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One in two Australian workers feel lip service is being paid to their mental health .
On guard
Report find over half of Australian employees are ‘ guarding ’ themselves at work .
By Wade Zaglas
Late last year the Australian College of Applied Professions ( ACAP ) asked YouthGov to undertake a nationally representative sample of 1000 Australian workers to ascertain attitudes within Australian workplaces .
Formerly the Australian College of Applied Psychology , ACAP is a higher education institute and registered training organisation that specialises in delivering accredited courses in psychology , counselling , coaching , criminology , social work and business management and leadership ( MBA ).
What the survey found was disturbing , including that :
• Slightly more than half of workers ( 53 per cent ) reported hiding a mental or physical health condition to avoid judgement at work or discrimination .
• Nearly half of participants ( 47 per cent ) – approximately 5.6 million workers – didn ’ t “ feel comfortable enough to be open about their personal interests , values , culture and / or lifestyle at work ”.
• Just shy of half ( 49 per cent ) of survey respondents said their workplace “ has introduced mental health and wellbeing initiatives to ‘ tick boxes ’,”. The survey and its resulting report also highlighted that poor soft skills among managers and workers drive worker concerns , and significant differences in perceptions among generational groups , particularly between Gen Z / Millennials and Baby Boomers .
The research revealed that a lack of soft skills or people skills ’ among leaders and managers was “ a key driver behind worker concerns ”. For example , 65 per cent of respondents reported “ their manager / boss struggled with soft skills , particularly empathy ( 27 per cent ), effective communication ( 25 per cent ), active listening ( 21 per cent ), flexibility ( 21 per cent ), and emotional intelligence ( 20 per cent )”.
The survey also illuminated stark gaps in perceptions , particularly between the Gen Z / Millennials and Baby Boomers . For example , survey results show that Millennials are 20 per cent more likely to not be “ comfortable enough to be open about their personal interests , values , culture and / or lifestyle at work ”.
Furthermore , 54 per cent of Millennials articulate that they don ’ t feel at ease enough to talk about their personal values , interests , culture and / or lifestyle in the workplace .
Tokenistic acts ? “ Meanwhile , Millennials ( 55 per ) and Gen Xers ( 53 per cent ) were significantly more likely than Baby Boomers ( 35 per cent ) to say they feel like their workplace has introduced mental health and wellbeing initiatives to ‘ tick boxes ’ while , day to day , their manager shows little if any genuine concern or empathy for their wellbeing ,” the report said .
The report also highlights that , since the COVID pandemic , employees “ have increasingly weighed up their experiences at work , including whether to return to the office at all or change jobs ”. The report refers to a recent survey , finding that despite this emphasis on workplace wellbeing and inclusion , “ one in two Australian workers still lack confidence to bring their whole selves to work and feel lip service is being paid to their mental health ”.
This latest report comes on the back of other organisations struggling to ameliorate staff turnover and replace critical skills gaps .
A 2020 Federal Productivity Commission report put the figure of mental-health related absenteeism and presenteeism at $ 17 million annually in Australia .
“ In an age where we are repeatedly told ‘ to be ourselves ’ and that ‘ it ’ s OK not to be OK ’ at work , these latest findings suggest that many Australians still feel very guarded in the workplace ,” said ACAP CEO , George Garrop .
“ While over the past two years , many organisations have boosted their mental health , wellbeing , diversity and inclusion initiatives , our research indicates that these initiatives are not always leading to meaningful outcomes or positive sentiment for workers .
“ The data also tells us that many Australian workplaces could be doing more to acknowledge the unique values , needs , personalities and circumstances of their people – and that managers and leaders could deliver a wealth of collective benefits through operating with key soft skills like empathy , emotional intelligence and active listening .
“ We have a particular interest in the people skills required to make workplaces better environments to thrive in . Through programs such as ACAP ’ s recently launched MBA , managers and leaders can develop the critical soft skills they need to ensure their workforce feels valued , accepted and empowered to do their best ,” Garrop said . ■
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