One statistic recently stopped me in my tracks. The median time away from work for a serious mental health workers’ compensation claim in Australia is now 35.7 working weeks. That’s almost nine months away from work.
As someone who works with leaders, my first thought wasn’t about the cost of a claim. It was about everything that happens before a claim is ever made.
Safe Work Australia reports that:
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33.2% of serious mental stress claims are linked to harassment and workplace bullying.
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24.2% are linked to work pressure, including excessive workloads, unrealistic deadlines and poor work design.
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15.7% relate to violence and harassment.
Together, these account for more than 73% of serious mental stress claims. Much of this can be impacted by positive culture and strong leadership.
Workplace culture rarely changes overnight. It is shaped by hundreds of everyday interactions. The difficult conversation that wasn’t had. The inappropriate behaviour that wasn’t addressed. The workload that continued to grow without anyone asking whether it was sustainable. The technically brilliant employee who became a manager but was never taught how to lead people. By the time a formal complaint is made, the opportunity to prevent it has often passed.
Leadership is one of the most effective preventative controls. When we think about managing psychosocial hazards, our minds often jump straight to policies and procedures. Those are important. But policies don’t create culture. People do.
Great leaders:
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address inappropriate behaviour early
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create psychologically safe teams where people feel comfortable speaking up
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manage workloads and expectations
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communicate with empathy and clarity during times of change
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model respectful behaviour every day
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build trust through consistent conversations
These are the behaviours that prevent issues from escalating into formal complaints or psychological injuries.
The legal expectations are changing too. Queensland employers now have a positive obligation to proactively manage the risks of sexual harassment and sex or gender-based harassment at work, including preparing and implementing a written prevention plan where those risks have been identified.
This reflects a broader shift in workplace health and safety. Employers are expected to identify psychosocial risks before harm occurs, not simply respond after an incident. A prevention plan is an important part of that obligation.
But the most effective prevention strategy isn’t a document sitting on a shelf. It’s leaders who know how to recognise risks early, have courageous conversations, manage people well and create a culture where respectful behaviour is simply “how we do things around here.”
Some questions worth asking…
If one of your leaders noticed inappropriate behaviour tomorrow, would they know exactly what to do? Would they feel confident having the conversation? And would your workplace culture make it easy for someone to speak up before an issue became a formal complaint?
When organisations invest in leadership capability and workplace culture, they’re not just developing better leaders. They’re creating safer, healthier and more productive workplaces.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen leadership capability, build a healthier workplace culture, or understand your obligations around psychosocial hazards and sexual harassment prevention plans, we’d love to help.