In 2018, The Perth Mint’s new Group Manager for Organisational and Cultural Development, Kristen Potter, pitched the idea of implementing Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA®) training for their workforce to senior management. As a Licensed Mental Health First Aid Instructor, Kristen wanted to share her knowledge with her team and organisation.
The Perth Mint management had previously recognised the importance of open conversations with its people about mental health, but the team felt ill-equipped to provide support to employees where needed. When Kristen Potter joined The Perth Mint as Group Manager for Organisational and Cultural Development in 2018, she brought with her a solution for tackling workplace mental health.
As a Licensed MHFA Instructor, Kristen knew the transformative power that MHFA training could bring to a workforce. A conversation with the leadership team set the wheels in motion to introduce MHFA training company wide.
MHFA training is now a seamless part of The Perth Mint’s Well-being and Inclusion Program. Since 2018, the organisation has trained 138 employees as Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAiders), with 58 of these recognised as designated MHFA Officers. The Perth Mint has also been recognised as a Skilled Workplace in the Mental Health First Aid Australia Workplace Recognition Program.
Kristen Potter, General Manager People and Culture, facilitating a Mental Health First Aid course.
Transformation through training
The Perth Mint is Australia’s largest and only fully integrated precious metals enterprise. With 762 staff across production, refining and support service roles, it was important to gain employee buy-in from the get-go to drive the success of their well-being initiatives.
In the development of the program, the People and Culture team set out to consult their staff, identifying their needs from a comprehensive workplace well-being program. These initial conversations were important as they not only helped to shape The Perth Mint’s well-being and inclusion program, but they also increased employee engagement and buy-in.
The MHFA training is just one part of the broader well-being and inclusion program offered at The Perth Mint. Combining protective, promotional and support factors, their broader well-being program forms part of the organisation’s safety promise of “Safe People. Safe Workplace. Safely Home”.
The program promotes and raises mental health awareness; includes safe, respectful workplace and anti-bullying training; and provides a supportive environment through visibility and accessibility to people and programs that foster a safe workplace.
“We spend so much of our time at work,” Kristen says. “It makes perfect sense that employers focus not only on protecting people from harm, but also on improving their overall well-being and sending them home better at the end of each day.”
The Perth Mint now offers two to four courses per year, open to all staff interested in learning about mental health first aid. Recognising the important role of MHFA Officers in having regular mental health conversations with employees and connecting them with professional help where needed, the company has also invested in further supporting staff in their roles as MHFA Officers. These officers are provided with refresher training, information about self-care, ongoing professional development opportunities, an online support network to share ideas and support one another, and specialised training on LGBTQIA+ and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content.
Perth Mint employees on their last day of Mental Health First Aid training.
Healthy leadership by design
In addition to the MHFA training, over 210 managers, supervisors and team leaders have completed the Mental Health First Aid Engaging Leaders program. This allows the leaders to champion MHFA training and understand the intangible benefits of The Perth Mint’s proactive approach to workplace well-being.
Developing this senior leadership strategy was a crucial part of implementing MHFA training at The Perth Mint and contributed to the program’s overall success. MHFA training has strategic importance by providing a solid foundation for connecting with, doing right by, and supporting employees.
“The Engaging Leaders training helped us upskill our leaders to learn how to support their employees, and to publicly demonstrate their commitment to promoting a mentally healthy workplace, from the top down,” Kristen explains.
Managers who participated in the training are now advocates for mentally healthy workplaces. Kristen’s favourite piece of feedback received as part of this program was, “we would have never done anything like this in the old days. We are changing – in a good way”.
Another participant shared the benefits of the MHFA training in developing a safe and caring workplace.
“The Perth Mint is certainly walking the walk by providing this training for managers and MHFA Officers, to help make the workplace a safe environment for all our people. The training heightens awareness and encourages people to be understanding and compassionate.”
Kristen Potter, General Manager People and Culture, and Edwina Dwyer, Chief People and Reputation Officer, accepting the IFAP Workplace Wellbeing Award.
An award-winning commitment to mental health
Kristen says that The Perth Mint’s MHFA training program has significantly increased awareness around mental health, while reducing the stigma associated with reaching out for help.
She credits part of the program’s success to having an internal instructor deliver the training. Internal instructors not only bring their unique business insights to the training, but they also allow for greater flexibility and help to build a strong rapport with the participants.
The focus on mental health is also a positive attribute mentioned in The Perth Mint employee engagement surveys. The program is so popular that they plan to expand the MHFA Engaging Leaders Program into a continuing professional development (CPD) unit within the company to further team engagement and connection. In addition, The Perth Mint is looking to appoint a designated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander MHFA Instructor in 2024.
Kristen encourages other organisations considering implementing MHFA training into their well-being program, or training internal Instructors to deliver the courses, to go for it.
“Not only will your employees love the training, but the business will get a great return on investment in terms of well-being, culture and morale. Not to mention the return on investment for reduced absenteeism, presenteeism and workers’ compensation claims.”
As well as becoming a recognised workplace in the Mental Health First Aid Australia Workplace Recognition Program, The Perth Mint also took home the 2021 Industrial Foundation for Accident Prevention (IFAP) SafeWay Health and Wellbeing Award for its commitment to mental health.
This recognition has helped The Perth Mint to influence other workplaces to commit to similar initiatives, as well as helping prospective employees know that it is a supportive and inclusive workplace.
“To know that our mentally healthy workplace program is making a difference to our people is incredibly rewarding. I love the fact that workplaces are making the shift from performance to a whole-of-person approach.”
To implement a whole company commitment to positive mental health, explore the Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training Courses.
For more information on a variety of available Mental Health First Aid courses, please see Our Courses.
