Benefits of Separation Support Services for Emergency Services Workers
Executive Summary
Emergency services (ES) workers in Australia face unique challenges due to the nature of their work, which can be further exacerbated by personal crises such as separation and divorce. This report examines these impacts and highlights the need for targeted support services.
Background
Separation and divorce are deeply personal events that can profoundly impact every aspect of an individual’s life. People often find themselves unprepared for the emotional, legal, and financial challenges that accompany separation, which can be overwhelming. This report explores the impact on individuals and the subsequent impact on the workplace and aims to recommend the best support mechanisms to reduce workplace risk in the future.
In comparison to the general population, Emergency Services (ES) workers often face additional stress due to the demanding nature of their jobs, which can create a negative feedback loop, exacerbating their difficulties. The financial burden of separation, coupled with logistical challenges like childcare, can further strain ES workers’ mental health. Additionally, separation can impact workplace performance, increasing the risk of burnout and safety issues.
Despite growing awareness of mental health in the workplace, separation and divorce remain stigmatised, leaving individuals feeling isolated. Recognising and addressing these issues is crucial to support ES workers effectively and reducing the economic and safety risks for the workplace and the communities served by the sector.
Findings
Survey results show that ES workers utilised a wide range of support services during separation, with a slight preference for emotional and mental health support over other professional services such as legal and financial support. Personal support from friends and family (58.4%) and psychologists (45.5%) were most sought after, highlighting the importance of emotional support.
Family lawyers were the most common professional service used (44.2%) over mediators, which in family law is considered the most desirable first step in reaching a resolution. However, the findings that came with hindsight provided the biggest opportunity for the future, with respondents wishing they had sought more advice around financial, property, and superannuation prior to reaching settlement agreements. These areas are often linked to legal support during separation, but many avoid legal services due to cost fears, leading to costly long-term downstream impacts on workplaces, insurers, and the government.
Respondents emphasised the need for flexibility in work hours, special leave, and compassionate policies, along with accessible counselling, peer support networks, and financial and legal assistance. This highlights the necessity of a multifaceted support approach for ES workers during separation.
Respondents reported the impact of their separation on their work as significant, with many reporting high levels of stress and experiencing several issues simultaneously. Over 50% of respondents reported their mental fitness in the red zone during their separation, compared to 16% prior to separation with 62.7% reporting experiencing increased anxiety and depression. The red zone is the crisis zone. In this zone, a person experiences severe anxiety, depression, or suffering so intense that it becomes difficult to get through the day. They may struggle to eat, sleep, or practice basic hygiene and may experience so much emotional pain that it leads to thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
Several risk factors were highlighted in the data with over 70.7% reporting being physically present at work but not entirely focused, while 58.7% found it hard to concentrate and make decisions. Emotional regulation was a struggle for almost 50% of respondents and 40% found it more challenging to cope with job pressures. These all represent a high risk for employee health and wellbeing as well as a public safety issue.
The insights from hindsight provide the biggest opportunities for ES to meaningfully impact their workers’ lives in the future, using research findings from this study and others mentioned in this report. This will allow the Emergency Services to be on the front foot in providing future support mechanisms that reduce risk and long-term economic costs to the workplace.
Recommendations
To support ES workers during separation, employers should:
- Ensure emotional counselling through EAPs or similar programs are promoted with reference to separation and divorce.
- Partner with the ESSSuper to provide financial advisors to assist with financial planning and advice around assets such as superannuation in separation and divorce.
- Provide information to ensure workers understand their rights, the process of separating superannuation and the need for legal advice in that process.
- Consider flexible work arrangements to accommodate personal responsibilities.
- Consider how legal support and access to resolution-focused family lawyers and mediators could be made available to reduce the duration and severity of the workplace impact.
- Provide awareness and education for peer supporters around the potential impact of separation and divorce.
- Consider establishing a support network for people with shared challenges around separation and divorce.
- Develop clear policies around family violence and separation-friendly work arrangements, and train managers to recognise distress signs that might be associated with relationship breakdown.
- The Leading for Better Mental Health Program could raise awareness of the impact of separation and divorce on mental health.
- Additional support for further risk mitigation could include a review of the economic benefits of providing a specialist holistic program of legal, financial and emotional support within the EAP benefits for ES workers. Programs such as this have been proven to reduce the risk of escalation and injustice, including long-term financial disadvantage to workers, thereby improving outcomes for individuals and at the same time reducing the impact on the workplace by as much as 25% as documented in the State of Separation Impact Report 2023.
Investing in these support services can significantly benefit ES workers’ wellbeing and job performance, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of the emergency services sector.
Authors
Angela Harbinson, CEO & Founder of The Separation Guide
Kate Russell, The Separation GuidePublished July 2024
The Separation Guide
Report
Introduction
Australia’s emergency services (ES) workers are the backbone of community safety, facing constant danger and exposure to traumatic events. However, the emotional toll of their work can extend beyond the job, particularly during a relationship breakdown, separation and divorce.
Studies reveal that ES workers experience significantly higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and burnout compared to the general population. When coupled with the emotional turmoil of separation, these stressors can create a perfect storm, potentially impacting their wellbeing, job performance, and ultimately, public safety.
This report was commissioned by the Emergency Services Foundation in recognition that separation and divorce affect so many people in the community which means that ES workers will be part of that cohort. The aim was to better understand how they and the broader emergency services sector through its member agencies can best mitigate risks and provide early intervention support when their workers need it most. It explores the impact of separation and divorce on ES workers in Australia. Drawing on current research, the report delves into the specific challenges faced by ES workers during separation, such as managing emotional distress while navigating high-stress work environments. By understanding these challenges, The Emergency Services Foundation can advocate for the development of targeted support services.
The report concludes by highlighting the benefits of a holistic approach that addresses the multifaceted needs of ES workers during separation. We will discuss the types of support services that would be most beneficial and offer recommendations for employers in creating a more supportive environment. Ultimately, investing in the wellbeing of emergency services workers during separation is not only crucial for their individual wellbeing but also critical for ensuring the continued effectiveness of our emergency services sector and reducing the economic cost to the workplace when separation and divorce go wrong.
Background
Impacts of separation on the individual
Separation and divorce are deeply personal and rarely discussed. It touches almost every aspect of a person’s life, and when it happens, they are typically under-prepared for the experience, making it even harder.
When people are separating, they must manage all the stress and ascend a steep learning curve. They need to learn about
- the process of separation and divorce
- what they have to do from a legal perspective
- their rights
- what fairness is
- their own emotional, psychological and financial needs
- their former partner’s needs and rights
- their children’s needs
- how much will it cost.
All this is often done in the context of ongoing parenting, work performance, setting up new homes, paying the bills, funding the separation process, and planning for the future.
The emotional demands of separation can be particularly acute for ES workers. The often stressful nature of their work can exacerbate the difficulties of separation, creating a negative feedback loop that can further strain relationships and hinder coping mechanisms. Separation can also create logistical challenges for ES workers particularly those with children. Shift work patterns and unpredictable schedules can make it difficult to manage childcare arrangements and meet legal obligations.
The financial implications of separation can also be significant. Legal fees, property division, and potential changes in income due to changed working hours can create a financial burden. For some ES workers, financial stress may further exacerbate existing impacts, creating a downward spiral that impacts both their personal and professional lives.
Separation also impacts the lives of others: from one’s former partner, children and extended family, as well as flowing through to friends, colleagues and the community members that ES workers support in their work.
Read the full report to explore all findings and recommendations.
