Australia Post has announced it is to appoint the organization’s first chief mental health officer.
The role will focus on the development of evidence-based, practical and engaging organizational development solutions to drive continued improvement in workplace psychological health.
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 6,000,000 letterboxes across Australia, including 4,000,000 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 A$75,000 (US$53,500) was raised for mental health in 2021.
In 2021, Australia Post was recognized at both Comcare Awards and the National Safety Council Awards for its mental health approach in its initiative 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 of identifying and supporting 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.
Australia Post is also a member of the Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds Foundation (HHTSF), which promotes prevention and understanding of mental health issues that exist across the road transportation and logistics industries in Australia. Australia Post group CEO and managing director Paul Graham is chair of the HHTSF board, which comprises directors with a mix of industry and skills-based backgrounds, including national road transportation and warehouse operators and other key subject matter experts.
Graham said, “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.”