IT IS alarming. Experts believe about one in five Australians have taken time off work in the past 12 months because they felt stressed, anxious, depressed or mentally unhealthy.

And that figure is estimated to be twice as high in workplaces that are viewed as mentally unhealthy.

Some suggest mentally unhealthy Australian workplaces cost in excess of $10 billion each year — the combined dollar impact of absenteeism, presenteeism (being at work but “tuned out”) and workers’ compensation claims.

So how can you spot the early warning signs that your workplace is becoming mentally unhealthy? And what can be done about it?

There are a number of red flags.

An easy one is absenteeism rates. If these seem unreasonably high, then this might be the start of an evolving unhealthy workplace.

At the very least, it should jolt you to question the overall health of your workplace. Have employees uncharacteristically withdrawn from interacting with others?

Are there increasing numbers of employees complaining about not coping with their workload?

Has there been an increase in the number of employees lodging grievances?

Is there an atmosphere of indecisiveness in the workplace?

Has an increase in accidents and/or errors been observed?

Is there a general reluctance to approach managers about mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression?

Answering yes to any of these questions will give you some insight into how healthy — or unhealthy — your workplace is and whether you are heading into seriously mentally unhealthy terrain.

When a workplace is headed for that terrain, managers and leaders need to take swift and practical action.

These actions include encouraging and modelling work-life balance, providing support to those who require it, monitoring workloads and stepping in when the balance appears to be uneven across employees, and facilitating access to professional counselling services as and when they are needed.

But managers and leaders must have a much bigger agenda if they are truly committed to creating mentally healthy workplaces.

They must play an ambassadorial role in breaking down the stigma associated with mental health issues and lead an awareness of what can be done to provide support to co-workers who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health.

Leaders must, for example, change the perception that mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression are signs of weakness, and correct the misconception that those suffering from depression can simply “snap out of it”.

Above all, they must use their influence to ensure that those in the workplace view mental health issues as they would other health issues, and create an environment where employees are prepared to disclose those issues to acquire any support they need to be a productive member of the team.