The desks are occupied. Messages are being answered. Everyone looks busy. But how many people are actually coping?
This Mental Health Awareness Week (October 12-18), employers have a chance to pause and ask that question – and examine whether the support they offer is making a difference.
For Cath Lomax, chief people and strategy officer at Southern Cross Health Insurance, the challenge is looking beyond attendance to understand how people are really doing.
Presenteeism – working while physically or mentally unwell – can be difficult to spot.
“It can hide in plain sight,” she says.
Someone may turn up without contributing as they normally would.
“It’s not good for them, and it’s not good for the organisation either.”
The visible costs of ill health are substantial. The 2025 Southern Cross Health Insurance and BusinessNZ Workplace Wellness Report found absence averaged 6.7 days per employee in 2024, with an estimated $4.17 billion cost to the economy.
But absence tells only part of the story. Being at work is not the same as being well enough to work effectively.
When flexibility blurs boundaries
Hybrid working adds another layer. Lomax sees flexibility as positive for mental wellbeing, but recognises how easily work can spill into home life.
“What I notice is that sometimes, and this is generally people that are really high performers, they will keep working and working and working when they’re at home.”
Working remotely also makes it easier to push through illness rather than take time off.
“If you’re not well, actually take a sick day.”
Connection matters too. In-person conversations can help managers notice changes that might be less obvious through scheduled video calls. Someone withdrawing from colleagues or behaving out of character may warrant a supportive check-in – not an assumption about what is wrong.
Managers do not need to diagnose the problem.
“You don’t have to be a counsellor, and you don’t need to be a mental health expert. But you need to notice what’s going on and listen and ask good questions.”
Their role is to help people reach appropriate support, rather than feel responsible for solving everything themselves.
Permission to recharge
Southern Cross has put that thinking into practice with five annual wellbeing leave days for permanent employees, separate from annual leave.
Lomax says it has had healthy uptake. People use the time for medical appointments, a restorative break or tasks that otherwise become another source of pressure.
The benefit sends the message to staff that looking after yourself does not have to wait until you are physically sick.
For leaders weighing the cost, Lomax argues the commercial and human cases line up, as employees who feel supported are better placed to perform sustainably.
“Performance, wellbeing and productivity are all really aligned.”
Support people actually use
Offering an employee assistance programme is one thing, but making people comfortable using it before they reach crisis point is another.
Lomax sees professional support as useful for an early mental-health check-in, not simply a last resort. Sometimes one appointment helps someone talk through a problem, understand what is happening or identify their next step.
Southern Cross Health Insurance members can access up to three free-of-charge online mental health sessions through Raise* each claims year. For businesses, there’s a free ‘Burnout – what people leaders need to know’ guide available to help people leaders.
Lomax says health is not just physical. Southern Cross Health Insurance can help organisations of all sizes provide fast access to care for their people when they need it most, including mental wellbeing solutions for healthier teams.
Employers must also listen and act on what they hear. At Southern Cross, a formal wellbeing check-in identified navigating change as an area requiring attention. The organisation responded with support for employees and development for managers leading change.
The test is not simply whether a benefit exists, but whether it meets people’s needs.
Learn, then adapt
Netsafe offers a compelling example. Staff at the non-profit online safety organisation can encounter disturbing or traumatic online material, making recovery and support central to how work is organised.
Netsafe won a 2025 Wayfinder Award winner, a programme run by Southern Cross Health Insurance that recognises organisations and leaders helping employees navigate towards better health and wellbeing. Netsafe was acknowledged for embedding wellbeing into how its people work.
They introduced flexible-first working and a four-day week: 80% of the hours for 100% of the pay and provide their people with Southern Cross Health Insurance as wraparound support and a practical way to get onto health issues sooner. It reported engagement rising from 70% to 92%, attrition below 5%, and maintained productivity while service demand grew 25% year on year.
Lomax does not suggest every employer copy that model. The lesson is to find what resonates with your people, test it, then adapt.
Mental Health Awareness Week can start that conversation. Lasting progress comes from following through afterwards.
“Keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate it,” she advises.
“Often people go, ‘Oh, we need to do all of these things.’ Well, yes, eventually you might, but start with a couple of things and try them out.”
Her starting point is straightforward: “Ask your people and do one thing.”
*Raise is subject to change, T&Cs apply
To discover how Southern Cross Health Insurance can help you put your people above all else, visit southerncross.co.nz/business