An EAP built to keep workshops running
Give your mechanics, panel beaters and service crew fast, confidential access to qualified Australian psychologists. Meet your duty of care and keep your workshop staffed.
Make an Enquiry
Trusted by teams across Australian workplaces
The trades carry a heavy load, and the numbers show it
of Australian men who died by suicide were technicians and trades workers, the group that includes mechanics, panel beaters and auto electricians, the most common occupation recorded
Australian men die by suicide at more than three times the rate of women (18.3 versus 5.5 per 100,000), a gap that hits male-dominated trades like automotive hardest
of Australian tradies say the current skills shortage is having a negative impact on their mental health, a pressure felt right across automotive workshops
Why automotive employers choose Talked
Workshops run on skilled hands, and skilled hands are getting harder to find and keep. When a mechanic or panel beater is struggling, it shows up in safety, quality, sick days and turnover. Talked gives your people genuine clinical support that fits around shift work and busy service schedules, so they stay well and stay on the job.
Around one in five Australian tradies say they would not tell anyone if they had depression, which shows how strong the help-seeking stigma still is across the trades.
A serious mental health claim keeps a worker off the job for a median of 35.7 working weeks, almost five times longer than the average serious workers compensation claim of 7.4 weeks.
More than one in five Australians had a mental disorder in the past year, with anxiety the most common, so chances are someone in your workshop is doing it tough right now.
Fast access that fits workshop hours
Your team cannot down tools for weeks waiting on an appointment. Talked connects your people with a qualified psychologist or counsellor quickly, with no waitlists, by phone or video at a time that works around shifts, early starts and Saturday trade.
Whether it is a first-year apprentice finding their feet or a senior tech who has been on the tools for thirty years, help is there when they need it, not months later.
Talk to an expert
Real support for real workshop pressures
Talked counsellors understand the things that wear your people down, and they meet your team where they are without judgement.
- Job and financial stress when the skills shortage means doing more with fewer hands
- Fatigue, pain and injury from physical work, long days and tight turnaround times
- Family, relationship and money worries that follow people from home into the workshop
Outcomes you can see, and obligations you can meet
You get clear, de-identified reporting on how your team is using the service and the difference it makes, so you can show your investment is working without ever seeing who reached out.
Talked helps you meet your duty of care and psychosocial safety obligations, supports a safer workshop floor, and helps you hold onto the skilled people you have worked hard to train and keep.
What automotive employers ask us
Skilled techs are hard to find and expensive to lose. More than half of Australian tradies say the current skills shortage is hurting their mental health, and that pressure shows up as burnout, mistakes and people walking out the door. When your team can get fast, confidential support before things get worse, they are more likely to stay, stay safe and stay productive. Keeping a trained mechanic or panel beater is almost always cheaper than recruiting and training a replacement, so the support pays for itself in retention.
This is the real challenge in automotive. Around one in five Australian tradies say they would not tell anyone if they had depression, so the stigma is strong. Talked is built to lower that barrier. It is completely confidential, your people book it themselves without going through you, and they can talk by phone or video on their own terms. We help you promote it in plain, no-nonsense language that lands on a workshop floor, so your team knows it is normal, private and there for them.
Everything your people share with their counsellor is private and stays between them and the clinician. You never see who booked or what they discussed. What you do get is de-identified reporting at the team level, such as how many people are using the service and the broad themes coming through, so you can see the program is working and make better decisions about your workforce without ever compromising anyone's privacy.
Australian employers have clear obligations to manage psychosocial risks at work, and that applies on the workshop floor as much as anywhere. Providing access to qualified mental health support is a practical, documented step toward meeting your duty of care. Talked gives you that support backed by reporting you can point to, which helps you show you are taking the wellbeing of your mechanics, painters and service staff seriously.
The cost of staying silent is high. A serious mental health claim keeps a worker off the job for a median of 35.7 working weeks, almost five times longer than the average serious workers compensation claim of 7.4 weeks. Losing a skilled tech for the better part of a year leaves a real hole in your roster and your revenue. Early, easy access to support helps you catch problems before they become long absences or lost staff.
Getting started is straightforward and we do the heavy lifting. We set your team up, give you simple materials to put in the lunchroom, on noticeboards and through your usual channels, and explain it in language that suits a workshop crew. Because more than one in five Australians had a mental health condition in the past year, chances are someone in your workshop is doing it tough right now, so the sooner your people know the support is there, the sooner it starts working.
How Talked supports your people
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Intentional self-harm (suicide) deaths, latest release (deaths registered 2023-2024)
- Beyond Blue and Steel Blue, Boot the Blues survey of 1,200 tradespeople (2024)
- Safe Work Australia, Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia, latest release (2023-24)
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, latest release (2020-2022)
Figures reflect publicly reported Australian data and are indicative. Talked is not affiliated with the organisations listed.
Look after your mechanics and service crew
Talked acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we operate and pays respect to Elders past, present, and emerging.
We welcome and respect people of all backgrounds, genders, sexualities, abilities, and cultures.
If you are in crisis or experiencing suicidal or homicidal thoughts, please contact 000 or access these resources for emergency assistance.
Get the Talked App
