Almost half of the Asia-Pacific workforce (45%) experience moderate to high levels of stress at work, according to People at Work 2024: A Global Workforce View, compiled by the ADP Research Institute.

The report found that globally only 21% of people feel their employer is fully supporting their mental wellbeing with those that do feel supported being less likely to fall into the high-stress category.

Given how work impacts our life and wellbeing, it’s not surprising that there has been increasing interest in wellness champions.

What are wellness champions?

Wellness Designs, a workplace wellness consultancy firm, found that the most effective organisational wellness strategies are supported by a motivated and dedicated group of wellness champions who nurture wellness at the grassroots level.

These champions are on-the-ground staff dedicated to providing peer-to-peer support, increasing awareness of wellness initiatives and driving engagement. They are trusted employees with a positive attitude who volunteer to actively engage with colleagues and support the company’s wellness strategy. They are sometimes called the ‘glue’ that holds the organisation’s strategy together.

Wellness champions transform workplaces

As hybrid work becomes the new norm, fostering a sense of belonging has become increasingly complex.

Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano, vice president of equitable operations at Culture Amp, notes that employee expectations are shifting. “Millennials, now moving into management, have a distinctly different approach to work, valuing boundaries and work–life balance, while gen Z expects organisations to align with their values,” she says. “We’re seeing a rise in internal wellbeing programs and new vendors addressing these areas of the employee experience.”

Beyond ensuring flexibility, managers are now tasked with the responsibility of creating both physically and psychologically safe work environments. New regulations addressing psychosocial risks have recently been introduced across Australian states and territories (except Victoria, which is currently considering options to its psychological health regulations).

These risks, though less visible than physical hazards, have a profound effect on employee mental health and wellbeing. Professor Carlo Caponecchia, associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion in UNSW’s Science faculty, explained in a recent episode of The Business Of podcast that psychosocial hazards often stem from how work is structured, the environment it’s done in, the organisational culture and workplace relationships.

“We’re talking about things like workload, the nature of the tasks – their frequency, when they’re being done,” he said. “It also includes things like job control, so the level of control that people have in what they do, when they do it and who they do it with. Role ambiguity, so not being clear about where your role starts and stops. Role conflict – having elements of your job that are essentially in conflict with one another. We’re also talking about job insecurity, remote and isolated work and, of course, bullying, harassment, violence and discrimination as well.”

Creating a psychosocially safe workplace requires changes to workplace design, management practices and employee interactions.

“What we try to do is think about all the small elements of jobs that have the potential for some change that’s beneficial so that, in concert, they might be able to make that job less harmful,” Caponecchia says.

For example, while a company might not be able to hire more people, it could reevaluate the timing of certain tasks, create cross-functional teams to better support and supervise workers and look for opportunities to offer professional development, so teams are more sustainable.

Not only do workers benefit from such practices, but research shows organisations that implement effective psychosocial safety measures experience higher employee engagement, lower turnover rates and enhanced overall performance.

Championing a purpose-led culture

Izzy Fenwick, founder of Futureful, a New Zealand skills- and values-based recruitment platform, emphasises that organisations aiming for high-performing teams, increased productivity and low turnover must focus on three key areas. First, they should foster a strong connection between employees and the organisation’s mission and purpose. Next, they need to promote an inclusive culture where people feel a true sense of belonging. Finally, they must build trust by demonstrating genuine care for employees, rather than focusing solely on profit.

To drive inclusion, Sally Elson, chief people officer at MYOB, says, “Organisations need to bring team members on the journey by empowering them to have a voice rather than having leaders drive actions from the top down. We have change management ‘champions’ who act as role models and deliver various initiatives that align mental health and wellbeing with culture and values.”

“Organisations need to bring team members on the journey by empowering them to have a voice, rather than having leaders drive actions from the top down.”

Blanche-Sarellano says such officers role-model what they ask of their team members. “From truly logging off when taking paid time off to saying ‘no’ to unnecessary or low-priority tasks, these champions do as leaders do, not as they say. Cultural leaders also invest time in building relationships that help them better understand and appreciate each team member’s uniqueness and what they specifically need to succeed.”

Wellness champion in practice

Wellness officers don’t have to be HR officers. “If HR leaders are the primary champions of culture, the business has already failed,” Blanche-Sarellano says. “I see HR partners as enablers in building a positive culture, but none of it matters if it’s not lived by folks in the business every day.”

The focus should be on transforming the workplace, not just the individual. Research published in the Industrial Relations Journal found no evidence that individual-level mental wellbeing interventions such as mindfulness, relaxation classes and wellbeing apps benefit employees.

The study supports Caponecchia’s findings. Organisational-level changes are more effective in improving overall wellbeing than focusing solely on individual-level interventions.

What’s the next step for companies serious about addressing wellbeing challenges? Identifying employees with the right traits and empowering them to act as the glue needed to create healthier, more cohesive and productive workplaces.

Mental health in the workplace – counting the cost

Australia

• The 2020 Productivity Commission Inquiry Report estimated that mental illness and suicide costs the Australian economy up to A$70 billion a year. Workplace absenteeism and presenteeism due to mental ill health costs up to A$10 billion and A$7 billion per year respectively.

• A recent Safe Work Australia report showed that mental health conditions accounted for 9% of all serious worker compensation claims in 2021–2022, a 36.9% increase since 2017–2018.

New Zealand

• A report by the New Zealand Government found that the annual cost of serious mental illness is an estimated NZ$12 billion or 5% of GDP.

• WorkSafe has calculated that mental health harm accounts for 17% of annual work-related disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost.