Did you know that poor mental health in the workplace and its associated impacts cost Australian businesses $11 billion per year? And that’s without taking into account the toll on individuals and their families.
A new workplace mental health program is trying to change that. The FactorC WeCARE campaign offers flexible mental health learning designed to stop little problems from becoming bigger.
Developed by mental health advocate, author and R U OK? Director Graeme Cowan and eLearning specialist Brenden Carter, WeCARE teaches managers and employees how to identify and effectively support colleagues in distress.
Helping you help others.
WeCARE is an award-winning program designed for individuals, teams and entire businesses.
It takes a local leader approach, enabling people to show they care by learning strategies to help others.
It starts with a 20 minute eLearning module and is supported by help sheets, wallet cards, posters and other materials that are always accessible. It’s low on jargon and high on practice advice.
The WeCARE framework.
According to the World Health Organisation, one in four people will be affected by a mental health or neurological disorder at some point in their lives. WeCARE teaches you how to take action to help the people around you.
- The WeCARE framework teaches five elements for supporting a teammate in distress.Identify – how to know if someone is not themself
- Compassion – how to ask ‘are you ok?’ with empathy
- Access experts – how to guide people to expert help
- Revitalising work – keeping people connected to their workplace
- Exercise – how to help recovery and balance through exercise.
It’s the culmination of years of research, practical application and thousands of surveys to learn what we can do to help each other.
“If I had access to this content before I became Head of School, it would have saved me (and others) time and frustration,” says Professor Frans Verstraten, Head of School of Psychology at the University of Sydney.
The program has been so successful to date that 94% of participants feel more confident about helping others after learning this simple, evidence-based approach.
How to implement WeCARE in your business or workplace.
- Initial 20–30 minute WeCARE training online to learn how to support a teammate in distress
- Managers and team leaders can attend WeCARE Manager, a half-day virtual workshop, followed by 16 weeks on the job application
- Ongoing support is provided through an online portal to build mental health impact for the next year – and beyond, called WeCARE Momentum
- Booklets, posters and wallet cards further imbed the messages.
Any business, any size.
Smaller businesses and individuals can sign up for the short, sharp 20-minute initial training at any time. This is an excellent solution if you want to take action immediately.
WeCARE is suitable for organisations of any size and can be customised based on your industry, company and values. It can also be integrated with existing employee assistance or wellness programs and mental health first aid.
Luka Popavac, National Customer Experience and Capability Manager for the Volkswagen Group Australia, says he found the content to be high of quality and engaging, with best practice advice.
“We wanted a practical, scalable and cost-efficient way to help address mental health issues for our team of over 5000 people at 135 locations. I recommend absolutely everyone to complete this fantastic course because it is suitable for both professional and personal settings,” Luka said.
Where to find out more.
More information is available on the FactorC website. The WeCARE introductory video provides more details about the approach or you can sign up for the 20-minute eLearning module.
There are also some handy resources available including:
Mentally Healthy Culture Checklist
ICare Poster: How to help a teammate in distress
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Further reading
How to make a Google My Business listing work for your business.