The plea for action comes after new data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed Australians spent an estimated $8 billion on mental health related services in 2013-14.

This cost is not only effecting the sufferers of poor mental health but also their employees, with businesses losing $11 billion every year, largely due to absenteeism and reduced productivity from unwell staff working with their condition. 

The Wagga worker, who did not want to be named, said she was forced to take three months off work due to her crippling condition.

"I had to stay at home with my family while I was doing my final university assessments, so I didn't have the stresses of daily life around me,” she said.

“I often suffer from a chronic sense of emptiness, mood swings and destructive behaviour, which effects my whole life, including my career.”

The employee said she felt if her workplace implemented better mental health practices, she might not have needed to take so much time off work.

"There are some workplaces that really look after their employees' happiness and keep morale up, which would definitely benefit people's mental health, mine just doesn’t do that,” she said.

“Work can be such a big part of people's lives. If people are happy at work they're less likely to have mental health issues.”

Sureway Employment and Training Agency CEO David Galloway said poor mental health among staff could definitely have a negative impact on businesses.

"Poor mental health can have a significant effect on an employees productivity at work,” he said.

"We take our employees mental health very seriously, because how well we perform as a business is really determined by how well our staff perform.”

As a result, the company tries to maintain high moral among staff and implement support strategies for those suffering from mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety.

"We run social staff events, we provide people with flexible work hours and we have development opportunities that reward and recognise staff’s work. These are crucial for promoting a healthy mental state and work environment.”