A survey to determine the mental health wellbeing of the Albury and Lavington business
community will be launched this week as part of a Mental Health Month initiative.
The Better Place Project, is a workforce wellbeing joint initiative between disability
employment service provider – The Personnel Group and Albury Northside Chamber of
Commerce (ANCC).

The project is being supported by AlburyCity, which will work with the business community
to help implement improvements based on the findings of the survey.

This initiative will take the pulse of the business community in Albury and Lavington, focused
on the mental health of the workforce, while also offering access to a wide range of supports
available to employers to support themselves and their employees.

Over 600 businesses will be invited to participate in the survey via onsite visits and online
surveys for members of ANCC.

Mental Health First Aid trained staff of The Personnel Group will visit at least 200 businesses
throughout October. Tracey Fraser, CEO of The Personnel Group says “As an organisation
we provide employment support to people who may experience mental health illnesses, and
also support to employers who may have staff experiencing difficulties fulfilling their role due
to mental health.”

“This year has been especially tough on businesses and is no doubt taking a toll on people’s
mental health. We hope that this survey draws attention to how employers and their staff are
feeling in this current environment,” said Mrs Fraser.

The data collected from a large sample size of local business people will provide a
benchmark on the wellbeing of people and business in the Albury area. These results will be
provided to AlburyCity in November.

“By ensuring our workforce is healthy and happy, it allows them to focus on the positives
more, enjoy themselves more, think more creatively, and make better decisions,” says Carrick
Gill-Vallance, General Manager of Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce.

“In ordinary conditions, business is full of complexities, stress, tough decisions and massive
commitment. This initiative will help us understand how we can better support the business
community, ensuring the support is there for them if, or when, they need it.”