Why Mental Health First Aid Training?
It makes good business sense!


Surveys indicate that over 90% of employees agree that their mental health and personal problems spill over into their professional lives, and have a direct impact on their job performance. Mental Health conditions are the second leading cuase of absenteeism.

Improving the knowledge and understand of your staff may:
 

  • Reduce absenteeism
  • Boost productivity
  • Improve work quality

It contributes to staff wellness!

The mind/body connection is undeniable. Mental Health Education is good for workers and contribute to a healthy workplace. e.g. According to the Rand Corporation, depression results in more "bed days" than any other medical ailments, including ulcers, diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis.

It can reduce costs!

Mental Health Education can contribute to a reduction in costs associated with staff illness, disability payments, managing employee conflicts, etc by promoting greater understanding and increased knowledge.
 

Mental Health Law

Directors, managers, OH&S committees, officers and staff can no longer afford to consider stress and mental health in the workplace of less import than the physical safety of employees. Research has shown a strong link between stress, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, increase in accidents in the workplace and community, poor physical health such as heart conditions, neck and back strain, obesity etc.
 
According to Workcover statistics Manual Handling injuries cost $224 million dollars in Australia in 2004/05. Occupational Overuse claims were $29.7 million and Mental Disorder claims cost $91.6 million. This equates to 36% of these claims, plus one must add into this the number of manual handling injuries that occurred as a consequence of stress and mental illness.
The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2020, Mental Illness will be the leading cause of illness and subsequent loss of revenue in the first world. Directors, managers and staff of Australian workplaces can have 2020 vision and enact positive, forward thinking changes to the mental health and safety of its workers to ensure this does not take place and that litigation towards managers and companies are minimized.
  • Depression alone is estimated, in economic terms to:
  • Reduce workplace performance by 40%
  • Contribute to the loss of 6 million working days annually
  • The estimated annual revenue lost to an employer (in sick days and poor productivity) by a worker with untreated depression is $9,660 (J. Croucher, Professor of Statistics, Macquarie University).
  • 7% of OH&S claims are related to psychological injury; however these claims represent 27% of the total cost of all claims with an average time off of 96.1 days, compared with 28.9 days for other claims.
Add to these figures the cost implications of other mental illnesses both diagnosed and undiagnosed.