While we're talking about diversity and inclusion and well-being, it's really important that we focus on a particular aspect of well-being and that is our mental health. I'm sure that no matter where you are located in the world watching this, you would be aware at some level of the rising incidence of mental health issues within our communities. The other area that's increasing almost exponentially is mental health associated with working. This is an area that over the last 10, 15 years in my country, Australia we have seen [inaudible] center stage when it comes to occupational health and safety in the workplace. Now of course, because we're going through COVID and the pandemic, we've seen a rise in middle health issues within the community and also within the workplace or the idea of the work environment. In terms of the general well-being, we have a situation where many of us know people who have been very ill, we ourselves may have contracted the virus, we certainly know people and know communities that have been impacted very severely. But we also have less direct impacts on our mental well-being. The fact that we have to stay inside, that we have to isolate, that we can't touch people who are close to us, that we are unable to travel to see family and friends. When we think about the workplace, there are a whole new range of insecurities and concerns that arise that affect mental health. Some of these are related to the security of my work and we know that there are many people around the world who have lost their jobs. We know that there are many small businesses that have closed and we also are aware that there is always the threat of a major change in the wind. Many people have felt isolation and even though we have great technology, many of us like Zoom, it's not enough for many people to feel that sense of connectedness that we talked about as being important with inclusion. In terms of the global features which are available from the World Health Organization and other international health agencies, we know that six in 10 workers experience some form of stress in 2020, and that was the first year of the pandemic. We also know that one in five Australians will experience some form of mental illness, and we're aware that anxiety, that fear of sometimes the unknown, that sense of foreboding, that sense of do is also on the rise. What does this have to do with the workplace? There's two areas that diversity and inclusion have a real impact. The first is that people who are experiencing some form of anxiety, or in fact are suffering from some form of mental illness that emanates from their private life, these are problems that they will in fact bring to work, that you don't park this at the door, these illnesses. There are some employers who are very keen not to have to engage in any discussion about mental health that might have emanation from an external source and it's quite true that we shouldn't do in fact take responsibility as employers for causing, generating those illnesses. But it's fair to say that given so many people at some point in their adult lives will suffer from mental illness that when they come to work, we provide an environment that is going to be supportive and not add further impulse to those people. Now, that's pretty difficult untold and I can understand and have had the discussion. Workload, working hours, these are things that can impact on somebody's mental health, which may not have been very good to start with and it's to do with something in their personal lives. But let's actually think about that. Additional work on an ongoing basis, heavy workloads, and reasonable hours of work, these not only exacerbate problems that have arisen from outside, but they're also really contributing to people's mental health conditions inside the organization. Mental health issues are on the rise in occupational health and safety terms and as I say, it's very difficult to see a clear line between the personal and the private. Some people will say that stress is a positive thing and yes I guess it can be. However, what we're beginning to see is that people are maintaining a level of stress without the breaks. We expect in our lives that there'll be at our working lives as well, periods where there is increased stress because might be a project is due, it might be something new is happening, whatever, there's an explanation. But when our lives are always at that high level of stress, this is not good, A for the work and B for the individual. But not just the individual, people under stress, people suffering from some form of mental illness, whether depression, whether it's sense of isolation, these are not people who are going to be in the main great contributors. They're also not people who are going to be able to do new things, undertake new projects, and contribute to innovation. Is work-related stress something that only affects those of us who countryside Australia, Western democracies? No. In fact, some research tells us that China has the highest rise in workplace stress and slowly we're beginning to see data emerge from all around the world and not just from Europe, the US, and Australia. One of the things that's really important for us to understand is that we can't necessarily solve the problem at work in terms of mental health, but we can in fact provide an environment that is going to be inclusive and it's inclusive environment that will assist people who may be struggling whether from work or from home. It's really important that that sense of connectedness or respect for the person that we feel in fact that we have a place, an opportunity we can progress within the organization. These are things that make a difference to how we feel, a sense of belonging and will also make for a greater productivity within the workplace. I know some organizations run the employee assistance programs, these are very important areas in many organizations, but it's how we do things that contribute to how people feel and how people will respond into their health. Keep remembering diversity inclusion is a mental health problem.
