Creating jobs that are safe for workers
Industry Expert (Money Management)
Like most people, I was pleased to hear the Government’s commitment to creating more jobs when it was announced in last year’s Budget. There is no doubt we need more opportunities for people, especially young Australians. But in order for our economy to recover sustainably, we need the jobs of tomorrow to enable both Australian businesses and workers to thrive.
If we continue doing what we’ve been doing, I believe we will be setting Australians up for worsening mental health and workplace experiences that detrimentally impact productivity, retention, stigma and stress.
As the old saying goes, “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten”.
The safe work movements over the last 20 years have radically transformed our physical ways of working. Thanks to those efforts, most of us enjoy physically safer working environments and have a low risk of being physically injured at work. It’s time to pour that same energy into making our jobs and workplaces psychologically safe.
If you need help with a workplace matter, call 1800 238 622 or gethelp@workersfirst.com.au