New mental health tool launched for small business owner-operators

The Government has launched a new tool to help small business owner-operators manage and improve their mental wellbeing, Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today.

The Brave in Business e-Learning series is another tool the Government has delivered to support small businesses with their mental health and wellbeing.

“A pandemic, a global surge in inflation and major weather events have all impacted and disrupted business over the last couple of years. These new resources are aimed at helping owner-operators learn practical tips to manage stress and focus on getting what they need done,” Ginny Andersen said.

“Our recovery from the pandemic, and recent weather events not only relies on economic performance, but also the mental health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

The series includes two courses, each featuring short videos, resources, and a check-in survey. They were developed by business.govt.nz in partnership with Spark Business Lab.

“Written by two of New Zealand’s top organisational psychologists, the courses are designed to help small business owners manage their time and the demand of their businesses more effectively. This means they can enjoy the time they have when they’re not working on their business.

The resources and tools are all practical with easy-to-follow pieces of advice from the Institute of Organisational Psychology. Topics include how to prioritise for success and how to take control when overwhelmed.

The new series joins a range of other mental health and wellbeing resources that the Government has provided to small businesses through business.govt.nz.

“Last year we launched First Steps, which offers preventative mental health support for business owners, managers, and employees that aims to reduce the number of those in crisis by providing a variety of tools, resources, and perspectives.

“The Government is serious about ensuring that small businesses are well supported. We’re committed to making sure we have a range of mental health tools tailored to different types of small businesses to provide maximum support.

“We know SMEs value mental health and wellbeing information - business.govt.nz’s ‘Mental health’ section has seen 193,450 visits since launching in 2020, and 26,950 unique page views in the last six months. It’s important that we continue to grow these resources to support SMEs throughout the economic cycle,” Ginny Andersen said.