Stress Update
Report on attendance at an IIR Conference, Sydney, 30 April, May 1, 2007 and subsequent conversations.
Sue Graham, Practice Leader, DOL, Tauranga
Nikki Jensen, Health and Safety Inspector, DOL, Napier.
Frank Darby, Technical Specialist, DOL, Wellington
26th July 2007
Summary:
The authors attended a conference on workplace stress presented by IIR in Sydney on April 30 and May 1, 2007.
Brief summaries of 12 of the 14 presentations follow.
The presentations centred around the three ideas of:
- psychological well-being in the workplace and its link to the well-being of the business
- psychological injury and
- mental ill-health . . .
There was reference to (a) large and small interventions, (b) resolutions of specific personal and across-business problems and (c) legal issues.
A talk from a person with a mental illness and her experiences in various workplaces was compelling.
Quicklinks direct busy readers to key points - see page 4.
Key points and concepts that caught our collective attention are on page 5.
A list of resources is attached. See page 28.
After we completed that part of the report we asked ourselves –
“What is the corresponding situation in New Zealand?”
We telephoned ten key people known to us, and their commentaries are included – so that the situation here may be assessed and compared. See pages 29 – 37.
IIR Stress Conference, Sydney, April 30 and May 1, 2007
Contents
Appendix A - Resources in Australia and New Zealand
Appendix B – Telephone Evaluation of key Contacts in New Zealand