‘Burnout and vicarious trauma are real risks’
HR professionals overseeing workforces in New Zealand's mental health and addiction sector risk staff burnout, vicarious trauma, and high turnover if they fail to apply the same care standards to their employees as they do to clients, according to one expert.
Gil Sewell, Chief People & Culture Officer at Ember Karowai Takitini, made the remarks in an interview addressing the employment experience of care and support workers across the organisation – which comprises The Ember Wellbeing Trust, Ember Services, Ember Innovations, Ember Systems, and Kāinga Haumaru.
Nearly two-thirds of employees in New Zealand are experiencing burnout, according to a previous report TELUS.
A workforce drawn by lived experience
Care and support workers in the mental health and addiction sector are typically motivated by direct personal or community exposure to mental distress, rather than by career pathway alone, Sewell says — a dynamic she says shapes both workplace culture and occupational health risk.
“People generally come into this line of work because they want to make a real difference in people's lives — practically, day-to-day, not just in theory. People come in because they've seen mental distress or addiction up close either in self, whānau (family), or community, or just feel a strong pull toward helping people who are often unheard or overlooked and/or experience discrimination,” she says.
Ember's annual kaimahi (employee) engagement survey shows high scores in personal value alignment and job satisfaction, though Sewell acknowledges sector-wide funding pressures that affect training, technology, and pay.
Only 18% of New Zealand workers always feel physically energised enough to do their jobs, according to a previous report from Sonder. For care and service professionals such as nurses, aged care workers, frontline staff, that number drops to 15%.
Also, 15% of Kiwi workers say they can rarely or never communicate their thoughts and feelings clearly. That’s nearly double the rate in Australia and higher than the UK, according to Sonder.
Burnout and vicarious trauma are real risks
The emotional demands of the role create well-documented occupational hazards that HR functions in the sector must actively manage, Sewell says.
“It can be emotionally demanding because you're often working with people who are dealing with trauma, addiction, loneliness or isolation, complex life circumstances. That means you can carry emotional weight, you need strong boundaries, burnout and vicarious trauma are real risks.”
All Peer Support workers at Ember are required to complete peer employment training that includes developing a personal Wellness Recovery Action Plan — a self-designed document covering wellness tools, triggers, early warning signs, and a crisis plan.
The core HR obligation
Sewell's central message for HR professionals is that workforce wellbeing strategy must be held to the same standard as service delivery — and that any gap between the two represents a failure of organisational integrity.
“My view is that you should be able to turn your strategy for supporting your communities, whai ora (clients, service users) or your market internally towards yourselves. You can't say with integrity that you provide the best service possible to your 'market' but not do the same for the people who provide that service.
“This isn't about subsidised gyms and fruit bowls, it's about treating kaimahi (employees) with the same care as you would your service users.”
For organisations operating in Aotearoa New Zealand, Sewell adds that good employment practice must also be grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi — partnership, protection, and participation — alongside flexibility, development opportunities, and a culture of connection she describes as including "plenty of kai (food!) — eating together is pleasurable, community-building and fun."
