts in minimal effort and does nothing above their basic role requirements). More positively, most respondents recognised the importance of staff well-being and had policies or programmes in place to help.
In another recent survey - the 2024 Workplace Wellbeing survey by the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) and nib Insurance, 61% of employees said their workplace proactively managed wellbeing, up from 53% two years ago. But it did highlight issues with supporting leaders who are struggling and dealing with bullying. Respondents were also keen to look for wellbeing initiatives when they were looking for new roles, with 72% saying they looked for wellbeing initiatives and subsidies when they looked for a new job.
An interesting report from Stats NZ last year found that Māori-led organisations were better at supporting mental health. According to the report, 82% of Māori authorities and 77% of other Māori businesses provided mental health and wellbeing support, compared to 53% reported across all New Zealand businesses. More than 80% offered flexible working, which can also help to improve well-being.
ICYMI - some of our wellbeing reads
There are so many reasons to think about how we support mental health and wellbeing at work (and at home). It’s not just something to focus on during awareness campaigns — it’s something to build into every day. But moments like Mental Health Awareness Week or World Mental Health Day can be a great reminder to start (or restart) that journey.
If you are looking for more resources, the Mental Health Foundation NZ has some great information.