Black Dog Institute wants more mental health support for young workers

Young workers are concerned about starting their careers due to how they fear this one thing will be received.

Ruby Burgess. Picture: Supplied

Ruby Burgess fears that when she graduates university and embarks on her career, if she struggles with her mental health she may be seen as “unreliable or unfit to work”.

The Albury 18-year-old,who is studying veterinary technology part-time at university and working in hospitality, began encountering symptoms of anxiety and depression when she was 11.

“I worry that being younger and trying to branch out into new and professional settings will bring high expectations that are challenging to meet and the pressure of meeting these could lead to reduced confidence,” Ms Burgess said.

“It may also be hard to feel comfortable … as I feel younger people are often labelled incompetent and lazy and we feel strained to prove ourselves which could cause burnout.”

Mental illness has been named the leading cause of long-term sickness absence among workers in Australia.

Dr Mark Deady, senior research fellow and research lead of the workplace mental health research program at Black Dog Institute, said we could no longer afford to ignore the fact that young people were entering the workforce with higher levels of psychological distress than ever before.

“They are facing new challenges with significant impacts both personally and in terms of productivity and economic stability,” he said.

“Younger employees are experiencing greater levels of job stress than previous generations at the same age.

“It is critical to better understand this phenomenon and design effective solutions to address it.”

The institute wants funding to support young workers’ psychological health through further research and programs like workplace training, and has flagged its requests with the NSW government in a pre-budget submission.

Ms Burgess acknowledged that mental health could be hard to address as employers needed to cater to employees’ struggles and have an understanding approach, without reducing workplace expectations.

“An ideal workplace would be one where mental health is understood and addressed in a rehabilitative way,” she said.

“You should be made to feel comfortable disclosing your personal issues with your employer free of judgement and know that you’ll be connected with real support like counselling, time off or more flexible working options which supports you to get better without impacting your work performance.

“Saying ‘mental health matters’ doesn’t mean much if there’s no real support in place.

“Things like offering mental health days, having clear policies, and creating a workplace culture where people feel safe asking for help can make all the difference.”

Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, helping Australian families better tackle mental wellbeing. To follow the series and access all stories, tips and advice, visit our new Health section.

Originally published as Black Dog Institute wants more mental health support for young workers