About WorkWell and the Mental Health Improvement Fund

In partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, WorkSafe has developed the $50 million five-year WorkWell program to equip employers for making mental health a priority in their own workplaces.WorkSafe’s WorkWell program aims to make mental health and wellbeing a priority in Victorian workplaces through access to resources, funding and knowledge sharing. WorkWell is about workplaces proactively creating safe and mentally healthy environments so employees thrive, and the risk of work-related psychological harm or mental injury is reduced.

The WorkWell program consists of three streams:

WorkWell Toolkit

A free mental health resource. It uses a step by step approach to help employers to promote mental health and prevent mental injury in the workplace through access to tailored tools and information.

Improvement Fund

The WorkWell Mental Health Improvement Fund (the Fund) has provided large scale investment for workplaces to promote positive mental health and prevent mental injury. The fund targets Victorian workers identified at greatest risk of mental injury including: younger workers, ageing workers, frontline workers and workers in industries in transition.

WorkWell Learning Networks

WorkWell Learning Networks - bringing workplaces and experts together to share ideas and knowledge and provide advice and support to workplaces to implement initiatives that create safe and mentally healthy environments for identified Victorian working populations. - bringing workplaces and experts together to share ideas and knowledge and provide advice and support to workplaces to implement initiatives that create safe and mentally healthy environments for identified Victorian working populations.

How it works

  • The Fund has provided large scale investment for workplaces committed to making systemic changes to create thriving and mentally healthy workplaces.
  • The Fund aims to promote mental health and wellbeing and prevent mental injury and illness by changing workplace cultures and practices.
  • Projects supported by the Fund will contribute to building the evidence base on how to create and maintain mentally healthy Victorian workplaces.
  • The Fund has a particular focus on projects targeting younger workers, ageing workers, frontline workers and industries in transition.
  • The multi-million dollar funding is to drive innovation and to encourage new ways of working and expand smaller, successful programs focused on employees health, safety and mental wellbeing, across industries with vulnerable employee populations.
  • Funded organisations are using a co-design approach with key partners to deliver innovative initiatives. To learn more about the current projects visit: https://www.workwell.vic.gov.au/fund
  • TM Thrive in consultation with AP Psychology & Consulting Services is managing a project. 

Learn more

TM Thrive Workplace Psychological Safety Leadership Program

Project objective:

Develop a scalable and evidence-based solution to build psychologically safe and thriving teams in higher education through the systemic approach to addressing workplace factors within the University sector.

Project Target Audience:

University leaders and their direct reports which covers the target vulnerable working population of: • Ageing Workers • Frontline Workers

Project Industry Group:

Education and Training

Core Outcomes

Over a period of two years March 2020 – March 2022, the TM Thrive Workplace Psychological Safety project will aim to train and certify 400 leaders from Victorian Universities in Workplace Psychological Safety Leadership Program as well as have approximately 2000 direct reports run through a parallel process designed to empower them to take control of their own mental health. At the conclusion of the project, participating leaders and direct reports will have built valuable skills and knowledge to create, contribute to and sustain a psychologically safe work environment at their respective Universities.

Enhanced capability and confidence

Enhanced capability and confidence of leaders to support and protect the mental health of their employees through a digital intervention that promotes practical improvements to workplace factors and practices to support psychological safety.

Increased leadership

Increased leadership commitment to building better work cultures and psychologically safe places to work.

Improved employee awareness

Improved employee awareness of mental health in the workplace and enhancing personal resilience through gamified and socially incentivised learning and practice.

High Level Project Details

Workplace Psychological Safety Index (WPSI):

Baseline measure at start of the project and re-measure on conclusion

Focus Groups for Leaders

Understand University context specific work-related factors

Workplace Psychological Safety Leadership Training

Tailored training for leaders on how to create workplace psychological safety.

Mental Health training for Staff

A digital intervention informed by WPSI & focus group data Customised digital behaviour change intervention that supports psychological safety at Universities

Evaluation and project case-study

Comprehensive evaluation of each deliverable and case-study to highlight key learnings

Sustainability & continuous improvement.

The practical learning modules and ongoing access embeds the practices within the work culture.

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