20 June 2024 - A recent global survey reveals a 31% surge in employees discussing mental health issues in 2024 compared to 2023, driven by increasing cost-of-living pressures, demanding work environments, and ongoing global conflicts. The world is waking up to mental health, but where do Australia and New Zealand stand?
Mental health concerns being addressed in many ways
The survey, conducted by Peninsula Group in May 2024 across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and Canada, including 468 ANZ businesses, found that despite over a quarter of respondents (31% in Australia and 28% in New Zealand) seeing an increase in sickness absences because of mental health concerns (an increase of 43% from 2023), 77% in Australia and 60% in New Zealand don’t offer mental health days and don’t plan to.
“It’s common for employees to use their sick leave when they’re dealing with mental health issues, making it feel like less of a need for SMEs to have dedicated mental health days, especially if not everyone in the workplace struggles with mental health issues,” said David Price, CEO at Peninsula Employsure.
The findings reveal that although mental health days aren’t popular for many businesses, New Zealander and Canadian employers are more likely to already offer them than Australian, UK and Irish employers, at 21% and 23% percent of respondents, respectively.
Another 16% of respondents in New Zealand and 14% in Canada aim to implement mental health days in the next 12 months.
“Many small businesses don’t have the resources, in terms of both capital and manpower, to offer mental health days on top of sick and annual leave entitlements. Business operating costs and the risks of failure are on an upward trajectory in 2024 for small businesses. Therefore, the focus for many business owners is on survival, maintaining viability and keeping expenses down.”
Many SMEs may not intend to introduce mental health days, but respondents to Peninsula Group’s survey detailed other ways they’re addressing mental health concerns in their workplaces.
These include allowing staff to take time out during work hours to see counsellors, short mental health breaks during the day to manage stress, ensuring their teams have regular and open discussions about how they’re feeling and what they can do to support each other, and the introduction of mental health first aiders.
There’s been a 52% increase in the number of Australian respondents providing mental health first aiders in 2024 compared to the 2023 survey. A mental first aider is someone who has received first aid training to support people experiencing or developing a mental health problem.
However, in New Zealand, just 4% of respondents stated that they’d introduced mental health aiders in the last 12 months.
More employees speaking out about mental health
While a sizeable portion of ANZ respondents (61% in Australia and 62% in New Zealand) said that staff are speaking more openly about mental health concerns in the workplace, only half (55% in Australia and 50% in New Zealand) are somewhat confident their employees would disclose a mental health issue to them or their line manager.
“The data demonstrates the importance of organisations, regardless of size, having effective mental health strategies in place to foster an environment where people feel supported, valued, and listened to. Workers are under no obligation to disclose if they are struggling with mental health issues, so businesses need to offer alternative pathways for them to seek assistance and address the challenges they encounter,” said Price.
“Good mental health strategies start at the leadership level, with positive impacts trickling down to team members. This involves providing leaders with coaching and resources, empowering them with actionable steps to proactively address and manage mental health in the workplace. Third party providers can support here.”
Work-life balance becoming more of a priority
The survey shows that though there is still progress to be made, SMEs are witnessing improvements in how mental health is being managed in their workforce. Over half of respondents in ANZ (52% in Australia and 56% in New Zealand) to this year’s survey have observed a greater emphasis on employees prioritising work-life balance. Interestingly, less UK and Irish respondents noticed this in 2024.
Employees in Canada and Australia are making strides in prioritising work-life balance, with increases of 41% and 30%, respectively, since 2023. These figures suggest that fostering a balanced work-life dynamic is not only possible but beneficial.
“Employees who have a healthy work-life balance are less stressed, more productive, and more likely to stay in their role and thrive. Employers that don’t protect this balance will see higher turnover and adverse business outcomes as a result,” said Price.
Methodology
From 13-20 May 2024, Peninsula Group asked all global clients to complete a survey answering multiple choice questions related to mental health in the workplace. The results were gathered by individual country, namely Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom, and then collated to identify global trends as well as those in each individual country.
The 2024 results were then compared to the 2023 results, giving Peninsula Group the ability to track changes year on year. This is the second year that the survey has run, with the same questions being asked each time.
Respondents comprise 327 Australian businesses and 141 New Zealand businesses spanning industries including:
Accountancy, banking, or finance
Property and construction
Wholesale and retail
Healthcare
Hospitality
Information technology
Engineering and manufacturing
Energy and utilities
Leisure, sport, and tourism
Business, consulting, and management
Public services and administration
About Peninsula Group
Award-winning HR and Health & Safety support for your business, we help people and businesses thrive in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
