Practical steps to build a healthier, happier, and more productive Australian workplace

AUTHOR

AMIR SHARIF
Senior Research Executive

Overview

Whether you are a manager or not, understanding what affects you and your team’s mental health and wellbeing is crucial.

T garage conducted a survey using our online consumer platform, SaySo, asking Australians to share the biggest stressors in their lives and workplace. Our goal was to better understand these challenges and explore ways to address them together.

We found that work is the second biggest stress contributor—and it often spills over into personal life. This highlights the urgent need for those in leadership roles to acknowledge and address this pressing issue.

Whilst reducing workplace stress was found to be a shared responsibility between businesses and employees, it was felt that businesses could do more to address it.

Major workplace stressors include struggles with work-life imbalance, tight deadlines, heavy workloads, and ineffective management or leadership. The following statistics reflect the genuine experiences of employees who feel overwhelmed, undervalued, or unsupported. The repercussions are clear: more absenteeism, lower productivity, and higher staff turnover.

Insights from the Timefulness and Connectivity trends identified in T garage’s CultureCast 2024 report indicate a growing desire among people for balance and purposeful living. Many individuals are striving to inject slowness and intent into their routines— taking time to recharge and build social connection. This is particularly relevant to work-life balance and workload challenges where employees have difficulty in managing personal responsibilities alongside professional obligations or must meet unrealistic expectations.

The CultureCast 2024 report also highlights emerging trends such as, Interdependence and Authenticity, reflecting people’s desire to be true to themselves and lean on one another for support and success. Whilst these are closely tied to challenges like work-life balance and poor leadership, they underscore the importance of communication, collaboration and empathy in workplace cultures.

There is no surprise that the top skills employees want to develop for managing job stress align closely with the highlighted trends and stressors. Skills such as relaxation and conflict management tie into trends like Timefulness and Connectivity, which focus on work-life balance and workload management, while communication and stress management or problem-solving link to Interdependence and Authenticity, helping address challenges such as poor communication with leadership or acknowledging unique capabilities of each employee.

The Opportunities: Addressing Stress Through Proactive Leadership

For managers, these insights present opportunities to lead with empathy and purpose. By addressing workplace stressors head-on, organisations and managers can improve morale, productivity, and retention while fostering a positive and supportive culture. Here are some actionable opportunities for you:

Gotcha4Life and Supporting Wellbeing

At T garage, we’re proud to be strong supporters of Gotcha4Life and their vital mission. Gotcha4Life inspires individuals and organisations to take meaningful steps toward fostering community resilience and improving mental wellbeing across the nation.

Gotcha4Life provides invaluable resources for addressing work-related and life stress, including:

• Engaging Workshops: Provides opportunities with interactive sessions designed to address stress, prepare participants with essential skills, and inspire action.
• Mental Fitness Gym: A free online platform offering check-ins, quick exercises, and structured workouts to help people build emotional resilience, healthy habits, and overall mental wellbeing (click this link to visit)
• Mental Health Training: Anchor Health’s accredited training empowers individuals to support others safely and effectively.

As a manager or team member, tackling work-related stress isn’t just about solving problems in the moment—it’s about setting your team up for long-term success. By embracing cultural trends, focusing on mental health, and using resources like those from Gotcha4Life, you can create a workplace where balance, resilience, and collaboration thrive. Prioritising these efforts doesn’t just lower stress; it boosts morale, enhances productivity, and gives your team or organisation a real edge. Picture a space where everyone feels supported and productive, driving both personal and professional growth.