Poor mental health is likely to affect one in five Australian employees, that is 20 percent of your workforce. A Pricewaterhouse Coopers 2014 report on the impact of employees’ mental health on productivity, participation and compensation claims, found these conditions cost Australian organisations, big and small, at least $10.9 billion a year.

The issue stems from the lack of trust within (Australian) organisations and this is an issue senior management are reluctant to tackle. The lack of trust is accentuated with employees’ reluctance to discuss this with their managers for fear of repercussions. In the article ‘Depression: does your boss really need to know? ‘, the CEO of beyondblue echoes the sentiment that sometimes it is better not to tell your manager or work colleagues that you are experiencing a mental illness. And it appears the higher up the leadership ladder you are the greater the risk you run should you disclose a mental illness.

Without the will and desire of senior management to genuinely want to help and support all employees, organisations will flounder when seeking workforce stability. Therefore investing in mental health at work makes sense.