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.

Read More

Published in The Daily Telegraph 9th March 2022

Marcela Slepica, AccessEAP Director, Clinical Services

____

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.

Published in Echo Chamber Escape 23rd June 2021

Marcela Slepica, AccessEAP Director, Clinical Services explains, identifying your own unconscious biases is the first step to creating better inclusivity.

While we may think we are making decisions based on logic, as humans, we all make assumptions about other people. In fact, it only takes a tenth of a second for us to begin to form an opinion about someone we’ve only just met. 

Read More

At AccessEAP we are committed to developing cultural competency across our business. For us, that means providing the best possible experience for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers. By increasing our cultural awareness and knowledge of historical events impacting the nature of trauma experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees today, we offer the opportunity to develop more culturally appropriate EAP holistic support services. In order for us to authenticate our commitment, AccessEAP is investing in the ongoing development of cultural sensitivity within our workforce by offering online Cultural Competency Training for all employees and through consulting with people such as Justin to increase our knowledge and understanding.

Justin Rhys Grant is a Walrpiri/Jawoyn man, a highly acclaimed and awarded actor, writer, producer and film director. Justin was born in Katherine, in the Northern Territory, and grew up listening to his Elders sharing their Dream Time stories from a young age. They always taught that a story is gifted to you and you must honour it’s life and respect it as a gift to you in your life journey.
Through his own company, Witchenini Entertainment, Justin brings his role as a story teller to life in film and television. Witchenini Entertainment offers proper Indigenous protocol training for all staff in order to gather and collect traditional stories in the right way, following the laws of communities and community engagement. “We hold high the Cultural Protocols and respect for each and every Indigenous People treating them as individuals”, Justin confirms.

Justin is working with AccessEAP on a number of projects and offered to create this short video to put into practice the ideas behind this year’s NAIDOC Week theme: Healing Country! It is a very personal sharing of his grandfather’s storytelling regarding ‘respect for differences of each culture’. His message is to find ways to work “on” Country for healing together. Justin’s manner is quiet and peaceful as he shares his personal experience and encourages us all to see how we can connect.

Please take some quiet time to watch this video and feel free to connect with Esmé Holmes our Senior Clinician/Cultural Inclusion & Diversity Consultant. You may also like to learn more about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Dedicated Support Line.

As you are probably aware, NSW Health has issued a stay-at-home order for 4 Local Government Areas, including the City of Sydney. As a result of this notice, we have already implemented our business continuity plan to ensure we continue to provide support for our customers and their people.

We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the impact that organisations and people may be experiencing after today’s update from the NSW Premier. We appreciate that for many people this may be a time of heightened emotions, particularly as school holidays 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.

Face to face appointments in our Bondi or Sydney office will be rescheduled and alternative arrangements will be provided for other face to face services, such as learning and development sessions. Critical incidents and onsite support will be assessed based on an individual basis to determine the best mode of support. 

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.

Published in Human Resources Director 24th June 2021

Speaking to HRD, Marcela Slepica, Clinical Services Director at AccessEAP, said despite positive progress, it’s clear that societal barriers to accessing support still exist and they’re particularly strong for men. The classic Aussie idiom of men ‘doing it tough’ only perpetuates the idea that asking for help is a sign of weakness – when in fact, it is often the bravest step a person can take.

Read More