Create your unique approach
Every industry-led initiative will include different elements, reflecting differences in the type of work, risks, where each industry is, where it wants to go, its priorities and what is likely to work.
Part of the Creating an industry-led initiative module.
What elements your initiative should include
The elements included in industry-led initiatives can vary greatly. They can range from discrete or one-off actions to ongoing campaigns and activities. Yours could include the following:
- Research – Understand the issues in your industry, what actions are already underway and whether they are effective, and what people think will be effective. What is the prevalence of mental health conditions within your industry? How does your industry compare with others (e.g. via Superfriend’s Indicators of a Thriving Workplace, National Report 2021)?
- Strategy – Collaboratively produce a strategic framework for creating mentally healthy workplaces in your industry guided by the Blueprint for Mentally Healthy Workplaces.
- Awareness activities – Undertake activities to promote awareness of mentally healthy workplaces, help seeking or general mental health principles.
- Training – Provide organisations and workers with the skills and knowledge to create mentally healthy workplaces.
- Information – Produce tailor-made resources and materials to meet your industry’s needs and context. Examples include template policies, ideas for reasonable adjustments and wellbeing information for individuals.
- Services – Provide tailored supports such as crisis support services.
- Monitoring and evaluation – Monitor or evaluate the impact of significant changes or activities in the industry on mental health.
- Advice and expert support – Provide expert advisory services to organisation leaders and business owners about topics such as legal obligations or procurement decisions.
- Advocacy – Advocate for changes in procurement, legislation, service funding or customer awareness to support people in your industry.
- Communication – Communicate the how, what, when, why and benefits across your industry and beyond. This is an essential element to create buy in and momentum.
Think about what your industry’s initiative will involve. The elements you include will depend on what your industry is trying to do. And you may have to try some things first to find the right mix. Don’t be afraid to change some things if they don’t work as expected.
Test your initiative
Once you have identified the core elements of your approach, it is a good idea to pilot or test the initial phase of your initiative and be ready to change your thinking based on feedback. You might find you do not need to introduce new things; rather your initiative may focus on supporting and connecting people with existing services.
As well as providing valuable feedback about what works and what does not, pilot testing provides information about likely costs, staffing requirements and outcomes.
Some questions to help identify the right elements
These questions can help you identify which elements to include in your initiative:
- How are we going to address the key needs identified?
- What is unique about our industry and how does our approach address this? How is it different from what already exists?
- What resources, products, services or supports do we offer?
- How will approaches vary across different audiences?
- Are we designing an initiative for the short term or the long term?
- How will we pilot our approach?
- What will make us confident our initiative is ready to roll out across the industry?