46% of Australians willing to take pay cuts to improve mental health

46% of Australians would accept a pay cut for work tasks that were more beneficial to their mental health, according to a survey of 4,000 workers across multiple sectors conducted by Safe Work Australia. And two in five have taken one day of sick leave in the previous year for mental health reasons.

Of the 40% of workers who took at least one sick day in the past year for mental health reasons, only a quarter told superiors why. And 45% say they don't feel comfortable disclosing a mental health condition to their employer. The research conducted by employment insurance service EML also surveyed 831 managers: only 56% agreed that workloads in their organizations were sustainable in the long term.

Recent data from Safe Work Australia indicates that mental health conditions make up 12% of serious injury claims, a total of 17,900 cases.