Sydney tradie Josh Thompson said he’s experienced burnout during his career, feeling exhausted, withdrawn and losing motivation. (Source: Supplied) <\/p>\n
Millions of Australian employees have experienced work-related mental distress and burnout<\/a>, new research has found. Along with taking a toll on workers\u2019 wellbeing<\/a>, the issue is thought to be costing businesses<\/a> billions of dollars each year.<\/p>\n Sydney tradie Josh Thompson said he\u2019s experienced burnout<\/a> over the course of his fledgling career. The 22-year-old fourth-year apprentice builder told Yahoo Finance there were a range of factors that meant construction workers<\/a> could be more susceptible to burnout, including long hours, physically draining work, and project pressures, which are being exacerbated by the current trade shortage<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people in the construction industry are doing a lot of 50, 60-plus hour weeks and that\u2019s causing a lot of overtime and it disrupts people\u2019s rest and recovery from work,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very physically and mentally draining.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED<\/p>\n In the construction industry, mental health<\/a> also isn\u2019t something that is widely talked about, which means things can quietly escalate.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the younger boys and girls coming through now are working with older guys and they\u2019ve always had that toughen up sort of mentality,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sort of discourages people [from speaking] up as much as they should be. They sort of hide that part of them. There\u2019s limited mental health conversations on sites, which is lacking in the industry, which obviously doesn’t help.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s something carpenter and mental wellbeing advocate Bardie Somerville<\/a> has experienced on worksites too. She started The Shift, a platform for tradies to connect, learn and gain tools to help manage their mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t really know how to communicate so they just watch on or they sweep it under the rug,\u201d she previously told Yahoo Finance.<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone keeps showing up to work and doing their job, the push on jobs can be so much sometimes that people go, \u2018That\u2019s all that matters. You\u2019re a battler, mate\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n New research from Allianz<\/a> found nearly 60 per cent of Aussie employees had experienced mental distress as a result of factors like workload pressure, meeting overload and unrealistic deadlines.<\/p>\n Since 2021, Allianz found work-related mental distress compensation claims had surged by nearly 30 per cent. This was alongside a 10 per cent rise in the average time off per claim, increasing to 81 days.<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n Mental health claims are also more expensive, costing 2.8 times more than physical injury claims, with an average cost of $46,143.<\/p>\n \u201cOur claims data tells us that mental stress and work pressure is the second highest contributor of primary active psychological claims (34 per cent),\u201d Allianz Australia executive general manager personal injury Mark Pittman said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile Allianz works to support injured workers who have been harmed by workplace stress, we recognise that the best outcomes are achieved through prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly 80 per cent of employees and 66 per cent of managers surveyed said they didn\u2019t believe their organisation enforced good workplace habits and boundaries to reduce burnout.<\/p>\n According to the Black Dog Institute, mentally unhealthy workplaces cost Australia up to $39 billion each year<\/a> due to lost participation and productivity.<\/p>\n Allianz found a staggering 2.73 million Aussies were considering leaving their jobs within the next year.<\/p>\n When Thompson is feeling burnt out<\/a>, he has noticed he will lose motivation, won\u2019t have his usual sense of pride in his work, and he\u2019ll be more withdrawn from his colleagues.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso the physical symptoms like muscle tension, sore muscles all the time, headaches,\u201d he told Yahoo Finance.<\/p>\n He said it can often lead to the potential of increased mistakes, or “near misses”, if he is feeling overly tired.<\/p>\n Helen Lawson Williams, co-founder of anti-burnout program TANK, said burnout would look different depending on the person, role or industry. But she said it doesn\u2019t have to be accepted as part of your job.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be prevented when teams are checking in with each other on the right things, and taking action early,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cEmployees can start by recognising when their stress [and] recovery balance is off, which could feel like fatigue, overwhelm, irritability, or caring less about their work than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams encouraged employees to speak up before things escalated and be specific about what was impacting their stress and recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk for what you need, and use the support your workplace offers, like Employee Assistance Program services,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t underestimate the power of small changes: taking proper breaks, setting boundaries, and prioritising recovery activities like sleep and exercise can be enough to reset your stress [and] recovery balance, preventing burnout for good.\u201d<\/p>\n Allianz has called on employers to support their employees through manageable workloads, adequate recovery time and ground rules for disconnecting after hours.<\/p>\n Thompson said he\u2019d like to see employees<\/a> encouraging workers to take more regular breaks, along with providing access to mental health support, and encouraging an open dialogue around stress and wellbeing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m quite open to speaking to the boys at work because I\u2019m quite close to them,” he said.<\/p>\n “Having that conversation definitely does help, even it could be the smallest thing, but just talking about it really does help.”<\/p>\n Get the latest Yahoo Finance news – follow us on Facebook<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carpenter Bardie Somerville started The Shift, a platform to help tradies with their mental health and wellbeing. (Source: Instagram\/@bards.builds) \u00b7 Source: Instagram <\/p>\n
Thompson said he’d like employers to provide access to mental health support and to encourage conversations about worker wellbeing. (Source: Supplied) <\/p>\n