More to Be Done to Improve Access to Workplace Mental Health Resources

• 84% of employees believe their organisation offers mental health resources 
• Yet only 56% of employees feel comfortable accessing these resources 
• Furthermore, 39% of employees don’t know how to access these resources for themselves 

3 October, 2024 – Employees are not taking advantage of the mental health resources at their disposal, despite feeling high rates of stress and pressure at work, the latest ELMO Employee Sentiment Index (ESI) report found. 

The report, covering the quarter of April – June 2024, surveyed over 1,000 Australian workers and their current workforce challenges. Excessive workload or lack of resources (20%) and the inability to switch off or disconnect from work (19%) were top contenders for why employees experience negative pressure.

While most businesses seem to recognise the value of protecting and promoting mental health at work, with 84% of employees believing resources are offered, only 56% of employees felt comfortable accessing them.

ELMO Software’s Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Lyons, expressed that employee wellbeing is going through a revolution, with higher quality, free and confidential resources available for workers. However, with 39% still not knowing how to access them and only just over half feeling comfortable to do so, Lyons believes there is a huge opportunity for companies to increase employee adoption through better accessibility and improved communication. 

In addition, new psychosocial legislation in Australia also means employers must be more accountable and take proactive steps to prevent harm to their workers’ psychological health.

“Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services have suffered a bit of a perception problem with some workers only viewing them as a “tick box” for employers and a last resort for employees going through major life events or redundancies,” Lyons said.

“In today’s working environment, businesses need to go above and beyond the EAP. It’s imperative to deliver additional wellbeing resources that cater to the modern worker. That means content that can be accessed confidentially from anywhere, at any time, and delivered in a way that resonates with employees, usually through short, concise video learning.”

ELMO, whose customer base includes a big proportion of deskless workers, is focused on helping its customers improve the accessibility of wellbeing and development resources to help boost participation rates and foster a thriving learning culture.

The software company is rolling out ELMOHR, a new learning and development app with dynamic, engaging content tailored to the needs of the modern workforce, whether they’re desk-based, on a building site, in a hospital or manufacturing plant. 

“Over two thirds of ELMO customers prefer to consume content via mobile so we’ve worked hard to ensure an optimal mobile experience, providing quality information at their fingertips,” Lyons said.

Lyons added that putting mental health at the centre of the workplace is more important than ever as Australians grapple with job security, shifts in workplace culture exacerbated by the pandemic, and growing feelings of burnout.

“We are committed to driving real change and ensure mental health resources are readily accessible and confidential for our customers.That’s why we’ve partnered with Lifeline, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and EQ Minds to launch our exclusive ‘Your Mind Matters’ content, a series of curated videos designed to help support the wellbeing our customers’ employees.”

Media Enquiries

Catherine Lee |  +61 438 045 621

Sophie McCullen |  +61 435 913 863  

For more information on ELMO Software, click here.

About the ELMO Employee Sentiment Index 

The ELMO Employee Sentiment Index offers an insight into the actions, attitudes, concerns, and behaviours of Australian workers. The report provides a quarterly analysis of the prevailing sentiment within the workforce to track changes in perceived job security and the employment landscape. 

The research was commissioned by ELMO Software and conducted by Lonergan

Research in accordance with the ISO 20252 standard.

Lonergan Research surveyed 1,038 Australian workers aged 18 years and over between 26th June 2024 and 2nd July 2024.

The research was conducted via a 15-question online survey. Respondents were members of a permission-based panel, geographically dispersed throughout Australia including both capital city and non-capital city areas.

After surveying, data was weighted to the latest population estimates sourced from the

Australian Bureau of Statistics.

About ELMO Software 

Founded in 2002, the ELMO Group comprises ELMO Software in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and Breathe HR in the UK. It is the trusted provider of HR technology solutions to 16,000+ small and mid-sized organisations and two million end users.

With a comprehensive suite of ISO-certified solutions that span the full employee lifecycle, ELMO Software is designed to scale as organisations grow. Flexible and configurable, ELMO’s one-stop HRIS fits to your specific needs and workflows.

Through powerful technology, automation, data and analytics, ELMO Software empowers HR professionals to play an integral role in company decision making.

For more information, please visit www.elmosoftware.co.nz  or follow ELMO Software on LinkedIn.