The mental health challenge hiding in plain sight
In Australia’s building products industry, the workforce is tough, resilient, and by its own admission unlikely to put their hand up when they’re struggling. Mental health stigma runs deep in blue-collar environments, and traditional support models often miss the mark entirely.
This was the reality facing one of the country’s building products manufacturers with over 1,500 employees. Despite having support structures in place, utilisation sat at just 3%. Their engagement survey painted an even starker picture: only 45% of employees felt the company genuinely cared about their wellbeing. Leadership teams lacked the confidence and skills to have early intervention mental health conversations, and help-seeking behaviours across the workforce were critically low.
Something had to change, not just in the programs on offer, but in the entire approach to workplace mental health prevention.
Why upstream intervention matters more than reactive support
Most organisations default to reactive models when it comes to psychological health, waiting until someone is in crisis before connecting them with help. But the evidence is clear: upstream mental health intervention in the workplace delivers better outcomes for both people and business.
Rather than waiting for psychological injuries to escalate, this organisation partnered with Axis to embed a proactive, prevention-first model centred on an onsite psychologist who would become a familiar, trusted presence within the workforce.
The goal was not just to increase utilisation numbers. It was to fundamentally shift the culture and build a psychologically safe workplace where mental health conversations were normalised instead of avoided.
The solution: embedded onsite psychology with a proactive edge
Axis deployed its onsite psychology services model with two sessions per week, four hours each, ensuring a deliberate 50/50 split between proactive and reactive initiatives. This balance is what sets the model apart and is central to any effective psychological injury prevention strategy.
On the proactive side, the program delivered:
- 29.5 hours of small group education, including leadership confidence and capability building through the Empowering Leaders workshop. This is a practical form of mental health training for managers that builds real-world confidence in early intervention
- 37 hours of on-floor advice and engagement, where the psychologist spent time in the factory, in break areas, and with teams, helping to build psychological safety at work through visibility and trust
- Integration of psychology into safety initiatives such as embedding psychological health into existing WHS frameworks and strengthening psychosocial risk management
- Monthly health promotion activities in the lunchroom, keeping conversations visible and normalised
- Collaboration with HR and Safety on psychosocial risk assessment and psychosocial hazard identification, ensuring mental health was embedded into operational processes
On the reactive side, employees had direct access to an embedded workplace psychologist without the usual barriers of external referrals or unfamiliar systems.
The results: a culture shift in 12 months
Within the first year, 25% of the workforce engaged in an individual consultation with the onsite psychologist, compared to the previous 3% utilisation rate.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. The real shift was cultural. As one employee shared:
“It’s so normal here now. We eat lunch or brekky in the canteen and can chat about things like sleep or seeing the clinician. It’s just like you guys work here too.”
This reflects what organisations aim for when building psychological safety culture in the workplace. Mental health support becomes part of daily life rather than something reserved for crisis.
What this means for employers managing psychosocial risk
Under Australia’s evolving WHS landscape, employers are required to take meaningful action to identify and manage psychosocial hazards at work.
This case study shows that a well-designed workplace mental health strategy, anchored in onsite and upstream psychology, can:
- Reduce psychological injury claims by addressing issues early before escalation
- Build manager capability in mental health so leaders can confidently support their teams
- Strengthen psychosocial hazard controls by integrating clinical expertise into everyday operations
- Improve engagement and retention by demonstrating genuine care through visible action
For employers in high-risk, blue-collar industries, the psychological injury cost to business is significant. Absenteeism, presenteeism, claims costs, and cultural disengagement all contribute to this burden.
Prevention is not just the right thing to do. It is a strategic business decision.
The takeaway
Waiting for employees to seek help is no longer effective, especially in industries where stigma and low mental health literacy are common.
What works is meeting people where they are. On the floor, in the lunchroom, and within their daily routines.
An onsite psychologist in the workplace is becoming essential for organisations serious about preventing psychological injury at work and building a psychologically safe workplace.
If your organisation is navigating psychosocial risk management obligations or looking to reduce the long-term cost of psychological injury, it may be time to rethink what workplace mental health support really looks like.
Ready to move beyond reactive mental health support?
If your organisation is serious about reducing psychological injury, improving workforce engagement, and meeting psychosocial compliance obligations, it is time to move beyond traditional approaches.
Axis partners with large employers to deliver onsite psychology services for employers, combining embedded clinical expertise with proactive, prevention-first strategies. Our model integrates directly with your operations, safety systems, and leadership teams to deliver measurable impact.
We don’t just provide access to support. We help you identify psychosocial hazards, strengthen manager capability, and prevent psychological injury before it escalates.
Whether you are looking to:
- Conduct a psychosocial risk assessment aligned to WHS requirements
- Build a tailored workplace mental health strategy
- Implement an onsite psychologist workplace model across your sites
- Reduce psychological injury claims and associated business costs
Axis can design and deliver a program tailored to your workforce, industry, and risk profile.
Start the conversation today.
Speak to our team about how an embedded, upstream approach to psychological health can transform your organisation.
