Safe Work Australia reveals mental health costs for employers

New reports about workplace bullying and harassment by Safe Work Australia have revealed that bullying may be on the rise, as well as the cost of mental health issues for employers.

The Bullying & Harassment in Australian Workplaces: Results from the Australian Workplace Barometer project 2014/2015 report indicates an increase in the estimated prevalence of bullying in Australian workplaces, from 7% in 2009–10 to 9.7% in 2014–15.

It is not clear why there has been an increase in the estimated prevalence of bullying. However, the report findings are based on self-reported bullying and the result could be due to a growing awareness and recognition of mental health in the workplace (including bullying).

Meanwhile, the Psychosocial Safety Climate and Better Productivity in Australian Workplaces: Cost, Productivity, Presenteeism, Absenteesim report presents an estimate that productivity losses associated with low levels of management commitment to psychological health and safety in the workplace comes at a cost to employers of $6 billion per annum.

“This information is important to the development of national policy and guidance to promote improved psychological health in Australian workplaces,” said Dr Fleur de Crespigny, Safe Work Australia director of research and evaluation.

“This research is also important because it represents the first ever national collection of information on bullying and harassment in Australian workplaces.

“The findings provide evidence that it is advantageous for employers to commit to improving mental health in the workplace.”

The two reports use data collected from the Australia Workplace Barometer (AWB) project, a longitudinal study operating since 2009 that observes workplace trends in psychological health.

They can be viewed on the Safe Work Australia website.

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