An Employee Wellness Case Study by our Human Resource Agency

When I first started my career in HR, employee health and wellbeing used to be considered by many corporate businesses to be effectively managed simply by having an employee assistance program accessible to staff, if and when they might have needed it. “EAP”, as it is more commonly known, was almost unheard of in many small-to-medium businesses as it was an additional expense on the P&L to an often already stretched budget.

Now, (thank goodness because it was way past due), a conversation about mental health at work and being honest about “it’s okay not to be okay” is more commonplace, in all business sizes, far less stigmatised and we all realise, regardless of where we happen to be in our personal or work lives, that mental health does not discriminate!

Every single one of us, at one time or another regardless of how resilient we think we are will have our mental health affected – that is a fact.

Our current landscape of business awareness coupled with our genuine community care about mental health and the responsibility to our team members means many business owners are now far more focused and invested in their staff’s mental health and wellbeing as a priority and something that needs more due care than just offering EAP.

They recognise the impacts to their business when staff are not well and are paving the way by introducing more robust and holistic mental health and wellbeing programs for their team’s that quite literally are changing their employee’s lives for the better and as a natural by product, easily making them an employer of choice!

Cassels Strata – a Case Study in Effective Mental Health and Wellbeing Programs

One such client our human resource agency is incredibly proud to have partnered with for many years is Cassels Strata. Peter and Lana Cassels opened their strata management office doors back in 2013.  Having worked in strata for over 20 years, Peter felt that he could service the needs of the industry much more effectively by offering a hands-on approach to body corporate management and bringing the ideal of exceptional customer service back to the fore. This approach has fast seen their business become incredibly successful, a leader in their field and well known for their commitment to excellence in strata management.

Those who know me well, know that I constantly spruke the value of investing in your people, and Peter and Lana have always prioritised their team, cared deeply about their people investment and supported and developed staff within their roles so they feel confident to undertake their responsibilities in a pressurised and demanding industry. This approach ultimately contributes to the success of their business.

Last year Peter and Lana took this commitment to the absolute next level by introducing (at a significant investment cost I might add) a fantastic wellbeing program inclusive of many facets including: –

I don’t know about you, but I want to work there – and can easily imagine that this would be very enticing to potential new employees.To ensure that staff can actually enjoy some of these benefits, like massage, there is even a “chill room” that is specifically for staff to use for privacy when they have their massage but it also doubles as a space where staff can relax and sit on a comfortable lounge to enjoy their lunch, or take time out when they need to just play on the cool addition of the two person arcade game.

The wellbeing program works in partnership with the independent external HR support provided by our human resource agency so that staff also gain the benefit of their own HR department to raise issues if ever needed and staff are encouraged to lean on us for HR support whenever the need arises without seeking Management approval.

I’m sure that many businesses may not be able to deliver a program like Cassels Strata, but what can you do? Think outside the square as to what might be possible. Small changes will also have a big impact and it might be something that develops over time.  Trust me, you might put in a financial investment, but the benefits will, I’m sure, far outweigh that cost in the long-run.

If you need any further convincing just look at the stats affecting Australians right now.

Australian Mental Health and Wellbeing Statistics

Mental health services in Australia (MHSA) provides a picture of the national response of the health and welfare service system to the mental health care needs of Australians.  Their site references that stress, confusion and anger are commonplace as a result of the pandemic (Brooks et al. 2020) and, while many people may not experience any long-term concerns, COVID-19 has the potential to contribute to or exacerbate long-term mental illness including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance misuse (WHO 2020b).

AIHW has been assisting the Australian Government Department of Health to curate, analyse and report on COVID-19 mental health-related data to governments regularly since April 2020. Data reported includes information from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), crisis and support organisations (Lifeline, Beyond Blue, Kids Helpline), and analysis of emerging research findings.