NSW Government logo NSW Government SafeWork NSW logo SafeWork NSW
  • About
  • News
  • Contact
  • Roadmap
  • Safety
    starts here
  • Your
    industry
  • Advice &
    resources
  • Legal
    obligations
  • Notify
    SafeWork
  • Compliance &
    prosecutions
  • Licences &
    registrations
  • Home
  • Advice & resources
  • Campaigns
  • Safe Work Month
  • Mentally healthy workplaces
Share
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email
Print PDF

Mentally healthy workplaces

Look out for your workmates, we've got the tools to talk about mental health

What you need to know

Mental health, just like physical health, is an important part of work health and safety (WHS).

Nearly 1 in 6 workers experience mental ill health at any given time, so chances are some of your workers are experiencing mental ill health.

There are many factors that can contribute to poor workplace mental health. Different industries, types of work and work locations present different risks. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes to work, created new risks and raised the potential of others, such as workplace stress, bullying and violence for frontline and essential workers. This can include threats and abuse from clients and members of the public as well as from other workers. Employers have a legal responsibility to manage these risks.

How can you manage the risk?

An example of the steps a business can take to address the risk of workplace stress and violence include:

  1. identifying situations that may increase workplace stress or cause violence such as enforcement of new COVID-19 requirements like physical distancing, logging attendance in cafes or restaurants and increased waiting times
  2. preventing the risk by taking action such as ensuring clear signage for customers to manage their expectations, create clear pathways and well-marked physical distance guides
  3. providing training and support to staff around managing stressful or violent situations, what to do if they escalate and how to report them
  4. seeking staff input on the measures being put into place and keep checking in to ensure they are working
  5. responding to incidents by providing support in the moment such as by asking aggressors to leave the premises, and immediately afterwards such as by connecting workers to professional supports. Then follow your workplace’s incident and management investigation procedures.

When risks are managed, everyone benefits. Employers enjoy a more engaged and productive workforce, helping you attract and keep great workers. Workers also take less time off and your business saves money. For every dollar spent to support mental health at work, you can achieve returns of up to four dollars through improved productivity and savings from workers compensation claims.

Mentally healthy workplaces also provide workers with many benefits such as confidence, a feeling of belonging, financial security, a sense of purpose, achievement and social connection. If you're experiencing mental ill-health, a mentally healthy workplace will make it easier to get the support you need to get better, lessen your symptoms, and continue to enjoy the benefits of work.

What you can do

We’ve got the tools to help you talk about and manage mental health in your workplace.

  • Sign up for free online mental health training for managers to learn how to talk to your team about mental health
  • Watch videos to learn how to build a psychologically healthy and safe workplace
  • Download our work-related stress tip sheets
  • Minimise the impact of customer aggression on employees with icare’s Respect and Resilience resources
  • Not sure how to keep your workers safe? We can help, request an advisory visit.

For more information and resources go to MentalHealthatWork.nsw.gov.au

Helpful resources

  • Workplace stress Hazards A-Z – Mental Health
  • Free online mental health training for managers
  • Traumatic Stress Kit
  • COVID-19 recovery and mental health at work
  • Heads Up: a website with resources to help make mentally healthy workplaces

Safe Work Australia guidance material

  • Work-related psychological health and safety: a systematic guide to meeting your duties

Get help now

If you or someone you know need crisis support now, the services below can help.

Emergency services

If your life is in danger, call emergency services on 000.

Counselling (24/7)

If you need support, call one of the following numbers:

  • Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14
  • Kids Helpline (for under 25’s) – 1800 55 1800
  • MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78
  • Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
  • beyondblue – 1300 22 4636
  • Veterans and Veterans' Families Counselling Service – 1800 011 046

You can also:

  • talk to someone you trust
  • contact your GP, a counsellor, psychologist
  • visit a hospital emergency department.

Videos

Building a psychologically healthy and safe workplace – Part 1 Prevention

Building a psychologically healthy and safe workplace – Part 2 Early intervention

Icare Respect and resilience webinar

Back to top
  • Safety starts here
    • Safety overview
      • First aid in the workplace
      • Emergency plans
      • If you get injured at work poster
      • Mandatory injury register
      • When an incident occurs
      • Health and safety training in the workplace
      • Workers compensation insurance
      • Return to work program
    • Safety support
      • Your rights and responsibilities for health and safety
      • Training & orienting workers
      • Getting workers to contribute to health and safety
      • Managing risk in the workplace
      • Workplace inspections
      • Investigating and reporting incidents
      • Supervisors
    • Building a health & safety culture
      • Building a high performing health &safety culture
      • Active health & safety management
      • Planning for health & safety
      • Leadership & commitment
    • Consultation@work
      • Your duty to consult
      • Consultation case studies and videos
      • Workgroups
      • Safety committees
      • Health and safety representatives
      • Safety complaints
      • Resolving issues
      • Consultation tools to help
      • Entry permits
    • Physical safety at work (the basics)
      • Emergency plans
      • Facilities at work
      • Instruction and training
      • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
      • Pregnancy
      • Sedentary work
      • Violence
      • Bushfire smoke
    • Mental health & safety (the basics)
      • Alcohol and other drugs
      • At risk workers
      • Mental health @ work
      • Workplace stress
      • Workplace bullying
    • SeasonalSAFE
  • Your industry
    • Accommodation and food services
      • Hospitality
    • Administrative and support services
    • Agriculture, forestry and fishing
      • Plant nurseries
      • Farming
    • Arts and recreation services
    • Building and construction
      • House construction
      • Construction work
      • Demolition
    • Education and training
    • Financial and insurance services
    • Health care and social assistance
    • Information media and telecommunications
    • Manufacturing
      • Leading safer manufacturing workplaces
    • Personal care and other services
    • Public administration and safety
    • Rental, hiring and real estate services
    • Retail trade
    • Transport, postal and warehousing
    • Wholesale trade
  • Advice & resources
    • Campaigns
      • SafeWork NSW Awards
      • Dust strategy
      • International Day of Mourning
      • Asbestos awareness
      • Mentoring program
      • Safe Work Month
    • Free advisory visits and workshops
    • Rebate programs
      • Small business rebate
    • Video library
    • Incident animations
    • Online safety webinars
    • SafeWork Wrap newsletter
    • Translated resources
      • Arabic health and safety resources
      • Chinese health and safety resources
      • Filipino health and safety resources
      • French health and safety resources
      • German health and safety resources
      • Hindi health and safety resources
      • Korean health and safety resources
      • Malay health and safety resources
      • Nepali health and safety resources
      • Thai health and safety resources
      • Vietnamese health and safety resources
  • Legal obligations
    • Employer and business obligations
      • Directors and officers
      • Due diligence
      • Primary duty of care
      • Duty to consult
      • Register of injuries
      • Injuries at work
      • Return to work programs
      • Managing hazards and risks
    • Worker obligations
    • Diversity
    • Visitor obligations
    • Contractors and labour hire
    • Volunteering
    • Strata title and body corporate
    • Legislation
  • Notify SafeWork
    • Incident notification
    • Asbestos notifications
    • Blasting notifications
    • Carcinogenic substances notification
    • Demolition notifications
    • Fireworks displays notifications
    • Hazardous chemicals notifications
    • Lead notifications
    • Notification of silicosis diagnosis
  • Compliance & prosecutions
    • Incident information releases
    • Improvement, prohibition and penalty notices
    • SafeWork inspectors
    • Enforceable undertakings
    • Prosecutions
    • Deed of agreement
    • Contact our Legal Services
    • Joint Taskforce: Food Delivery Rider Safety
  • Licences & registrations
    • Licences
      • Evidence of identity
      • Regularly check licences
      • Asbestos work licences
      • Demolition licences
      • Explosives and fireworks licences
      • High risk work licences
      • Traffic Control Work Training
    • Plant registrations
      • Plant item registration
      • Plant design registration
      • Cancelling plant registration
      • Changes to registration documents
    • Registered training organisations (RTOs)
      • How to become an approved RTO to deliver asbestos training
      • General construction induction RTOs
      • High risk work RTOs
      • HSR training providers
      • Traffic controller training
    • White cards
  • Resources
    • Hazards A-Z
    • Resource library
    • Risk radar
    • Speak Up Save Lives
Community
  • Events
  • Accessibility
  • Stakeholder Engagement Strategy
  • Order a Publication
  • Subscribe to the SafeWork Wrap
Legal
  • Privacy
  • Right to Information
  • Terms
  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright
Related sites
  • SIRA (workers compensation)
  • SafeWork Awards
  • TestSafe
  • Get healthy at work
  • Centre for WHS
  • icare

Contact

Contact us 13 10 50

Follow us

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • youtbue
  • linkedin
Send us your feedback

Follow us

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • youtbue
  • linkedin
  • Sitemap
  • nsw.gov.au
  • Ministerial media releases

A division of the Department of Customer Service

NSW SafeWorks logo NSW SafeWorks NSW SafeWorks logo NSW SafeWorks