We know that in Australia, at any g

We know that in Australia, at any given time, 1 in 5 employees are likely to be experiencing a mental health condition, and in South Africa that statistic appears to be even higher. We take our duty of care to preside over a safe and healthy workplace (including a mentally healthy one), very seriously, and it is clear therefore that we have both a responsibility and opportunity to address this very serious issue. Over the last 12 months you would have seen quite a bit of communication around Mind Matters, Aurecon’s Mental Health awareness programme. At the heart of that programme in Australia is the training and seeding into our business, of a large number of Mental Health First Aiders. In a very short time, this amazing team has not only been highly effective in allowing us to quickly recognise and address mental health issues in our colleagues, but they have also made it commonplace and “normal” to talk about mental health, thereby eliminating the stigma associated with it. This will shortly be rolled out across South Africa too.

Two nights ago the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) Awards ceremony was held at Convention Wharf in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. AHRI are the peak body for Australian HR professionals and their awards are highly regarded in the industry. Aurecon was a finalist for the Award for Gender Equity in the Workplace and for Mental Health in the Workplace. We are very happy to let you know that we won the award for Mental Health in the Workplace. This Award specifically recognises organisations who have worked to improve understanding, awareness and the general mental health of the workforce and the wider community. I was very happy to accept the award on Aurecon’s behalf, but it really is the product of lots of hard work from many many people and they all deserve our recognition and gratitude.

As pleasing as winning an award like this is, it is really just a challenge to all of us to redouble our efforts to address this issue. If I can make a simple request of all of you today, it would be to look around at each of your colleagues and clients and if you notice something different, to simply ask them how they are going. That small gesture may help them more than you could imagine, and set them on a path to improved mental wellbeing.