Earlier in the year Boom Logistics announced an inaugural partnership with MensLine Australia, furthering its commitment to safety within its workforce and highlighting a significant investment in supporting the wellbeing of the broader community. Elaine Buchanan, Boom Logistics General Manager, HR and Industrial Relations, discusses the initiative.
MensLine Australia is a free national telephone and online counselling service delivered by Lifeline that supports men at risk of suicide, experiencing emotional distress, or having relationship difficulties.
“With over 750 employees our management team at Boom Logistics understands the importance of mental wellbeing throughout its workforce. The leadership teams meet regularly with everyone from the ground up to understand how they are travelling and to reinforce that they are never viewed as ‘being a number,’ in the business,” said Elaine.
The partnership with MensLine Australia commenced off the back of Boom Logistics Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Ben Pieyre’s successful FebFast participation in which he raised over $17,000 – the highest amount by an individual in the campaign by a large margin – to help reduce substance addiction and the risk of suicide.
Boom Logistics’ commitment will go towards a 0.8 FTE MensLine Australia counsellor capable of delivering 50 telephone or virtual counselling sessions a week. This will enable anyone who seeks help to receive the support they need during difficult times.
The FebFast fundraising characterised Ben’s personal value of taking action over words. He said that it’s imperative to lead by example.
“It’s not enough simply to talk about mental health, we must actually invest in the people who are doing the hard work on the ground. The vast majority of people in our sector are men, and it’s clear that more needs to be done to encourage and support anyone going through struggle with mental health.
“I’ve seen first-hand the impact of mental health crises on my staff, and tragically, one person took their own life in the past year. Boom Logistics is strongly community-minded and are confident our commitment will go where it’s needed most.
“Boom Logistics prides itself on its values and is committed to being a workplace and services provider that puts safety first. We have a duty of care to our people, their families and the broader community, and we take that very seriously,” said Ben.
Having completed her Commerce Degree in HR Industrial Relations, Elaine has spent the 20 plus years in HR. She has a strong background in construction having spent 14 years in the construction industry working with employees in remote locations and away from their families.
“During my career, I’ve seen the introduction and development of mental health help in the workplace and I’ve also seen the transformation, particularly for men, to actually seek the available help with companies embracing employee assistance programs,” said Elaine.
However, current statistics still show men are less likely to seek help when they are experiencing emotional distress than women, and three times more likely to die by suicide. Male suicides make up three-quarters of all suicides. In 2023 suicide was the 11th leading cause of death for males and the highest ranked external cause of death in males.
Boom Logistics is very aware of its responsibilities.
“We have a duty of care to our people, their families and the broader community, and we take that very seriously. The MensLine Australia partnership aligns closely with our value of ‘safety always’ and although we are gradually seeing increased diversity in the sector, more than 90 per cent of our workforce identify as male. This partnership is particularly close to my heart,” said Ben.
Lifeline Chief Executive Officer Luke Lindsay said the partnership will deliver a vital boost to the national service.
“When someone calls MensLine, they are given a safe and private place to talk through whatever it is that is on their mind. This funding will support us to offer timely, professional counselling support for Australian men anywhere, anytime, in the way which suits them best,” he said.
MensLine Australia is delivered by Lifeline, and offers a national telephone and online support, information and referral service for men with mental health, family and relationship concerns. The free service is available nationwide and is staffed by professional counsellors experienced in men’s issues. Boom Logistics has long recognised the importance of mental wellbeing in the work place said Elaine.
“It is no longer a case of going to work and leaving your personal life behind, the two are so interwoven. We want our employees to be safe, not just in the physical sense but ‘whole of body’ safe. While you can’t necessarily see the ‘safe mental state’, we have safeguards and protective measures in place to create an environment that is safe,” she said.
“At Boom Logistics these safeguards start with our leadership group which is focused on how our operations and business managers interact with their employees. It’s a business responsibility to ensure the language and support is engrained.
“Obviously, our safety team continues to develop and communicate the messaging. Every week we have our Safe Start Monday which focuses on both the physical safety and mental wellbeing of the crews, we don’t separate the two.”
“We work in a high-risk environment and expect the highest levels of safety and performance and that adds pressure to the workforce. And when an employee is under pressure or not focused on the task at hand, that’s when they start to not necessarily pay attention to the safety guidelines and compliance related issues, and that’s when accidents happen.
Elaine said in line with the values of respect and safety, the company wants every employee to return home in the same condition they arrived to work in.
“Work is important, but what is truly important is family and in particular health,” she said.
“You could have 100 problems, but as soon as you have a problem with your health, that becomes your main problem. The culture at Boom Logistics is positive. Employees reach out when they need help and they know our leaders are accessible.
“When you call them, our leaders answer.”