It’s another NAIDOC week celebration. The theme for this year – 2022 is as depicted in the above poster. It is a fitting theme as it encourages everyone that believes in what NAIDOC stands for to embrace just that, to GET UP! STAND UP! AND SHOW UP! on all that we have decided to achieve for our people and our communities. The fact is we cannot afford to rely on others to bring about much needed changes we so desire. Any desired achievements lie squarely on our shoulders, both old, and young emerging leaders of our Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people. As the theme calls us to do, Let us all - Get Up, Stand Up and Show Up where and when it matters most.

Now is the time to consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, organisations and community on the services and resources that best meet the needs of our people.

The tides are slowly moving and as the slogan says, we must be prepared to Get UP! Stand Up, and Show Up for without a united front we will remain standing where we find ourselves today.

 Lydia Gah, Holistic Counsellor and Coach

Published in LH Agenda 3rd June 2022

Marcela Slepica, AccessEAP Director, Clinical Services says, "as leaders, we must be able to recognise the signs our people might be struggling – and know how to help."

Like any mental health challenges, the most effective way to gauge someone’s feelings is to ask. Reaching out to a colleague to check if they’re okay could be the important first step to them feeling better.

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Jenny Kahn, Learning & Development Consultant

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So sail away from the safe harbour. Explore. Dream. Discover” Mark Twain

A mindset is much like a mental lens through which we view the world, which drives what we do and why. Mindsets are patterns of thoughts and behaviour, shaped and influenced by several factors such as our past experiences, temperament, learned behaviours and beliefs. Whilst mindsets help us identify opportunities, they might also trap us in self-destructive cycles. The good news is that they can be transformed.

When we have a fixed mindset, our lens can become very narrow. When we adopt a growth mindset our lens becomes wider, enabling us to have a more open, expansive perspective.

Renowned psychologist, Carol Dweck¹ coined the concept of fixed and growth mindsets. She says that success comes from mindset– or the way people approach life’s challenges, rather than talent, education, and intelligence. People with a ‘fixed mindset’ believe they have innate and unchangeable intelligence, skills and abilities. People with a ‘growth mindset’ embrace challenges because they believe they can learn from experiences, develop skills, and improve if they practice and persevere – which can lead to greater achievement.

Productive conversations take time. They contain personal reflection and emotional self-management, perhaps also preparation. They certainly utilise active listening, a desire to be clear, to collaborate and to follow-up. Rushing is the enemy of a constructive conversation.

Yet conversational skills are almost never taught in schools, and are actively being eroded with the ever increasing modalities available to us to communicate in short-hand – texting, emailing, instant chat (often with auto-suggest). Actively building your conversational skills, and taking time with others to have these conversations, takes effort. But it’s effort well spent. It says ‘I want to understand you and build ideas and ways forward with you, it’s important to me, and I’m willing to invest the time to do it.’ As a leader, the way you converse with those around you lets people know the degree to which you value them (or not).

There are important elements in a constructive conversation. Here are some of our top tips-

Most important is the ability to listen. Listening is not just something we do as we impatiently wait our turn to speak next. Active listening is something that feeds our understanding of the other person and the situation they are describing. We listen with our ears and eyes – not jumping to conclusions, and not being busy in our mind creating the next thing we are going to say. We are curious and patient. As the saying goes, active listening is not listening to respond. It’s listening to understand.

Empathy and compassion are important. Empathy is our ability to take the perspective and feel the emotions of another – to stand in another’s shoes. Compassion is when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help. A constructive conversation has within it the wish to help the other person express themselves clearly. Perhaps we ask questions to help this process, perhaps we check our understanding of what the other person is saying and feeling – for example, “it sounds like you are disappointed because...”, or perhaps we simply stay silent and listen without judgement.

Samantha Dounis, Learning and Development Advisor

“There is nothing permanent except change.” - Heraclitus, Greek philosopher

In the workplace and indeed in life, change is a constant! Change interrupts the flow, up-ends the status quo and very often leads to conflicts. Effective leaders embrace change, recognise diversity, and manage it well by encouraging inclusion and helping the individual, team, and organisation to thrive. 

Organisations are impacted by changes from various sources - external factors we have no control over, including globalisation, changes in legislation or the economy, as well as internal factors like technological improvements, operational efficiencies or changes in products and services. Resistance to change is natural and should not be discouraged, but rather discussed and understood, bringing in diverse voices to work through the issues.

There are various models that can be successful for managing change in the workplace. John Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School and world-renowned change expert, laid out an eight-step change process.

The Great Resignation is a label first coined in the United States to describe the way that people were reassessing their priorities and looking for purpose after the new experience of working from home and being faced with the challenges of the global pandemic. This reassessment often resulted in people leaving their current job for another one or choosing a completely different path. Although we may not be seeing the same trend in Australia, there are certainly indications that workplaces are facing pressure from their people to provide more in terms of flexibility, benefits and remuneration.  This pressure is due to three main reasons:

1. Burnout and Languishing. Burnout is characterised by chronic depletion, and energy depletion resulting in the inability to function. Languishing is characterised by “feeling less”. Less motivated, less productive, less engaged, less enjoyable overall. A general absence of wellbeing.
2. What is referred to as mortality reality. When faced with a global health crisis we question what is important and why we do what we do. Most often we look for purpose and meaning.
3. Flexibility and agency. A taste of greater control over the workday was achieved due to the work from home experience and consequently people want more flexibility.

Not all workplaces have the same challenges

Some industries are comprised of a mix of essential workers who have remained in their workplaces while other roles have moved to work from home or a hybrid of the two. Back in 2018, there was a buzz around “flexible work”. However, there was a fear amongst managers and leaders that productivity would decline, and people may take advantage. The worldwide pandemic put the theory to the test with overwhelmingly positive experiences. People were trusted to work from home and by and large rose to the task, exceeding expectations and maintaining productive working remotely. Of course, over time variations in productivity based on several factors may emerge.

Hybrid is now the buzzword

 Almost 75% of people want to be in the workplace some of the time but most wanted a hybrid of work from home and work in the workplace.

Kristen Carroll, Organisational and Learning & Development Consultant

In a world that seems to uphold “multitasking” as a virtue, it can feel uncomfortable or downright rebellious to work counter to this. However, bouncing between your phone, inbox, instant messaging, and meetings is not the way to get ahead! Explore the concept of Deep Work as a means of tapping into your full potential.

What is Deep Work?

Cal Newport, an author and computer science professor at Georgetown University, defined Deep Work as: “Professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” He explained that if you are not intentional about how you spend your time, you risk wasting hours of your day to what he describes as “shallow work”: “Non-cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create new value in the world and are easy to replicate.”

Build a Deep Work Routine

Published in Busy Continent 15th April 2022

Marcela Slepica, AccessEAP Director, Clinical Services discusses how to best manage your mental health during traumatic events.

Increasingly, in a post-pandemic era, organisational leaders have both an opportunity and an obligation to ensure that employee mental health does not slip from the agenda. 

It’s human to become stressed when we see other people in pain. Understanding that a trauma can happen to anyone is a good place to start. But how do we spot the signs? Find out more below.

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Published in The Daily Telegraph 9th March 2022

Marcela Slepica, AccessEAP Director, Clinical Services

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It shouldn't have taken a global pandemic to take mental health and wellbeing seriously, particularly in the workplace. But after two years of COVID, it’s important we take a moment to reflect on the lessons learnt and where we go from here.

Mental health and wellbeing support is essential

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

During 2021 we identified the value in organisations investing in building and nurturing strong, resilient leaders to enable their workplace to prosper.

Our Wellbeing Model is specifically designed to build positive mental health and a psychologically safe environment. Focusing on the leadership sector of the model, transformational leadership consistently encourages the relational components of leadership resulting in employees feeling valued and empowered.  

Transformational leadership is invariably associated with a greater sense of general wellbeing impacting a range of metrics including stress, burnout, sick leave, absenteeism, employee engagement and overall productivity.  

To support our customers, we will be publishing a monthly Leadership series blog covering each of the main transformational leadership capabilities. This series will include a snapshot of the relevant theoretical framework along with practical tips to apply the skill.

As managers and leaders discuss and plan for a transition back to the workplace, many of us may be starting to think and experience a range of feelings at the thought of what this means. We also recognise the many people that have continued to go to the workplace over the last two years.  All our thoughts and feelings during these uncertain times are normal as we are all different, and there is no right or wrong way to feel. For those of us who may be feeling a little anxious or uncertain about returning to the workplace, here are some ideas to think about while you are preparing for the transition:

1.  Acknowledge your feelings and anxieties. Be kind to yourself and give yourself time to process your feelings. Do not judge yourself and tell yourself how you “should” be feeling.

2. Identify your concerns and think about what you can control and what is out of your control. Focus on what you can control, e.g. how will I manage being around more people? What can I do to keep safe? Plan and think about what will help you.

3. Take it day by day - you are not returning to “normal” there may not be a normal like it was. Recognising that things will be different is important. Try to go slow and avoid doing too much. Give yourself time to adjust, share stories and talk about how you are feeling. This is reassuring and helps with the awkwardness of the transition, which doesn't feel normal or comfortable yet.

4. Ask your manager for information, ask questions, share your concerns, connect with peers and share problem-solving. Others are probably feeling similarly, and there is comfort in sharing and problem solving together.

With a New Year often comes a sense of new beginnings. Many of us start with resolutions for change, to turn over a new leaf, to bring fresh energy to our work and life.

This time of year is a good time to reflect on our mindset. Change is inevitable, but the way we approach it depends very much on our mindset. When we apply a growth mindset to change, we are more likely to discover a way to flourish.

As we continue to adapt and learn to live with COVID our mindset may be challenged, and we may push up against an inner “I can’t”. A growth mindset is framed around relying on and building on our strengths, taking one step at a time, and knowing that the viewpoint we take is always within our control. An “I can’t” may be an indicator that you’ve discovered one of your fixed mindsets. When that happens, it can be worthwhile to first take a step back and assess whether this is actually true; if you then see a possibility that “I can...”, ask yourself, what would be different if you saw this challenge as an indication you’re now learning something new, rather than simply a block that you can’t overcome? Then you might choose to take steps forward and lean into that challenge.

When learning about your different mindsets, the support of a counsellor or coach can be invaluable. You will have a person who listens attentively, without judgement. You will know that your conversation is completely confidential. And you will know that the person you are talking with has your best interests uppermost in their mind. It can be extraordinarily liberating to have conversations like this – when the other person has no agenda other than helping you to find the best possible outcome for you.

So as this work year gets underway, consider calling us and discovering how a counsellor or coach can support you as you work on those resolutions to make positive change in your life and to bring fresh energy to the people and projects that are important to you.

As we reach the end of 2021 there has been an increase in cases in some parts of Australia. We appreciate that for many people this may be a time of heightened emotions, particularly as festive celebrations commence and for some, plans will need to change. We, as always, are here to support you through this. Tools and resources can be accessed via our website to support your mental health and wellbeing through the Employee and Employer login areas. Additional resources, including our Wellbeing Check, are also available on our app, AccessMyEAP.

The H.O.P.E. Program continues to be the main recipient of our charitable funding for vulnerable families and children. At AccessEAP, we are very proud of the donation of more than $1,000,000 for HOPE and programs to support vulnerable families, which was announced last month. Our contribution has been able to grow substantially each year, and AccessEAP would like to recognise the support of our customers in making this donation. Through partnering with AccessEAP, you not only support your employees’ wellbeing but you also directly contribute to our chosen welfare programs in Australia.

Renee's Story

"My name is Renee, I'm 24 years old and I’m a single mum to my baby boy Rory. The H.O.P.E. program has been so wonderful for me. It has given me such great support and has helped me to be a better mum to Rory. They set me up in a house to help me get on my feet, helped me with budgeting, food planning and set me and my mum up with counselling to help our relationship."

Read more about the H.O.P.E Program and Renee's story here.

We are pleased and proud to report that over the past 12 months, the H.O.P.E. Program and other vital support programs continued to exceed targets, and these are very special targets because they are about helping more mums, bubs and families. 

Relationships do many things, but the research is clear – they extend the length of our life. Close personal connections promote health in a variety of ways, for example, a reduction in stress, increase in personal growth and healthy activities (e.g., better diet and more exercise). 

Within our workplaces, we all have our favourite colleague/s that we naturally gravitate towards. They become our 'go-to' person. Whether we have been affected by restrictions or not, connecting with our colleagues and nurturing these relationships is important to our development and success. Developing these skills can also help us with our personal relationships outside of formal work settings.

We've created Personal and Leader Tools that reinforce the power of positive relationships. The Leader Tool highlights the power of connection for teams and how to make improvements. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.  

The above postcard can be found in COVID-19 Support under AccessEAP Wellbeing Postcards in the Employer and Employee Login Areas.

One of the things we’ve found ourselves talking about a lot more recently is positive wellbeing and wellness. We’re actively sharing the things that bring us joy – and for us, that means lots of sharing photos of pets, wellbeing tactics that we’ve found valuable and our old or new creative hobbies.

We are all looking for new ways to not only genuinely support our people but to help them to thrive. We're turning our spotlight to looking outside the box to different ways to positively approach wellbeing. We’re talking about the positive power of creativity and the creative process! We've created tools on fostering creativity for thriving teams as well as a Postcard on Creativity for Wellbeing. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

The above postcard can be found in COVID-19 Support under AccessEAP Wellbeing Postcards in the Employer and Employee Login Areas.

Encouraging creativity has a number of beneficial effects on employees that can drive positive change in workplaces. If you have any questions or require support on how to approach this, 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.

It’s really timely that we are coming up to a series of wellbeing and wellness events. Women’s Health Week is at the start of September, along with R U OK? Day and then into October for the various states and territories’ Mental Health Week or Month. We can all do with a little bit of extra wellbeing support right now! What we’re hearing is a general sense of people doing their best to get by – and that’s the best any of us can do! What we’re really encouraged by is many of us have made R U OK? an everyday thing through the pandemic.

When we talk about Women’s Health Week, we often focus on prioritising and making time to look after ourselves. In a pandemic, this can be difficult as there are often many demands on parents, employees and caregivers (and these are just some of the roles that women play). Right now, parents of Year 12 students are experiencing the stressful trial exam period in the lead up to their final exams and the end of 13 years of schooling. These are emotional milestones and are being experienced under very difficult conditions for students across Australia and New Zealand.

The pandemic has highlighted to many people the need for everyone to maintain their wellbeing and connect with others. We're turning our spotlight to building on R U OK? Day in ways that support wellbeing for all of your people. We've created tools to help keep the R U OK momentum going as well as added a postcard to the new Parents tile in the Employer Login Area. 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 ever-changing situation we face as leaders, be it lockdowns, a lack of clear timelines or increased restrictions, impacts all of us. We often talk about great leaders being forged, a process of transformation which hardens and strengthens. Is this a leadership approach that holds true anymore? What do our people and teams need? A leader who gets stronger and harder through the ongoing pressures of the pandemic? Or a leader who embraces their own humanity and acknowledges that it’s ok not to be ok and ask questions and listens to help find a way forward together? 

Throughout the pandemic, we have often found that if there is one thing we need to get right, it’s communication. Clear is kind, concise is kind. Clear, simple messages are often more appreciated as there is enough complexity and uncertainty in people’s lives. Mixed or conflicting messages can cause confusion through to distrust.

We've created Personal and Leader Tools that reinforce the importance of knowing your people and how they like to receive information and being clear and concise with messaging. The Leader Tool focuses on making sure you continue to be brave and have the important conversations that need to be had. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.  

Depending on the type of work we do, we may be spending 50-70% of our time in conversation with colleagues, customers, stakeholders and suppliers. It’s easy to forget what we know is best practice when we are stressed, anxious or tired. 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.

Around the nation we continue to experience different levels of COVID related restrictions. We acknowledge how difficult it is for many Australians facing emotional and economic hardship and particularly the uncertain situation in NSW. With so much happening all at once, it’s timely to discuss what makes our communication good, or even better, great. Making sure that our messages are clear and our communication effective has been paramount during the pandemic. 

How amazing is a brilliant conversation? You feel connected, you feel you’ve been heard, progress was made, possibly a resolution reached, or outcome achieved. You may have moved from a place of unfamiliarity to understanding. There’s a real sense that something amazing happened. You also know when a conversation hasn’t gone well. You may feel remorse, regret, lost opportunity, fear of having to return to unfinished business. So how do we ensure we have more great conversations and less of the not so great? Is there a formula? Can we learn? Thankfully the answer is a resounding yes!

We're turning our spotlight to effective communication and why it is particularly relevant as we continue to face pandemic related challenges. It is also the next topic of our Wellbeing in Focus Calendar’s Communication quarterly theme. We've created tools that look at best practice and the various communication styles that are commonly used, and how to be aware when stress and anxiety affect styles. Each tool explores the topic from an individual and leader perspective. 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.