Australia Post will appoint its first chief mental health officer to support the wellbeing of the more than 60,000 strong extended workforce around the country. The brand new role will focus on boosting workplace psychological health through organisational change.
Group CEO and managing director Paul Graham said Australia Post, which has just announced an annual $16 million investment into Licensed Post Offices, had a moral obligation to take action on mental health.
“We have the opportunity to apply learnings across a large and diverse workforce and understand what will be effective in supporting our people and driving a culture of change when it comes to mental health. We will then be able to share those learnings to help the broader community,” Graham said.
Last year the organisation won awards for its mental health initiatives, including its Early Matched Care at Australia Post (EMCAP) program which aims to identify early and support those at risk of secondary psychological injuries following on from a physical injury.
Results from the national rollout of EMCAP show workers return to work on average 40 days earlier, which leads to improved mental health outcomes.
The work also builds on Australia Post’s partnership with Beyond Blue, which connects Australian communities with important mental health initiatives. Beyond Blue’s mental health information has reached more than 6 million letterboxes across Australia including 4 million prepaid postcards encouraging people to take action to support their mental health by writing to each other to connect.
Through the Post Office network, small business owners were connected with mental health coaching services and more than $75,000 was raised for mental health in 2021.
Australia Post is also a member of the Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds Foundation (HHTSF), which promotes the prevention and understanding of mental health issues within Australia’s road transport and logistics industries.
