Importers & Distributors

On Wednesday 22^nd July the AAAA hosted an important, free industry wide webinar on Mental Health in the Workplace. Stuart Charity, CEO of the AAAA and Head of Membership and Marketing, Tiffany Conway were joined by Mark Pacitti, Founder of the charity ‘Dancing With The Black Dog’, a respected mental health advocate. 

The statistics about mental health in Australia show it is likely that within your workplace, someone is impacted by a mental illness. As the chaos of 2020 rolls on, it is not surprising that more people may be struggling with mental health illnesses. Supporting employees to remain mentally healthy is legally and ethically the right thing to do, and it is a great way to retain valuable staff in productive roles in your business.

With this in mind, this webinar shared that employers have the opportunity to support their employees by understanding the needs and preferences of their workforce, as well as their responsibilities as an employer. Talking is helpful for employees and employers; seek advice and educate yourself about how to have these important conversations in the right way.

It is important for managers and employers to lead by example to foster the right attitudes in the workplace to reduce stigma. Don’t underestimate the power of kindness, understanding and compassion; expressing empathy and listening are very helpful. Recognise that everyone and each workplace is different, however the benefits of creating a mentally healthy workplace are common for all.

During the webinar, we explored the elements of C.L.E.A.R. which provides a neat way to scan some core elements relating to mental health in the workplace:

– Create a safe and healthy workplace
– Learn about responsibilities and rights
– Empathise to understand and respond
– Access helpful resources
– Remove stigma to have the right conversations

In the presentation we shared several resources from Beyond Blue, Heads Up, Mental Health First Aid and WorkSafe.

Mark Pacitti bravely shared his story of battling and beating his own mental illness with us. Through his blog, website and speaking activities, Mark encourages people to try different tactics to obtain mental health, whether that’s counselling, medication, diet and exercise, or just talking to a friend.

Mark’s charity, Dancing with the Black Dog is focused on reducing the stigma attached to mental illness.

Mark also shared two videos of his experience with mental illness and the steps he’s taken to conquer it:

AAAA understand that while supporting mental health in the workplace has always been important, our members have the opportunity to help support their workforce and businesses by implementing this important aspect of business leadership.