Friday, June 25th is this year's Take Your Dog to Work Day. If you are lucky enough to have a well-behaved pup that can come in, make sure you get approval from your employer before you bring your pet in. With many people still working from home, we also encourage you to bring your dog and any other pets to your online meetings! 

What should I consider before taking my dog to the office?

It’s important to ensure this does not adversely impact on the health, welfare or working environment of employees, volunteers or visitors to office, or on the health and welfare of the animal or other animals in the office. For tips to make the experience run smoothly check out the RSPCA's Website.

AccessEAP Pets

Here are just some of the pets that have come into the office. Many more join us on Zoom calls!

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” This famous quote by author and educator Charles R. Swindoll, who was born in 1934, emphasises the importance of our attitudes in life, and how each morning when we wake up, we have a choice as to how we will approach the day. This is particularly relevant as we dig deep into our resilience reserves and face news of an extended lockdown in Victoria. It is natural for levels of anxiety to increase, but we can draw on the support we have in place and the great track record of our health departments. We have a choice as to how we will react to different and changing situations in our life.

There are ways to improve and adapt how we approach challenging situations if we find that we are not able to move forward. Positive psychology is the study of what makes life most worth living. It focuses on our strengths, building on what works and is good. When applied to change, it gives us an approach and a set of questions that help us to flourish. We've created tools that provide helpful tips when applying positive psychology to change and the essential leadership skills which will help navigate change in your organisation. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.  

Reach out to us here at AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

The current situation in Victoria calls for recognition and support. If you are in Victoria, I’m sure you have already got a whole heap of texts, phone calls and emails. Messages from colleagues, loved ones and family members saying how sorry they are that we are in lockdown again or to offer personal support. These are anxious times for everyone as we all work together to avoid loss of life and economic hardship. We acknowledge that Victorians are bearing a heavy load right now.

For those offering support, if you aren’t entirely confident in your empathy skills, you may want to refer to these tips shared by our Melbourne team:

• Avoid saying, “you’ve got this”.
• Although your own lockdown experience gives you something to say, it can deflect from the person you are trying to support and let’s face it Victorians are kind of experts in this area.
• Reminding people to count their blessings is unlikely to go down well. As Brene Brown puts it, “hurt is hurt”, and there are times when people need to have permission to complain about whatever they are missing out on.
• Lastly, telling someone how to feel or what you think is going to happen next probably won’t be welcomed right now – Victorian’s are entitled to feel whatever they feel about this.

Lockdown means that some companies, organisations and industries put things “on hold” until the lockdown ends.  We encourage everyone to increase efforts to reach out and connect when you are able.  From a mental health perspective, social distancing should mean physical distancing rather than a lack of connection. 

To recognise this current tough lockdown, we are turning the spotlight on maintaining connection through the lockdown. One of our Clinical Psychologist's in Melbourne has created a personal tool to help support you - Let’s Make Lockdown Living Easier.  Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

Leaders in lockdown also need to remember to look after themselves so that they can help their people, these tips are for you too. Reach out to here at AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

It's Men's Health Week from the 14-20 June. The focus is on Connecting for Men's Health, find out more on the official website.

At AccessEAP, we often hear from men that they feel pressure to be seen as invulnerable, stoic, and fearless. This can lead to unrealistic expectations that as a man you should be able to cope no matter what, and "get on with it". Emotions become synonymous with weakness and powerlessness. Men may also dismiss their feelings as unimportant and worry about burdening other people with their concerns.

Men experience emotions just as much as women do, however, the pressure not to show emotion or vulnerability means that emotions will build-up and result in what appear to be random and unexpected behaviour. Reluctance to talk about or acknowledge emotion can manifest in all sorts of unhelpful ways including:

• Excessive alcohol use
• Addiction to gambling or betting
• Ending relationships prematurely
• Resigning suddenly from their job
• Stopping activities of interest e.g. sports
• Neglecting friends and family
• Working longer hours
• Communication only via emails or text messages
• Aggression or violence
• Excessive time watching fantasy films, or gaming

What can AccessEAP do to help?

We can provide a comfortable and private space to talk where there isn’t pressure to bottle things up. A person who is experienced in understanding human emotion and behaviour can listen without judgment and without consequence. We can even offer tips or strategies if that’s what is wanted or needed.

Talking about mental health issues creates understanding and acceptance.

"Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all." - Bill Clinton

Misunderstandings about mental health can lead to prejudice, discrimination and stigma. While there have been changes recently in the media reporting on mental health concerns, stereotypes are often perpetuated in sport, films, media and social networking especially by images portraying unrealistic images of men as strong, self-sufficient and “practical providers”. In reality these are unhelpful and often untrue and, there is even more scope for the role of media and social media in debunking myths and raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. The most effective way to break down prejudice and stereotyping of mental health issues is through; education, awareness and listening to people’s personal stories.

Men who suffer with Mental Health issues feel societal stigma is often more disabling than the illness itself. Coping with a mental health issue often includes increased use of drugs and alcohol, risk taking behaviour and social isolation. Over time these activities negatively influence self-esteem and confidence and in extreme circumstances can lead to suicide. Men are afraid of the impact on their relationships and career if they open up and talk about or show their feelings. Often feelings like anger or aggression can mask underlying depression.

Research by the Mental Health Council of Australia (2013) found that discussing a mental health issue is still taboo in the workplace. Research conducted states that 69% of people are uncomfortable to disclose a mental illness to their employer, while 35% would never disclose. The study reported that 48% of respondents had taken time off work for a mental health issue and not disclosed the reason to their employer. These are alarming statistics and reflect the need for action to eliminate the stigma and fear of disclosing a mental health issue in the workplace.

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We would like to start by recognising the COVID situation in India and how that impacts family and friends in Australia. We would like to remind you that AccessEAP can be accessed in challenging times to help you with wellbeing and coping strategies.

Wellbeing has many facets. At AccessEAP we’ve created a Wellbeing Model based on our years of experience supporting mental health and wellbeing. A key element of our Wellbeing Model is what we call Professional and Personal Growth. This is all about your learning and development. We know that learning can take many different forms, such as training, coaching, mentoring, reading, watching educational videos, on the job learning, and much more. Skills, personal confidence, motivation and self-awareness all impact on our capacity to perform well in work. Positive mental health is a critical component of how we develop ourselves and our relationships with others. Personal and Professional Growth is about evolving and is the continuous process of growing yourself to realistically achieve your greatest ability. It is vital to your mental health, success, and happiness.

We're turning our spotlight to the important theme of professional and personal growth. We've created tools outlining our new Learning in Focus approach highlighting the mental health and wellbeing topics available to you. As well as a personal tool focusing on the value of lifelong learning and prioritising your personal and professional development. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.  

If you would like to explore this area further, our Organisational Development Team can help. Reach out to us here at AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

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Wellbeing has many facets. A key element of our Wellbeing Model is Professional and Personal Growth. It is all about your learning and development, which can include training, coaching, mentoring, reading, watching educational videos, on the job learning, and much more. Skills, personal confidence, motivation and self-awareness all impact on our capacity to perform well in work. Positive mental health is a critical component of how we develop ourselves and our relationships with others. Personal and Professional Growth is about evolving and is the continuous process of growing yourself to realistically achieve your greatest ability. It is vital to your mental health, success, and happiness.

New Topics for 2021 - Available Now

Click below to find out more about each topic.

• Help make a difference every day
• Strong team environment
• CBD location

AccessEAP is an Australian owned not for profit Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider. Our emphasis is on partnering with organisations to enhance employee well-being and improve workplace productivity.  We focus on understanding the unique needs of our customers and tailoring our services to support and prevent mental health issues in the workplace. Due to continued growth, we have an outstanding opportunity for a passionate and adaptable person to work with us on our ambitious journey.

Your role will be to ensure effective administrative support related to the successful operations of AccessEAP. You will work closely with the Relationship Management, Sales Management, Clinical and Finance teams to support the delivery of services to customers.

Your track record of success key will reflect your strong planning, organising and interpersonal skills, and high attention to detail. Most importantly you will enjoy working in a team environment that is driven by integrity, collaboration and accomplishment.

AccessEAP takes the health of employees seriously and you will be working in an environment that genuinely cares about the well-being of all employees.

To apply send your resume to dwilliams@kurtispaige.com.au or call David Williams on 0414 551 795 for more information.

• Help make a difference every day
• Strong team environment
• Full-Time opportunities

At AccessEAP our mission is to create thriving workplaces. We partner with each customer to promote, positive organisational behaviour, enhance employee wellbeing, improve workplace productivity and effectively manage the mental health of every employee. As an Australian owned not for profit Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider, our emphasis is on understanding the unique needs of our customers and tailoring our services to support and prevent mental health issues in the workplace. Due to continued growth and an expanding service offering We have a number of opportunities for motivated, adaptable and empathic people to help achieve our goals and continue our ambitious journey.

Your role will be to provide the first point of contact for all our clients and contribute to optimising our business reputation by ensuring the effective delivery of client services. Your key responsibilities will be client intake registration and processing, referrals to counsellors, record management, data entry and coordinating on-site.

Your key skills will include your attention to detail and outstanding interpersonal skills. Most importantly you will enjoy working in a team environment that is driven by respect, collaboration and accomplishment. AccessEAP take the health of employees seriously and you will be working in an environment that genuinely cares about the wellbeing of all employees.

For more information contact David Williams on 0414551795 or send your resume to dwilliams@kurtispaige.com.au.

The pandemic has forced us to look more closely at the way we work particularly in terms of team and people interactions and dynamics. The way that our teams function is crucial to our workplace culture and productivity. Whether your team dynamics have changed drastically or not so much, see our tips for an effective teamwork refresher below: 

1. Review Objectives and Goals

Successful teams have clear objectives that all team members are aware of and working toward. There is a clear vision and shared values. Team members are committed to the goal and live the values.

2. Participation

Active participation is evident and encouraged by all team members. Team members focus on their areas of strength for the greater good of achieving the team outcomes. Effective teams want the team to succeed and place team success above individual recognition and reward. Everyone carries their weight.

The words emotional intelligence can cause a little nervousness in some people, while others can’t wait to delve into the topic and let you know how high their EQ is. But what does it mean? It means we actively try to improve our people skills. We work hard on being better communicators. We try to be better listeners. We always seek feedback from people on how we are going and ask the question, what more can I do to help you be successful?.  Even if we are ‘born’ emotionally sensitive or attuned, we will still find ourselves on the journey to becoming a more emotionally intelligent leader. We may improve with age and experience, but we can definitely train ourselves to become more emotionally intelligent sooner. Why would we? Well, major studies have found a strong link between high emotional intelligence and success in leadership, relationships, resilience, and life in general!

We're turning our spotlight to emotional intelligence (EQ) and why it is a very relevant topic in our Wellbeing in Focus Calendar’s CHANGE quarterly theme. We've created tools that look at what EQ is, why it’s important and how we can improve our EQ, from the individual and leader perspective, respectively. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

Emotional intelligence can be measured but feedback and cues from those you interact with will generally let you know how well you are progressing. If you would like to explore this area further and use emotional intelligence in leadership development and team dynamics, our Organisational Development Team can help. Reach out to here at AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

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The events of the past year have had some unexpected outcomes. On a personal level, many of us have realised that we can do things that we hadn’t previously thought possible or that we “had it in us” to do. Similarly, for many organisations, the ability to move quickly and implement change when restrictions were in place was downright amazing. This realisation that we can rise to the challenge can be very empowering. As leaders, we know that some people in our team like to play it safe and are reticent when it comes to trying new things, but when given the right opportunity, they will exceed expectations. It can take time and effort to find the right development path to ensure they can contribute to the best of their abilities.

So how can we ensure that we give our people the opportunities to be their best at life and work? We're turning our spotlight on self-awareness and equipping your people with the information they need to make better recruitment and development decisions.

We've created a  Leader Tool that provides ways to harness information and apply reliability and validity to the development process to ensure you are setting your people and business up for success.  As well as a Personal Tool that focuses on self-awareness and making time to take stock of where you are after an unusual year. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. Reach out to here at AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

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We've reached a milestone together. We are now 12 months into a global pandemic. It's no wonder that we have found ourselves talking about challenging times. When we pause and reflect on the pandemic's duration and ongoing nature, its influence on our work and personal lives will take years to continue to unfurl.

I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the Easter break and possibly school holidays. We recognise those affected by the recent floods, and this week we are aware that Queenslanders are faced with a new lockdown. As humans, we are more adaptable than we give ourselves credit for.  Whether you have been impacted directly or indirectly or feel the weight of media coverage of traumatic events, the break may be a good time to look after yourself and connect with family, friends and loved ones.

We're turning our spotlight to self-care and connection. Your personal tools are part of the 2021 Wellbeing in Focus Calendar, and now is a perfect time to highlight taking a good look at ways to practice self-care, connect and notice how you are travelling. Find the Wellbeing Calendar Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website as well as the AccessMyEAP App. Reach out to here at AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

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Being resilient is the ability to bounce back after challenges. During this unprecedented time, we all find ourselves in, building resilience and trying to manage our stress levels can seem even more difficult than usual. As a manager or leader, you will be experiencing your own emotions as well as feeling responsible for your people or teams. As leaders, we are used to being in control and providing guidance and support to others, but we are also human.

Remember that feeling anxious, fearful, stressed, angry and irritable are common and normal feelings during uncertain times. Identify your responses and feelings and ensure that you look after yourself and get support if needed. It is difficult to support others when we are experiencing heightened stress. If you notice behavioural changes like being snappy in a conversation that you would not normally worry about, or being abrupt towards someone you care for, take a moment to use the STOP technique.

• STOP whatever you are doing
• TAKE a few slow breaths
• OBSERVE what you are thinking and feeling –remembering that thoughts and worries are not facts
• Feeling calmer? Go on with the task. Still tense? Get up and move, make a cup of tea, walk the dog, do the dishes. A five-minute break is really restorative!

Click below to refesh on our top ten tips for Resilience.

Stress & Resilience Training

Stress is a natural state which allows our minds and bodies to prepare for the unexpected. Some stress is good: It helps us prepare for a big task and protects against imminent threats. However, a constant state of stress is exhausting and bad for our physical and emotional health.

We show stress in four ways:

Physically: feeling the rush of adrenaline, headaches, muscle tension.

Emotionally: becoming snappy or teary with little provocation; losing our confidence and vitality.

Cognitively: black and white thinking; catastrophising and dwelling on unhealthy thoughts; being indecisive.