Wellness expert Gina Brooks will host a two-day workplace resilience program next week
ADELAIDE wellness and resilience expert Gina Brooks says businesses should be doing more to support mentally healthy workplaces.
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ADELAIDE wellness and resilience expert Gina Brooks says businesses should be doing more to support mentally healthy workplaces.
On Monday, Ms Brooks will kick off a two-day program – known as ORANGES – aimed at helping people to become more resilient, optimistic and efficient at work.
The program has been rolled out to organisations including Haigh’s, NRL, KPMG and several State Government departments. However, next week’s program is the first time it has been offered to the public.
Ms Brooks, who runs training provider Training x Design, said individuals and their employers both had a responsibility to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
“The program itself is a way for people to develop more resilience and optimism,” she said.
“There are more than 40 different tools and strategies that we teach people, so they can leave with some real actionable things they can do.”
Last year, the South Australian Mental Health Commission found there were 19,000 weeks lost every year in the state due to mental health-related compensation claims.
The State of Workplace Mental Health in Australia study found one in five Australians took time off work in the previous 12 months because they felt mentally unwell, and only 52 per cent of workers believed their workplace was mentally healthy.
Ms Brooks said more could be done by employers to support the mental health of their staff.
“All businesses need people who can manage increasing workplace demands and manage stress effectively,” she said.
“But there isn’t enough curiosity about the root cause of problems. Instead, people are simply encouraged to eat well, get more sleep, and go for a walk. It’s just not enough, and it doesn’t help.
“There are opportunities to celebrate good stuff at work, because it makes people feel proud and valued, which is important to their wellbeing.”
The ORANGES program includes seven workshops, each representing a letter of the title – optimism, resilience, attitude, now (mindfulness), gratitude, energy and strengths.
Profits generated from the program go to Camp Quality.