New research has revealed that rural and regional workers are not receiving adequate mental health support services. Medibank Health Solutions has released research results which show rural and regional workers feel their employers have unrealistic work expectations which have led to a poor work-life balance. The results show that one in five rural and regional workers take at least one day off work every month because they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or depressed due to substance abuse and work related stress. The research aimed to determine whether there were adequate support services available to workers with mental health issues. It was found that of the 1,000 regional employees who were surveyed, less than a third said their employer had mental health support programs in place. In the instances where support programs were in place, concerns over privacy and confidentiality rated as the biggest barrier to workers seeking assistance through a workplace program. "The fear of colleagues finding out is a big concern for employees as there is still a negative stigma associated with mental health issues and people think that admitting to suffering from depression or anxiety may harm their chances of career progression," Dr Matthew Cullen, group general manager of Medibank Health Solutions said. "As a result, we now see many companies outsourcing their workplace support programs to assure staff that their confidentiality will be protected and that they have access to a quality service," he added. Dr Cullen said that while time and money is invested into providing safe physical work environments, provisions for safeguarding an employee's mental health is overlooked at a huge cost to employers. The shortcomings of mental health services in rural and regional areas comes in light of a parliamentary inquiry currently in progress, which was called in February this year by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Christopher Evans. Senator Evans asked the Committee to report on mental health and workforce participation, and these inquiries are currently underway. Last year the Australian Human Right Commission released a handbook for employers, Workers with mental illness: A practical guide for managers, which provides information on how to appropriately support employees with mental health issues. With one in five Australian adults experiencing mental illness in their life, Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes said there must be a commitment from everyone in the workplace, both employers and workers.

The handbook is available from the Human Rights Commission website, and contains practical information covering:

  • Managing mental illness in the workplace
  • Effective communication strategies
  • Reasonable adjustments
  • Examples of reasonable adjustments to address the effects of a worker's mental illness in the workplace
  • What to do about performance concerns for workers, including workers with mental illness
  • What to do about health and safety concerns for workers with mental illness