Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Workshop #2 - Leading Well: How to Manage Workplace Well-being as a Manager

Achieving positive outcomes at work (such as mental health and well-being, a respectful culture, and safety in future mining) rests heavily on front-line supervisors and mid-level managers, who are typically responsible for policy implementation and whose actions usually affect large numbers of people.

The Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Landmark Study found that support from managers was positively related to optimal mental health, such as through influencing worker perceptions of stigma. In addition, manager support was also found to be a key protective factor in preventing bullying and sexual harassment behaviour. These findings are in line with decades of research showing that management capability underpins many work-related experiences and perceptions.

This FREE workshop, funded by the MARS Program and delivered by the Centre for Transformative Work Design at Curtin University, is designed to develop and enhance the skills of frontline supervisors, line managers, and mid-level managers in the WA mining industry to provide support to their team members, and to effectively manage the mental health and well-being of their team members.

This workshop will cover the fundamentals of supportive and effective leadership, explore data from the MARS Landmark Study linking leadership to mental health, respect and safety, and collaboratively increase the capabilities of managers to lead well. 

Event details

Date options:

• Friday 27 June 2025

• Thursday 3 July 2025

  
  

Time: Registrations commence at 8:30 am, Workshop 9:00 am - 12:30 pm

Location: ANZAC House Veteran Central (28 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA)Tea and coffee will be available upon arrival, with a short break during the workshop for morning tea, including light refreshments.

In this workshop, you will gain an understanding of:

• The fundamentals of supportive and effective leadership

• How good leadership is linked to mental health and well-being, respect, and safety

• How to effectively manage the well-being of your team members

  
  

Who is this workshop for?

• Frontline supervisors in the WA mining industry

• Line managers in the WA mining industry

• Mid-level managers in the WA mining industry

  
  

Please note enrolment in the MARS Program Workshops prioritises eligible participants employed primarily in the mining sector. If a registrant does not meet this eligibility criteria, we may be in touch to discuss their registration. If you are unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to contact us at marslandmarkstudy@curtin.edu.au.

Important notes:

• This is an in-person workshop only, and no online option is available. 

• Early registration is recommended as places are strictly limited to 50 participants.

• To maintain workshop cohort diversity, there is a cap of a maximum of 5 employees per organisation. If there is exceptional interest you may have the opportunity to be placed in a waitlist.

• While an organisation may register multiple employees from the same department or function (e.g., HR), we recommend registering individuals from a range of functions (e.g., frontline managers and supervisors, HR and WHS) to ensure the greatest overall benefit for the organisation.

Enquiries: marslandmarkstudy@curtin.edu.au

About the facilitator: Dr Cheryl Yam

Cheryl is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Transformative Work Design. She holds a PhD and a Masters in Psychology (Industrial and Organisational), and is an Organisational Psychologist Registrar. Within the Centre for Transformative Work Design at Curtin University's Future of Work Institute, she is the lead Research Fellow on the MARS Program Landmark Study. She has also previously provided support in a wide range of projects, including the 2018 FIFO worker mental health study conducted for the Western Australian Mental Health Commission, and Women in Research – an initiative aimed at supporting the unique gendered experiences of women working in academia, as well as an ongoing large-scale, national project aimed at reducing psychosocial risks in the workplace.

About the Centre for Transformative Work Design

The Centre for Transformative Work Design is a Research Centre where passionate organisational psychology researchers and professionals are working together to transform work under the directorship of Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Professor Sharon K. Parker.

We conduct high quality, independent and innovative research to understand the role of work design in generating healthy and productive work. We are committed to fostering the design of good work across all industries.

For more information, visit https://curtin.edu/ctwd/.

About the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Landmark Study

The Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program is a WA Government initiative that aims to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of workers and others in the mining industry. The MARS Landmark Study - led by Professor Sharon Parker at the Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) based at Curtin University's Future of Work Institute - aims to design and implement a research and evaluation project focused on the mining industry, regarding three focus areas: 1) mental health and well-being, 2) sexual harassment, assault, and a respectful culture, and 3) the future of work in mining.

For more information, visit https://curtin.edu/mars-lms.

The MARS Landmark Study workshop series is an initiative funded by the MARS Program.