Australia Post to appoint first Chief Mental Health Officer
Australia Post is set to appoint the organisation’s first Chief Mental Health Officer, as it sharpens its focus on not just the physical safety of its people, but also on the mental health and wellbeing of its more than 60,000 strong extended workforce.
The role will focus on the the development of evidence-based, practical and engaging organisational development solutions to drive continued improvement in workplace psychological health. It will be the first time a Government Business Enterprise has made such an appointment and highlights the increasing recognition of the importance of mental health.
Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Paul Graham said that the size and scale of the Australia Post network right across the country gave the organisation a unique opportunity and a moral obligation to lead in this important area.
“We have the opportunity to apply learnings across a large and diverse workforce and understand what will be effective in supporting our people and driving a culture of change when it comes to mental health. We will then be able to share those learnings to help the broader community,” Mr Graham said.
Australia Post is widely recognised as having one of the leading approaches to mental health, and last year won awards at both Comcare Awards and the National Safety Council Awards for its Early Matched Care at Australia Post (EMCAP) program.
Beginning as a trial and now being rolled out nationally, EMCAP has confirmed the benefits of targeted and early intervention when someone injures themselves at work, with the aim to identify and support those at risk of secondary psychological injuries from a physical injury. EMCAP is now being rolled out nationally, and results have shown that team members are returning to work on average 40 days earlier, leading to greater mental health outcomes.
The work also builds on Australia Post’s partnership with Beyond Blue, which connects Australian communities with important mental health initiatives. Beyond Blue’s mental health information has reached more than 6 million letterboxes across Australia including 4 million prepaid postcards encouraging people to take action to support their mental health by writing to each other to connect.
In addition, through the Post Office network, small business owners were connected with mental health coaching services and more than $75,000 was raised for mental health last year.
Australia Post is also a member of the Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds Foundation (HHTSF), which exists to promote prevention and understanding of mental health issues that exist across the road transport and logistics industries in Australia. Mr Graham is Chair of the HHTSF Board, which is comprised of directors with a mix of industry and skills-based backgrounds, including major national road transport and warehouse operators and other key subject matter experts.
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