Graham Ragg
Graham is Executive Chairman at Western Earthmoving Pty Ltd (WEM), a family-owned business with over 60 years civil contracting experience and more than 250 employees.
Western Earthmoving has a growing workforce so they place a strong emphasis on their work culture and the wellbeing of their employees. They also place strong importance on training and development and take their civic and community responsibilities seriously.
Graham is passionate about making positive changes to promote mental wellbeing and ensuring everyone gets support if they need it. Western Earthmoving took part in the NSW Government’s free mental health training and have made improvements to work-life balance, job control and psychological wellbeing.
“Our staff and management are completely on board with our efforts to improve mental health at work. Our employees realise we are taking genuine steps to support them to achieve their goals and foster a mentally healthy workplace. Having them become more aware and involved has certainly helped.”
After receiving tailored support through our free workplace mental health programs, staff at Western Earthmoving are enjoying the benefits of improved work-life balance by moving from a six-day to a five-day working week.
Creating a mentally healthy workplace: Western Earthmoving
Mentally Healthy Workplaces Ambassador and Western Earthmoving Executive Chairman, Graham Ragg
Related information
Leaders who share their own stories and show vulnerability will help their own people to be more comfortable opening up.
Create a work environment where mental wellbeing is valued equally alongside physical safety.
Set clear expectations through two-way communication and take workers' input into consideration.
Encourage people to put their hand up for help before it reaches a crisis point, by creating a non-judgemental space where teams work together to manage issues.
Build career paths for your people and create an environment where they feel valued and supported.
- Introducing a Mental Health and Wellbeing Program. This gives employees access to mental health coaching and counselling support. This also assists with the management of all areas of wellbeing.
Mental health training for leaders to equip them with tools to support workplace health.
Flexibility around working hours, moving from a 6-day to a 5-day (Monday to Friday) working week.
Regular toolbox talks to teams to help raise awareness.
Employees are hired permanently for a career rather than on a project-by-project basis. This provides greater connections in the culture and the team.
Community event support, such as R U OK? Day, Movember and Mullets for Mental Health.
Promotion of an inclusive workplace culture, ensuring all contributions are heard and inputs are sought on how projects are delivered.
A monthly leadership podcast to keep employees updated on team and business outlook. It also features tools and tips to keep mentally well.
Sharing of mental health information, support and resources with suppliers and partners to raise awareness of workplace mental health.
- SafeWork NSW has tailored resources for the construction industry to help manage and promote mental health at work.
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