UNDERSTANDING the importance of employee mental health and wellbeing in work environments is coming into sharper focus for enlightened Australian business leaders.   

Experience is showing the effects can be both economically and socially vital, according to a recent survey by SuperFriend, a national mental health promotion foundation created by the Industry Funds Forum, an association whose members are the CEOs of Australia's largest industry super funds

A survey of super fund executives, group insurers and corporate HR employees who attended the recent 2013 SuperFriend Symposium in Melbourne revealed Australian businesses are beginning to understand the importance of the mental health and wellbeing of employees.

With one in five Australians experiencing mental illness in any given year and 45.5 percent of the Australian population aged 16-85 experiencing a mental health issue in their life time, SuperFriend CEO Margo Lydon said workplaces needed to realise it was far better to support employees and keep them in work irrespective of whether they are living with a mental illness.

She said by providing a positive work environment, research showed staff productivity increased, and there were reductions in staff turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism, along with an overall improvement in morale.

While the majority of respondents (60 percent) said their workplace currently invested in promoting mental health and wellbeing, Ms Lydon said it was important to note that the majority of the survey respondents were already a step ahead in understanding the impact of mental health problems.

"It is an encouraging first step to see that majority of attendees have workplaces currently investing in promotion of mental health and wellbeing, however, the situation extends beyond this group and impacts all Australian workplaces," Ms Lydon said.

"We understand that Australian businesses have a multitude of priorities and it is a difficult task to juggle all of these. However, businesses need to understand that people are their greatest asset and there are a range of benefits from creating a mentally healthy workplace which impact both the culture and the profitability of the company."

According to the survey, 43 percent of group insurers and corporate HR employees believed improved morale and job satisfaction to be the main benefit of ensuring Australian workplaces promote positive mental health and wellbeing. About 30 percent viewed increased staff productivity as the second major reason.

"The benefits of investing in programs that promote a mentally healthy workplace are mutually beneficial to both the organisation and the worker," Ms Lydon said.

Over half (56%) of delegates said their workplaces were engaging in activities to promote a healthy work/life balance to improve mental health and wellbeing, followed closely by engaging in RUOK conversations (44%) which encourages and empowers all Australians at work to regularly and meaningfully ask ‘are you ok?'.

"There are a number of initiatives employers can implement to nurture a healthy workplace," Ms Lydon said.

"It can be as simple as encouraging workers to connect with their colleagues, having an R U OK? At Work event and ensuring strong leadership of employees. Workplaces will also benefit from training staff in early detection of mental illness and on supporting employees while they seek assistance," she said.

SuperFriend has developed as a national foundation aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of industry superannuation fund members, employers and staff. SuperFriend's mission is to reduce the incidence of suicide and the impact of mental illness on individuals, employers, workplaces, friends and families, Ms Lydon said.

"SuperFriend is interested in a total holistic solution, not just an economic one, or a human one. Addressing these imminent issues is about achieving total health," Ms Lydon said.

SuperFriend collaborates with industry funds, group insurers and the mental health sector to facilitate targeted workplace mental health initiatives for members of these funds.

www.superfriend.com.au

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BUSINESS leaders seeking long-term sustainable growth need to focus not on what they need to do but how they need to do it.

Introducing a quality management system can boost profits.

In his experience, SAI Global quality management trainer David Gray said he had seen businesses grow and become more profitable – even in an environment of very high customer expectations – by developing integrating high quality management systems into everyday business operations.

Delivering an impressive customer result is often linked to the quality of a company’s internal operations, Mr Gray said. While most businesses understand this synergy, many fall short of having a strong quality management system (QMS) in place. It is an area of increasing focus by quality management training and certification group, SAI Global.

“It’s surprising that most organisations continue to operate without implementing an effective quality management system, especially when failing to do so can be detrimental to both reputation and profit,” Mr Gray said.

“The consequences may include ongoing operational delays, budget overruns, and a waste of precious resources. As a result, both a business’s reputation and profit may be at serious risk.”

Mr Gray said some employees responsible for quality management morph into the role without any official training or education.

“In some companies quality management can land on the lap of an employee who hasn’t undergone any training whatsoever,” he said. “While this may have been a natural step within the business structure, it may be detrimental to overall performance.”

Mr Gray said an efficient quality management system, managed by a qualified staff member, improves performance and internal efficiency, identifies inconsistencies and problems and recognises ways to resolve. As a result, staff morale and productivity is increased and consumers are given confidence in the business.

SAI Global recommends managers responsible for quality evaluate their skillsets in accordance with recognised standards such as ISO 9001. Mr Gray said ISO 9001 was the international benchmark for any employee looking to implement a QMS.

SAI Gobal has developed an online Auditing Quality Management System training course to provide a portable qualification that meets the standard. Mr Gray said the 8-10 hour course was becoming popular as it was cost effective, flexible and attractive to time-poor businesses.

Based on the official ISO 9001 standard, SAI Global has developed six clear steps business leaders can use to instill quality processes:

1. Document your business model: As a first step, ensure there is a person responsible for quality management. This person is to ensure the company has a policy in place that defines its ‘quality promise’, underpinned with stated objectives and targets for employees. Be sure to include instructional documents as well as a defined ‘roadmap’ to guide employees through to fulfilling that promise. This information is to be accurate, accessible to those that need it, and detailed to a sufficient level.

2. Build relationships: Have a clear understanding of your point of difference in the marketplace – this means you must know your competitors. Know your customers, too, and what they value most about your products and services. Communicate this information to your employees, ensuring they understand what is needed to ensure happy and satisfied customers.

3. Enable and empower your people: Engage employees by delegating responsibility and authority to deliver the promise of quality made by the organisation to its customers. Remember if you spell out these aspects of operation, employees understand what is expected of them. Without these fundamental guidelines, employees will not understand the rules and they will develop their own which may not align with the expectations of the organisation or the customer. You must also ensure that employees have the knowledge and skills to perform their work with confidence.

4. Deliver on your promises: Make sure all operational aspects of the organisation are working cohesively to deliver the promise of quality, ensuring not to forget those aspects that are outsourced to external third-party providers. Do they understand what your promise of quality is, and their role in keeping this promise?

5. Evaluate and seek improvement: Objectives and targets are of little value, unless they are used as the baseline to gauge success. Monitor and measure performance results to determine whether the promise of quality was achieved. And if not, determine why not. Using these results, seek to understand what needs to change in your business roadmap and operations.

6. Apply the wisdom: Up to now you’ve assessed the possible roadblocks to quality. Now you must remove them through controlled changes in your operations. If you have a sufficient quality plan in place you will be able to assess which process is most appropriate to the issue and apply the solution in a timely manner to achieve results.

http://www.saiglobal.comends

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AUSTRALIAN businesses looking at improving the bottom line have been urged to spruce up the offices for a ‘return on interior'.

When designing plant for efficiency, don't forget the office plants.

That is the message going out from experts on indoor environments, who claim there is a direct correlation between 'green' offices and long-term workforce performance.

With only 40 percent of Australia's offices having plants, according to a 2011 study by indoor plant specialist Ambius, they warn that business managers are actually missing out on what they term a significant ‘return on interior'.

This week is World Green Buildings Week (September 16-20) and Graeme Armeni from Ambius said it was reminder that ‘greening up' was good for a building and its occupants in a number of subtle ways -- but it can also positively affect the bottom line.

"In addition to creating a pleasant, tranquil office environment there are wider positive returns to be gained from improving and investing in a greener workplace environment," Mr Armeni said.

"Research from University of Technology Sydney and universities in the UK found that indoor plants can improve air quality, well-being and increase productivity."

He said studies carried out at the University of Exeter in the UK showed employees working in environments enriched with plants or artwork, and those who see something of themselves in their workspaces, feel physically more comfortable at work, identify more with their employers, are more productive and feel more positive about their jobs.

By enriching work environments employees are happier, healthier and at least 15 percent more productive than they are in a de-personalised work environment, according to the study by Knight & Haslam in 2010, titled The Relative Merits of Lean, Enriched, and Empowered Offices: An Experimental Examination of the Impact of Workspace Management.

Mr Armeni said, "Having indoor plants can also form part of a business' green commitment and the Green Building Council of Australia recognises the importance of indoor plants through its Green Star program. 

"Many businesses are choosing to combine green building features and office design, an attractive option when you consider the potential impact on workplace productivity and the bottom line."

Ambius interviewed 1500 Australian office workers, in March this year, about their work environments.  Only 8 percent of respondents considered their workplaces as airy or fresh and as few as 14 percent sit near a window or natural light. 

Furthermore, 16 percent never leave their office throughout the working day and 34 percent regularly get headaches at work.  

Research by Dr Fraser Torpy and colleagues at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) strongly suggests that indoor plants can improve air quality and well-being.

According to Dr Torpy, "Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from synthetic materials in office furniture, fittings and computers can cause headaches, loss of concentration and other health problems. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has also been linked to drowsiness. 

"Our research proves that plants can reduce potentially harmful VOCs by 80 percent and CO2 by up to 25 percent, so the health benefits are significant.  Plants can also reduce dust levels, refresh air and stabilise temperature and humidity levels. 

"Employers will also be interested to hear that this cleaner air leads to clearer thinking which in turn promotes greater productivity and efficiency."

These results were published in the study Greening the Great Indoors for Human Health and Wellbeing by  Prof. Margaret Burchett (UTS), Dr Fraser Torpy (UTS), Jason Brennan (UTS), Prof. Ashley Craig (Univ. Syd.) through the Plants and Indoor Environmental Quality Group, Centre for Environmental Sustainability (CEnS) at UTS in February 2010.

http://www.ambiusindoorplants.com.au/

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