IT is one of the most important issues in many workplaces, yet is rarely discussed openly.
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Mental health is being put on the table on Tuesday when the Illawarra Business Chamber, beyondblue and WorkCover NSW host a free breakfast on the subject at the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach.
Heads Up is about helping businesses create more mentally healthy workplaces.
Illawarra Business Chamber chief executive Debra Murphy said Heads Up was a beyondblue initiative that the NSW Business Chamber had decided to partner.
Ms Murphy said it was something she was passionate about as a boss.
The overwhelming response to the decision to stage a breakfast on the subject suggests many other leaders feel the same.
"We already have 130 people registered," she said.
"But we can take more. I think it is because we all recognise there is always room for improvement on how we deal with mental health in the workplace."
As well as promoting a positive, productive workplace culture and minimising risks to employees' mental health, Ms Murphy said mentally healthy workplaces could also lead to increased productivity, improved staff engagement and enhanced staff retention.
Ms Murphy said Heads Up would be a chance for many to listen and learn, and then be in a better position to take action.
"For every dollar spent on successfully implementing an appropriate mental health workplace action, there is on average $2.30 in benefits to be gained by the organisation," she said.
Beyondblue chief executive Georgie Harman encouraged business leaders to attend and take away actions they could implement to improve their workplaces immediately.
She said it was a great opportunity for business leaders to see how simple measures could make a big difference in a workplace, "not just through improved morale and performance at work, but in their bottom line as well".
PwC Australia research found that mental health conditions had a $10.9 billion impact on Australian workplaces through lost productivity each year.
That included $4.7 billion in absenteeism and $146 million in compensation claims.
Many of the behaviours associated with poor mental health, such as fatigue, lack of concentration, indecision, lack of concentration and confidence put workplace safety at risk.
Further information at headsup.org.au and registrations at https://events.illawarrabusiness.com.au/Detail/EVE1503851.
