On Tuesday 24th October, 2023, we attended a Mental Health and Wellbeing Workshop hosted by Mornington Peninsula Business and Speak & Share. The workshop is designed to help businesses discover the power of building a mentally healthy workplace.

Did you know that you spend a whopping one-third of your precious life at work? Your workplace is like a second home, so it's very important that it is a thriving, mentally healthy haven for yourself and the team that you work with.

Here’s the kicker: 1 in 5 people battle with poor mental health every year. And, a jaw-dropping 1 in 4 adults have hit the brakes on their careers because of mental health issues. 

Early childhood educators face several workplace challenges, including managing undesirable behaviors, mental health needs, workplace stress, staff turnover, staffing shortages, minimal support, and high levels of burnout.

According to a recent nationwide survey, 45% of early childhood educators are battling mental health challenges and burnout whilst almost 43% say staffing shortages are affecting their stress level. 20% of early childhood educators also said they are considering leaving the sector. Of that group, 40% cited mental health as their reason. 

One of our goals is to provide mentally healthy workplaces for our educators, so we have pledged to be Workplace Wellbeing Champions, prioritising mental health and wellbeing for our teams as a key aspect of our work, health and safety planning. We are also focusing on improving mental health and wellbeing initiatives for our children and families, ensuring a whole organisation approach to mental health within all four of our childcare and kindergarten services.

The benefits of a mentally healthy workplace

We pledge to:

• Foster a supportive and inclusive workplace
• Raise awareness through information sharing and training
• Promote work/life balance with flexible arrangements 
• Offer access to mental health and wellbeing resoures and support services
• Reduce stigma through open communication and non-judgemental conversations
• Continuously evaluate policies on mental health and wellbeing with the team
• Exemplify outstanding leadership through the practice of self-care 
  
  

The workshop was hosted by Speak & Share, who are a not-for-profit mental health organisation that encourage the tough conversations and challenge the stigma associated with mental health. Through their preventative and proactive approach, they facilitate school, corporate and sporting club programs, as well as local events to connect community and raise awareness to positively impact mental health awareness.

Drawing on their own personal experiences, they have identified that there is a need to positively impact the community. They have a story to share and are willing to show vulnerability to lead the way for others to follow. For too long now, mental health has been the elephant in the room. However, through their unique approach, they aim to normalise speaking & sharing for everyone.

You can book a workshop program for your school, sporting club, workplace or community, by visiting their Contact Us page.

Sources:
K-12 Dive - 45% of Early Childhood Educators Report High Burnout, Stress 
Mornington Peninsula Business - Workplace Wellbeing
Speak and Share - Who We Are