About
Research has consistently shown the positive correlation between employee wellbeing and productivity. For many organisations having a happy, motivated and engaged workforce is no longer seen as a “nice to have” but a necessary prerequisite for commercial success over the long term. However, whilst the “why” is well understood by business leaders, the “how” often proves more elusive. Wellbeing Australia seeks to provide a “source of truth” and practical advocacy for business leaders keen to explore how they may more effectively promote and enhance wellbeing in their workplace.
Information
It is well known that the physical health of the Australian workforce has degenerated over recent decades with obesity levels rising to alarming levels.
Mental ill health is also on the rise. Presently, it is estimated that as many as one in six Australian workers will be experiencing mental illness at any one time.
Additionally, we understand that there is an increasing focus and growing expectations around the search for purpose and meaning through work, particularly with newer entrants to the workforce.
Given the above, it is perhaps unsurprising that companies are investing heavily in programs that drive corporate health and wellbeing. There has been significant research and transformation in the areas of leadership and management capability, stress management and personal and team effectiveness. Investment in wellbeing is seen by many organisations as not just a key employee engagement strategy but also an enterprise risk management imperative.
The “wellbeing” industry is now fully up and running with a range of providers bombarding the business community with a myriad of solutions. Wellbeing Australia can help you access research, resources and expertise to help you navigate through the wellbeing maze to find solutions that work for your organisation.
Summary of Recent Articles
- Employable skills
- Career trend statistics
- Millennials in the Workplace -Simon Sinek (video)
- Future of the workplace
- Innovation & the workplace
Summary of Key Studies and Research
- WHAA Releases white paper on “Return on Investment” for Workplace health programs
- Health Profile of Australian Employees report, 2014
- Wellbeing in the workplace research report, 2016
- At a tipping point? Workplace mental health and wellbeing, 2017 (by Deloitte UK Centre for Health Solutions)
- Working Well: A global survey of health promotion, workplace wellness and productivity strategies (6th edition), 2014
- The path to a healthy workplace: A critical review linking healthy workplace practices, employee wellbeing and organizational improvements by Matthew Grawitch et al, 2006
Action
Top Tools and Resources
- The Black Dog Institute provides an excellent fact sheet on Workplace Wellbeing, for employers and employees. It includes a review of factors involved in workplace mental health and practical strategies to increase workplace wellbeing.
- The Australian HR Institute offers information and resources on issues including stress, absenteeism, workplace flexibility, guidelines, templates, case studies and links to other useful sites.
- The ACT government’s Healthier Work initiative has developed a Guide to Promoting Health & Wellbeing in the Workplace. This provides a simple and a detailed guide to choose from and provides a list of useful additional resources.
- The Government of South Australia and SA Health have developed an excellent Workplace Health and Wellbeing Toolkit. This is a step by step guide for organisations to develop a successful workplace wellbeing program.
- Worksafe Victoria have also developed a Healthy Workplace Kit. This is a guide to implementing health and wellbeing programs at work and is especially useful for employers.
- The Australian Department of Health has developed the Healthy Workers Initiative, which is a website filled with information and resources on how to develop and implement your own workplace program, including tools, policies and links to State and Territory resources, case studies, benchmarking data and a special Wellbeing checklist for Small Business.
