New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 35/01C | Page 54

MARKET SECTOR REPORT
WELLNESS IN THE MODERN OFFICE
A HEALTHY WORKPLACE
How do you ensure the mental health of your staff through your work environment?
Victoria Tavendale, Mirvac’s general manager of asset management, office and
industrial, offers an informed perspective on what makes a workplace a well place
We spend a large portion of our lives at work,
which means that finding a workplace that supports
mental health and encourages wellbeing is essential
to our health and happiness.
Nearly three-quarters of all Australian employees in which every individual realises his or her own
potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life,
can work productively and fruitfully and is able to
make a contribution to her or his community”. Good
mental health is critical to a productive workplace
say a mentally healthy workplace is important when
looking for a job in the future. These figures show
Australians have an expectation that their workplace
will provide comprehensive mental health support.
And rightly so. World Health Organisation (WHO)
defines good mental health as “a state of wellbeing and fully functional society.
But the figures worryingly reveal that the majority
of Australian workplaces are not living up to these
expectations. Only half (52%) of employees believe
their workplace is mentally healthy, leaving 48%
with a workplace they believe does not provide a
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