Heads Up promoting mentally healthy workplaces Seminar Melbourne, 28 May 2015: Speech by Steve McCann, Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Introduction I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet on today, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and pay my respects to their elders past and present and I extend that respect to other Aboriginal people present today. Ladies and gentlemen, Lendlease is a very proud supporter of the important work done by beyondblue and is happy to be one of Heads Up corporate champions sharing this morning with all of you who are strong advocates of this worthy cause. In particular I would like to pay tribute to Chair Jeff Kennell, whose leadership and tireless advocacy is changing Australia for the better. Lendlease has been working closely with beyondblue since 2009 through our former Abigroup business a partnership that, I m pleased to say, now extends across the whole of Lendlease. Business benefits Lendlease s vision is to create the best places and we know an important part of creating the best places is putting people s wellbeing first. Our vision is driven by our three core principles - safety, sustainability and diversity. I am honoured to lead a company with our extraordinary history of firsts in sustainability, some of the best of them just down the road in Victoria Harbour. Among them the world s tallest timber building, Forte, and the exquisite 6 Star Green Star library at the dock where Collins and Bourke St meet, I am proud of 1 of 5
our sector-leading maternity and paternity leave arrangements, and yet, it is the safety of our people that has always been our number one priority and in recent years we have come a long way in delivering on that. We believe that every person who works with us, and for us, has the right to return home in the same way they arrived at work. Therefore, it has made sense over the last six years, for Lendlease to evolve and extend our notion of caring for people to include their mental health. There are nearly one million construction workers in Australia, of which Lendlease employ many tens of thousands, both directly and through our subcontractor workforce. We ve heard from others today about the enormity of this issue in our community and in our industry in particular these statistics have even greater impact. We know that construction workers are more than twice as likely to suicide as other Australians and construction workers are six times more likely to die by suicide than through a workplace accident. Likewise, construction apprentices are two and a half times more likely to suicide than other young men their age. With numbers like these, you can appreciate that our approach to being a mentally healthy workplace is more than just the right thing to do it is a fundamental part of our commitment to our people. Culture As you know, the first step is to commit to creating a culture where mental health is as important as physical health. Where people feel comfortable to talk about it, understand the broader context and have the tools they need to help themselves and others. We believe a mentally healthy workplace culture improves productivity, strengthens our relationships and reputation with our clients, and makes Lendlease an even better place to work. 2 of 5
Leadership Business leaders have an important role to play in significantly influencing the culture of their organisation. In 2013, I started to include mental health in my global employee updates, and in June 2014, became our global sponsor of mental health, with my first duty to become an ambassador for the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance - Heads Up. As an ambassador of the Heads Up campaign, I have spoken openly to our employees about the importance of mental health as part of caring for our people and I regularly encourage my global leadership team to do the same. I openly share with our employees my own activities in keeping myself mentally healthy. The importance of visible and active leadership in promoting both a mentally healthier workplace, and a healthier workplace in general, is key to the progress we are making. Lendlease initiatives As business leaders we need to be role models but it s also important to demonstrate an active and long-term commitment to the issue. We are currently rolling out some fantastic programs to raise awareness, educate, support and better understand mental health, and we certainly need to acknowledge the expertise of our partners that help us deliver these - beyondblue, Mental Health First Aid and MATES in Construction. Our key focuses are speaking openly about mental health, improving understanding and education for our leaders and employees, and offering training, programs and support across the spectrum of mental health. To do that we run a number of initiatives: We ve established a global health peer group sponsored by our Group Chief Financial Officer and led by our Group Sustainability and Health and Safety teams. 3 of 5
Through beyondblue and Mates In Construction we ve run a number of global and regional campaigns, most recently a month long campaign in Australia reaching all of our 8,000 employees here. We ve created a Mental Health in the Workplace guidebook available in hardcopy and online for all employees. We ve published stories on our intranet from across our business on how mental health has affected the lives of our own people, and each of these stories has received an overwhelming response. We ve run applied training and programs across the spectrum of mental health - covering a thriving, healthy mind through to understanding the phases of becoming unwell, active intervention, recovery and support. We ve made our healthy minds program part of our standard performance management cycle including mindfulness training, mind productivity, resilience, and our health and wellbeing conversations. We provide our employees and their families across all our operations, with access to a 24/7, 365 days-a-year Employee Assistance Program. We ve prioritised active intervention, by training over 150 Mental Health First Aid Officers globally, and in Australia are training 37 Officers in Assisted Suicide Intervention Skills. We have recently enhanced our support and recovery in Australia by introducing the Circle of Care to assist managers and employees with safe and sustainable Return to Work plans following an injury or illness, which now includes psychological injury or illness. By June 2016 we aim to have the majority of our Australian and New Zealand workforce trained in mental health awareness and want as many people qualified in mental health first aid, as we have in physical health first aid. Heads Up support I see my role to be helping the industry at large understand the importance of this issue and to work with other people in the industry to drive safer and healthier workplaces. 4 of 5
Lendlease champions Heads Up because it raises much-needed community awareness and encourages business improvement in supporting mental health. For those of you that have not yet visited, the Heads Up website is a fantastic resource, and I encourage you to take a look. For us, it always starts with a conversation. If we think a colleague might be struggling, we check in with them and see how they re doing. We all know that a simple Are you ok? can start a conversation that could make a real difference. We re proud to be a small part of the difference beyondblue and Heads Up make to the bigger picture We know that - if we continue to stand-up on this issue as we have here today. Together we can drive the cultural change Australia needs. ENDS About event Non-profit organisation beyondblue, in collaboration with the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Victorian Chamber), invites you to take the first step to improve the mental health of your workplace. Heads Up is all about supporting Australian businesses to create more mentally healthy workplaces. As well as promoting a positive, productive workplace culture and minimising risks to employees mental health, mentally healthy workplaces can lead to increased productivity, improved staff engagement and enhanced staff retention. Join us to learn about the simple, practical actions businesses can take to promote a mentally healthy workplace. 5 of 5