Cogent, along with invited partnered employers, were fortunate to attend the recently held WorkSafe Business Leaders Breakfast. It was a beautiful Melbourne morning, and we were treated to impressive views of the city skyline from 17 floors up, watching the city waking up beneath us.
Cameron Ling MCed the event, which was a highlight for the Geelong supporters in the room, with guest speakers including WorkSafe Victoria CEO Cathy Henderson and a keynote delivery by Professor Lea Waters AM, PhD. Prof. Waters delighted the room with anecdotes on her experience in supporting organisations in creating psychologically safe workplaces.
Laughter is the best medicine
No business event is complete without an icebreaker, and Prof. Waters’ cleverly constructed activity had us all standing on our feet to ‘zip, zap and zop’ the energy around the table. Following this activity, with all table members now well acquainted the presentation highlighted the physiological effects we were all experiencing; that laughter relaxes the nervous system and encourages focus.
We went on to learn what happens inside people’s brains and bodies when they experience this positivity spillover and feel mentally safe and healthy at work.
Good vibes meet great returns
The benefits of good mental health extend well beyond care for employees’ health and wellbeing – it’s good for business too. There is research which shows there is a $2.30 return on investment for every $1.00 spent on effective workplace mental health actions, including potential reductions in absenteeism, accidents, errors, and compensation claims.
We thank WorkSafe Victoria and RACV City Club for hosting us and look forward to future events where we can continue to connect and learn
