-- Morneau Shepell's Mental Health Index(TM) remains steady in July at 12 
points below the pre-pandemic benchmark of 75

Morneau Shepell, a leading provider of total wellbeing, mental health and 
digital mental health services, today released its monthly Mental Health 
Index(TM) report, making July the fourth consecutive month of a negative mental 
health score for Australian workers. While mental stress has increased for 
one-in-four Australians (24 per cent) in July, eight per cent reported 
experiencing less stress in July compared to the previous month.

The greatest increase in stress month over month was experienced by respondents 
living in Victoria and New South Wales, although all regions experienced 
additional mental stress in July. 

The Mental Health Index(TM) score for July is -12, which measures a decline in 
mental health from the pre-2020 benchmark of 75, and is unchanged from the 
previous month. The Mental Health Index(TM) also tracks sub-scores against the 
benchmark, measuring anxiety (-14.7), optimism (-13.2), work productivity 
(-12.9), depression (-12.6) and isolation (-11.2). The sub-scores still remain 
low, with work productivity, depression and isolation improving slightly 
compared to last month, and with depression improving the most. 

"As Australia seeks to find the right balance between re-opening the economy 
and protecting public safety, The Mental Health Index(TM) demonstrates the 
ongoing negative impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on Australian workers' 
mental health and quality of life," said Jamie MacLennan, managing director, 
Australia and APAC. "Even the most optimistic employees have concerns about 
transmission rates and the potential length and impact of a second mass 
shutdown. This is reflected in the regional variances for Victoria and New 
South Wales, and is expected to be further impacted by the announcement of the 
stage-four restrictions for Victoria."

Employer size also plays a key role in mental health levels
July's report reflects a strong correlation between an individual's Mental 
Health Index(TM) scores and the size of the company where they are employed. 
Australians who indicate working at companies with 51-100 employees have the 
lowest average mental health scores (-15.4), while those working at employers 
with 5,000 - 10,000 employees have the highest mental health scores (-6.5). 

"While small businesses continue to be disproportionally impacted by the 
pandemic over large companies, once an organization reaches more than 50 
workers, that close-knit familial sentiment felt by employees begins to strain, 
as managers need to supervise more workers and have less time to do so," said 
Paula Allen, senior vice president of research, analytics and innovation. "The 
fact that employees at larger organizations scored better than average suggests 
that the benefits and programs that many larger organizations offer are having 
a positive effect. It's critical for employers of all sizes to seek ways to 
support their people's health and wellbeing, now more than ever. Employee 
assistance programs are much more cost effective than many small- to mid-size 
organizations realize and they offer support that can be life changing."

Australians divided about systemic racism in society and the workplace
Overall, 61 per cent of individuals believe that racism is a problem in 
Australia, though only 17 per cent believe that racism is a problem in their 
workplace. When considering the results by race, 73 per cent of Australians 
identifying as South Asian and 73 per cent of individuals identifying as East 
Asian strongly agree or agree that racism is a problem in Australia. 
Comparatively, 60 per cent of individuals identifying as White strongly agree 
or agree that racism is a problem in the country. In addition, 36 per cent of 
individuals identifying as East Asian strongly agree or agree that racism is a 
problem in their workplace. Comparatively, only 10 per cent of individuals 
identifying as White strongly agree or agree that racism is a problem in their 
workplace.

One of the major issues facing Australian society -- systemic racism -- has 
received heightened awareness as a result from the many protests held worldwide 
in response to a number of recent killings of Black Americans, in addition to 
the negative experiences of racialized residents in Australia. As more 
Australians begin to give meaningful thought to this issue, their outlook 
varies. Twenty-nine (29) per cent of respondents feel that systemic racism is 
likely to decrease in Australia, while 35 per cent are unsure and 36 per cent 
feel that systemic racism is unlikely to decrease. When it comes to their 
workplace, 19 per cent feel that it is likely systemic racism will decrease, 36 
per cent are unsure and 45 per cent feel that systemic racism is likely to 
decrease.

The full Australian report includes more insight on changes to mental stress 
and variations of the Mental Health Index(TM) score by demographics, industries 
and regions. The full Australian report can be found at: 
https://www.morneaushepell.com/permafiles/92899/mental-health-index-report-australia-july-2020.pdf.


About the Mental Health Index(TM)
The monthly survey by Morneau Shepell was conducted through an online survey in 
English from June 22 to June 30, 2020, with 1,000 respondents in Australia. All 
respondents reside in Australia and were employed within the last six months. 
The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender 
composition of the sample reflect this population. The margins of error for the 
survey are +/- 3.2 per cent, valid 19 times out of 20. The Mental Health 
Index(TM) is published monthly, beginning April 2020, and compares against 
benchmark data collected in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 

The Mental Health Index(TM) is owned by Morneau Shepell -- the wellbeing 
company that acquired LifeWorks in 2018.

About Morneau Shepell
Morneau Shepell is a leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that 
deliver an integrated approach to employee wellbeing through our cloud-based 
platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to 
support the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people. 
By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in 
employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and 
benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment 
services. Morneau Shepell employs approximately 6,000 employees who work with 
some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. For 
more information, visit morneaushepell.com.

For further information: Heather MacDonald, Morneau Shepell, 
media@morneaushepell.com, 0011-1-855-622-3327; Mike Jurs, Allison+Partners, 
mike.jurs@allisonpr.com, 0011-1-415-875-3050

SOURCE Morneau Shepell Inc.