Signs of Depression and Anxiety in a Workplace

It is important to note that managers are also permitted to enquire about a person’s mental health status if the information is required for a ‘legitimate’ purpose. For example, it might be legitimate to ask a team member questions about their medication if the job involves operating machinery.

Other cases in which questions may be legitimate include:

● determining whether the person can perform the inherent requirements of the job,

● identifying if any reasonable adjustments may be needed, or

● establishing facts for entitlements such as sick leave, superannuation, workers’ compensation and other insurance.

Care must also be taken to ensure that any private information collected in the workplace remains confidential, protecting the information against improper access and disclosure.

Supporting a Team Member Return to Work or Stay at Work

Because everyone’s circumstances are different, a plan to help someone with mental health issues return to work or stay at work needs to be tailored to the individual, workplace and role.

Some strategies may include:

● seeking written permission from the team member to speak to their treating health professional about how Branded Group can support their recovery,

● exploring the possibility of the team member staying at work before assuming they will need time off,

● developing a work plan together to provide clarity on roles, responsibilities and any reasonable adjustments to support the team member’s recovery. Adjustments might include allowing time off to attend appointments, shift or location changes, reducing workload or specific tasks, or modifying the team member’s working hours.

● managing absences where required and reviewing the workloads of other team members to ensure they are not unfairly burdened by the change,

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