LGBTQI+ workers are 42 per cent more likely to experience mental health conditions according to a newly released workplace mental health survey.
SuperFriend, a workplace mental health not-for-profit organisation, has released critical insights from the 2022 Indicators of a Thriving Workplace survey, shedding light on the mental health challenges faced by the LGBTQI+ community in Australian workplaces.
The survey, encompassing nearly 10,000 Australian workers across 19 industries, has revealed significant statistics indicating higher rates of mental health conditions within the LGBTQI+ community compared to the general workforce.
Notably, the data uncovered that workers identifying as LGBTQI+ are 42 per cent more likely to have experienced a mental health condition in the last 12 months.
In addition, individuals within the LGBTQI+ community were less likely to seek help at work, with only 18 per cent reaching out to co-workers for support and only 31 per cent utilising professional health services provided by their employers.
Dr Natalie Flatt from SuperFriend said the onus is on workplaces to ensure they are offering suitable support for all employees.
“With 1 in 5 of the Australian workforce identifying as LGBTQI+, workplaces must establish robust support measures for our LGBTQI+ communities”.
“Employers are pivotal in fostering mentally healthy workplaces, particularly for LGBTQI+ workers, to cultivate an inclusive and diverse environment where fairness is promoted for all individuals. Leaders can play a key role in this by modelling inclusive language and employing gender-neutral terms.
“Employers can designate a specific champion for the LGBTQI+ community within HR, who can ensure supportive policies, and implement mental health training that acknowledges the diverse experiences that arise from various identities and communities.”
“By launching the results of the 2022 Indicators of a Thriving Workplace survey during Pride Month, we want to remind organisations of the important responsibility they have to this cohort,” Dr Flatt said.
The survey was undertaken by 9,994 Australian workers via an online portal. The survey was conducted in November and December 2022. In the survey workers commented on conditions in their current workplace role.
Despite the LGBTQI+ community scoring better than the national average across all five Domains and nine Psychosocial Hazards measured by the Thriving Workplace Score, challenges persist. LGBTQI+ workers are more likely to encounter workplace violence, discrimination, and bullying.
SuperFriend’s 2022 Indicators of a Thriving Workplace survey is a powerful tool for understanding workplace mental health across diverse industries. The survey provides comprehensive insights to guide employers in implementing effective strategies that address various communities’ mental health disparities.
The survey also showed that across a range of industries there was a difference experience of mental wellness. Industires including media, telecommunications, arts, construction and manufacturing scored above the nation average. People were more likely to report experiencing poor mental health while working in education, health care and mining.
OIP Staff
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