Inside the Minds of Australia’s Workplaces: Collective Action to Help Young Workers and Ensure a More Sustainable Mental Health Workforce
Tracks
Binna Burra Room - In-Person Only
| Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
| 2:05 PM - 2:25 PM |
Overview
Kylie Ardill & Keith Govias, EML
Presenter
Kylie Ardill
Manager – Pathways, EML Group
EML
Inside the Minds of Australia’s Workplaces: Collective Action to Help Young Workers and Ensure a More Sustainable Mental Health Workforce
Presentation Overview
Australia’s mental health workforce faces increasing challenges to sustainably respond to the growing demands of the Australian population. This pressure is even more pronounced in supporting young workers to navigate psychological injury and workplace stressors. This presentation by EML explores two key initiatives driving systemic change: EML’s Mental Health White Paper: Inside the Minds of Australia’s Workplaces and the Pathways program.
The 2025 White Paper provides groundbreaking insights into the state of mental health across Australian workplaces, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities of younger workers. Further research across 2026 identifies critical factors such as stigma, early intervention gaps and the need for psychologically safe environments. The White Paper highlights the perceived injustice and moral injury risk faced by young workers in advocating for themselves. Complimenting this research is EML’s Pathways program which delivers an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to managing psychological injury within the worker’s compensation program. Integrating clinical expertise, case management and strength-based, trauma-informed practices; Pathways ensures tailored support for injured workers – including younger cohorts who often face barriers to recovery.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how evidence-based insights and practical interventions can create sustainable mental health systems. By prioritising young workers and addressing systemic challenges, EML is shaping a future where workplaces are safer and actively supportive of mental wellbeing and providing protective factors.
Three Key Learnings:
1. This session will explore some of the systemic workplace leadership issues that compound poor mental health or exacerbate underlying conditions and finally identify the critical job design elements which could help with workplace outcomes.
2. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for embedding psychological safety, leverage research to inform policy and designing programs that deliver measurable outcomes.
3. The EML Pathways team will present real life workplace case studies to explore how well-designed, targeted interventions are delivering measurable improvements in recovery outcomes.
The 2025 White Paper provides groundbreaking insights into the state of mental health across Australian workplaces, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities of younger workers. Further research across 2026 identifies critical factors such as stigma, early intervention gaps and the need for psychologically safe environments. The White Paper highlights the perceived injustice and moral injury risk faced by young workers in advocating for themselves. Complimenting this research is EML’s Pathways program which delivers an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to managing psychological injury within the worker’s compensation program. Integrating clinical expertise, case management and strength-based, trauma-informed practices; Pathways ensures tailored support for injured workers – including younger cohorts who often face barriers to recovery.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how evidence-based insights and practical interventions can create sustainable mental health systems. By prioritising young workers and addressing systemic challenges, EML is shaping a future where workplaces are safer and actively supportive of mental wellbeing and providing protective factors.
Three Key Learnings:
1. This session will explore some of the systemic workplace leadership issues that compound poor mental health or exacerbate underlying conditions and finally identify the critical job design elements which could help with workplace outcomes.
2. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for embedding psychological safety, leverage research to inform policy and designing programs that deliver measurable outcomes.
3. The EML Pathways team will present real life workplace case studies to explore how well-designed, targeted interventions are delivering measurable improvements in recovery outcomes.
Biography
Kylie Ardill brings over 14 combined years of experience in workers’ compensation and trauma-informed care, leading innovative programs that improve mental health outcomes. She has implemented and scaled the Pathways program, establishing multidisciplinary approaches to psychological injury management.
Kylie operationalised a pioneering mediation pilot for workplace conflict claims, fostering collaboration between mediators and compensation specialists to enhance outcomes for injured workers, recognised nationally for innovation. Kylie combines strategic leadership with practical solutions in highly regulated environments. Passionate about early intervention and psychological safety, her work reflects a commitment to creating human-centred systems and transforming challenges into opportunities for systemic change.
Keith Govias
Workplace Safety and Risk Principal, EML Group
EML
Inside the Minds of Australia’s Workplaces: Collective Action to Help Young Workers and Ensure a More Sustainable Mental Health Workforce
Presentation Overview
Australia’s mental health workforce faces increasing challenges to sustainably respond to the growing demands of the Australian population. This pressure is even more pronounced in supporting young workers to navigate psychological injury and workplace stressors. This presentation by EML explores two key initiatives driving systemic change: EML’s Mental Health White Paper: Inside the Minds of Australia’s Workplaces and the Pathways program.
The 2025 White Paper provides groundbreaking insights into the state of mental health across Australian workplaces, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities of younger workers. Further research across 2026 identifies critical factors such as stigma, early intervention gaps and the need for psychologically safe environments. The White Paper highlights the perceived injustice and moral injury risk faced by young workers in advocating for themselves. Complimenting this research is EML’s Pathways program which delivers an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to managing psychological injury within the worker’s compensation program. Integrating clinical expertise, case management and strength-based, trauma-informed practices; Pathways ensures tailored support for injured workers – including younger cohorts who often face barriers to recovery.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how evidence-based insights and practical interventions can create sustainable mental health systems. By prioritising young workers and addressing systemic challenges, EML is shaping a future where workplaces are safer and actively supportive of mental wellbeing and providing protective factors.
Three Key Learnings
1. Explore systemic workplace leadership issues that compound poor mental health or exacerbate underlying conditions, and identify critical job design elements to improve workplace outcomes.
2. Gain actionable strategies for embedding psychological safety, leveraging research to inform policy, and designing programs that deliver measurable outcomes.
3. Examine real-life workplace case studies from the EML Pathways team to see how well-designed, targeted interventions deliver measurable improvements in recovery outcomes.
The 2025 White Paper provides groundbreaking insights into the state of mental health across Australian workplaces, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities of younger workers. Further research across 2026 identifies critical factors such as stigma, early intervention gaps and the need for psychologically safe environments. The White Paper highlights the perceived injustice and moral injury risk faced by young workers in advocating for themselves. Complimenting this research is EML’s Pathways program which delivers an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to managing psychological injury within the worker’s compensation program. Integrating clinical expertise, case management and strength-based, trauma-informed practices; Pathways ensures tailored support for injured workers – including younger cohorts who often face barriers to recovery.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how evidence-based insights and practical interventions can create sustainable mental health systems. By prioritising young workers and addressing systemic challenges, EML is shaping a future where workplaces are safer and actively supportive of mental wellbeing and providing protective factors.
Three Key Learnings
1. Explore systemic workplace leadership issues that compound poor mental health or exacerbate underlying conditions, and identify critical job design elements to improve workplace outcomes.
2. Gain actionable strategies for embedding psychological safety, leveraging research to inform policy, and designing programs that deliver measurable outcomes.
3. Examine real-life workplace case studies from the EML Pathways team to see how well-designed, targeted interventions deliver measurable improvements in recovery outcomes.
Biography
Keith Govias is a Workplace Safety & Risk Principal with over 15 years’ experience in safety governance, psychosocial risk, and organisational culture transformation. With a career spanning major Australian retailers, global manufacturers, and professional services, Keith is recognised for his ability to build safe, mentally healthy, and high performing workplaces through evidence based strategy, systems excellence, and compassionate leadership.
With formal qualifications including a Master of Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Management and as a Vincent Fairfax Fellow in Ethical Leadership, Keith integrates technical expertise with a strong grounding in leadership ethics, psychological safety, and human centred risk management.
