Mariette Rupps-Donnelly is a great supporter of sphinxx and has drawn our attention to a very important health initiative called R U OK?Day.

You may (or may not) be aware that stress and depression are the largest contributors to lost productivity in Australia, and that absenteeism plus stress and depression-related presenteeism are directly costing employers $10.11 billion a year…

R U Ok? is a new initiative launched by Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon.  R U OK?Day and R U OK?Arvo are two initiatives taking place in November that will bring Australians together in a bid to help prevent the isolation that can lead to outcomes such as employees taking their own lives. The initiative has a range of tools and services available to help employers support their employees in identifying and managing challenges they may be facing – you can find out more at R U OK?

Also, the organising team of R U Ok?Day are looking for CEOs, PAs of CEOs and people with contacts to CEOs who can support the rollout of the program into organisations, as these people are seen as the key influencers in breaking down the barriers to mental health in the workplace.

If this is you, the organisers would love to hear from you… and if you’d like to implement the program in your workplace, you can find out more information at: R U OK?