
There are an estimated 3 million people in Australia that currently have a mental illness. The Significant Women’s Network is a network that brings together professional women with influence. They run a lunchtime forum series, today the topic was on Mental Health and Wellness in the Workplace.
The forum was aimed at female leaders and provided a discussion on how to create a workplace that supported individuals with mental health conditions.
The event had four highly influential presenters: Georgie Harman the CEO of Beyond Blue, Margo Lydon the CEO of SuperFriend and the IFF Mental Health Foundation, Caroline Crosse the Executive Director of Social Firms Australia and Meahan Callaghan from Seek.
These women spoke about initiatives that have been designed to support businesses and organisations assist individuals who may have a mental health condition. This included the development of Heads Up by Beyond Blue; which enables employers to create their own mental health action plan. Superfriend, a mental health promotion foundation which helps industry super fund members improve their mental health and wellbeing. Social Firms Australia, has supported the creation of businesses by not-for-profit organisation that provide opportunities for individuals with mental health conditions to find work.
The event was held at Allens, and provided an opportunity for attendees to network and connect. A light lunch was also provided.
It was encouraging to see so many women in leadership positions come together to learn and discuss how they can help people with mental health conditions.