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.
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.
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:
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.
Published in Newcastle Herald 26th May 2021
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across the globe were forced to change the way they operated. As the world navigated the challenges of restrictions and lockdown, new methods of coping emerged. It forced business leaders to increase their focus and attention on the physical safety and mental health of their employees.
Assisting in creating a workplace that is full of individuals who aren't just surviving but are thriving could be the biggest lesson of the past 18 months for business leaders.
Sally Kirkright, AccessEAP CEO
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.
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.
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.
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.
Australia is a country of extremes which can challenge us and impact our lives in profound ways. Twelve months ago, we were coming out of one of the worst bushfire seasons in many years, followed by floods and hail storms and then a global pandemic. Right now, parts of NSW and some parts of QLD are experiencing a 1-in-100-year weather event which is causing floods, losses and damage across the State. Natural disasters like the current storms and floods disrupt lives physically and psychologically, creating intense emotional distress for individuals, families and whole communities.
It is important through times such as these to identify those of your people who may have been directly impacted by the storms and floods and provide assistance where possible. Storm and flooding events such as these can be challenging, as the combined uncertainty about the immediate situation as well as fear and concern for what may lie ahead over coming days and weeks as storm waters continue to rise can exacerbate our thoughts and feelings.
As a leader, your organisation plays a vital and valuable role in assisting and supporting your people and their families in the immediate aftermath and moving forward. We encourage you to help your people feel they can focus on their immediate priorities, which is the physical safety of family, friends, loved ones and their homes and possessions. As a leader, take the time to check in with your people, and where appropriate, remind them that their EAP is available and able to help support them through these challenging times. Many people will want to be seen as “coping” so asking how they are going is really important. Being prepared to provide initial and long term support for people will enhance and promote their own personal coping strategies and resilience.
To support those that may have been affected by the event, we have included documents for individual strategies (download pdf here) and tips as well as information for managers and leaders (download pdf here). These tools are also available through the AccessMyEAP App.
If you have any questions or would like to better understand what you can do that will meaningfully support your team, the experienced clinicians on our Manager Support Hotline are able to help you help your people. As manager, your individual needs matter just as much. Reach out for support when and if you need it. We are here to help. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728.
It’s been another difficult week for many people around Australia who have suffered physical losses and hardship, which will continue into the next week. A tough 12 months just got tougher for many people now affected by floods and storm damage. It is normal to feel sorry for ourselves and then do a quick check and rank our suffering. We’ve had some of our own people be directly impacted, or had their friends, family and loved ones be impacted.
No matter the scale of the impact to our lives, from wellbeing, physical loss through to hurt we still need to process our feelings, get some support (and maybe some empathy), put it in perspective and keep going. This can be easier said than done, but that is exactly where AccessEAP can help. We're turning our spotlight on the AccessMyEAP App and how it can help you and your people to recognise the importance of looking after your wellbeing and building it into your everyday.
We've created tools that highlight how taking steps to look after your wellbeing can be empowering, as well as suggesting ways to help your people proactively use the resources available to them as part of your EAP. 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.
How many of us can truthfully say that we regularly feel fully rested and refreshed after the year we’ve had? Many people often underestimate the importance of sleep to our overall mental health and wellbeing. In the ‘busy-ness’ of our lives, in the general day to day, it is a common habit to prioritise and value an action bias. We value ‘go-getters’, envy those hyper-achievers who can operate on less than 5 hours of sleep every night and daydream of how much more we could fit into our days.
A month ago, we highlighted the large increase in Google searches for insomnia last year. With World Sleep Day last week, it may be just the opportunity to help your people who are struggling to get a good night’s sleep. A restful sleep balances our body and brain. It restores hormonal and chemical balance, and processes the events and experiences we have been through. As leaders, we can promote positive lifestyles and behaviours to our people through some simple messages and show that balancing and integrating work and life is important so we can be our best.
To stay strong and healthy for the next twelve months is probably going to take more self-management than it has in the past – simply because we are facing uncertainty. Self-care has a big part to play, so we will keep reinforcing its importance and offering practical applications. Looking at our sleeping habits is a vital component of a good self-care practice. We've created tools to highlight how to set yourself up for success by implementing good sleep practices, as well as outlining ways to recognise fatigue and start the conversation around the mental health impacts of a lack of sleep. 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.
Over the past few weeks, the media has been increasingly filled with challenging stories about allegations and reports of workplace misconduct. The overarching themes are around abuse of power, disrespect, inequity and fear. The recognition of Grace Tame as Australian of the Year 2021 may have encouraged many other women to draw courage and to come forward and tell their stories. These testimonies are coming out in different types of organisations and industries and are challenging leaders to look at their own organisational culture and behaviours within. As leaders, we often look closely at team dynamics to help find ways to support individuals and teams to be their best. It's timely we're talking about the next Quarter of our Wellbeing Calendar, which emphasises positive behaviours in the workplace to identify issues early, raise awareness, build engagement, and embed behavioural change.
This week we turn our spotlight to launching the next quarter of the AccessEAP 2021 Wellbeing In Focus Calendar. We have also created an extra Leader Tool - Championing Dignity and Respect, to support your leaders. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.
The Wellbeing Calendar and associated tools have been created to help you. Your Wellbeing in Focus Calendar Toolkit includes a Q2 Leader Tool and How-to Guide as well as the Q2 Wellbeing Tools/Tip Sheets. They are available in the Employer Login Area as well as through monthly updates on the Employee Login Area and AccessMyEAP App.
We need to keep the conversation about mental health and wellbeing going. We know it isn't easy, but we are here to support you and your people. 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.
We're excited to talk about diversity and inclusion this month. With awareness days in general and Harmony Week in particular, it's easy to fall into a tick box routine, invitation to morning tea sent, social media post drafted and approved, and in our busyness to get on with the day to day, we can miss the opportunity for real reflection or discussion. The pandemic has leaders more than ever explaining the "why" behind what we do.
We're turning our spotlight on diversity and inclusion and the strategies we need to foster and develop to achieve real progress personally and in our organisations.
We don't have to look far to see the value in committing to diversity and inclusion in our teams. The benefits are evident when we get it right, but the wins don't always come easy in this area. What does Harmony Week mean for us 12 months on? As leaders, what more do we need to be mindful of when our experiences of workspaces and ways of working are so very different? How can we rise to the challenge of the shifts required to ensure that all of our people's needs are met?
Our leader tool we've created provides practical ways to ensure diversity and inclusion are part of how you and your teams work, while our personal tool provides day-to-day ways to support diversity and inclusion. 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.
One of the elements that underpin personal and organisational resilience is planning. Planning done right means that we have taken the opportunity to think clearly about the environment our organisation currently operates in and where we are heading into the future. When we take stock of our organisational strengths, culture, people and teams, we can identify those areas where there are gaps to grow into.
We've turned our spotlight to managing through change. How can we as leaders, identify the areas within our control that we can positively support growth and balance the needs of individuals, teams and our organisation?
Our new tools highlight the importance of a “life audit” and offers some practical tips to identify whether we are working towards those goals that are important. They also explore strategies to help your people achieve their goals while recognising the ever-present need to keep pace with change. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.
Being proactive when planning and preparing our people for change can quickly move the dial into positive territory. More and more, we are talking about the importance of a growth mindset, both personally and professionally. Our Organisational Development Team are experts in this area and are here for you. If you have any questions or require support, 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.
Last year leadership styles were put under the microscope as world leaders battled the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Leadership styles and the differing focus on priorities were on display, as leaders sought to balance competing needs. There was a leader who captured the world's attention demonstrating empathy, kindness and "love on full display"1. How leaders responded to the threat has shaped the outcomes. Once again, leaders and their people in Victoria have had a difficult week. We've heard how the snap lockdown affected leaders and their people, personally as well as professionally. What can we learn from how they have faced the challenge using their strength and resilience?
For us at AccessEAP and from what we have seen in our data, a leadership style that prioritises people's wellbeing, supports their performance and helps people and organisations thrive has been instrumental in helping people, teams and organisations rise to the challenge of constant change.
We've created new tools which highlight key leadership traits that have helped us throughout the pandemic and beyond as well as address what our people should expect from us as leaders. There is a dual responsibility to recognise and nurture to get the most from these relationships. 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.
[1] https://info.accesseap.com.au/e/872921/ics-jacinda-ardern-leadership-/4y6gv/165849879?h=3nKlTTbLC431Z9zOpMcMxV7bCY7TAwxY-SfFmXy777o
Published in Education Today 15th February 2021
As most educators are aware, mental health conditions can have long term, direct and indirect effects on a child’s development including impacts on social skills, the ability to absorb information and their enthusiasm for learning. This makes it vitally important that parents know all of their options for assistance.
So, what help is there for teachers who are experiencing childhood mental health issues in the home and what can they do? Most organisations will have an Employee Assistance Program in place and teachers can confidentially access this support for themselves and family members.
Marcela Slepica AccessEAP Director, Clinical Services.
Communication has been a major theme over the past year and indeed every year for us at AccessEAP. Our Wellbeing in Focus Calendar dedicates a month and often a quarter to the theme each year. Anything on courageous, difficult or constructive conversations is very well received, and the feedback we get from our customers is that you are looking for more. A major part of communication is listening. We spend a lot of time talking about listening, and how important it is to demonstrate active listening, how important it is to “be heard”. Listening is a crucial part of what happens when you ask “R U OK?” or invest in diversity in your teams. Being present, having empathy and risking missing out by putting down your phone and giving someone your undivided attention, is easier said than done. Yet it is fundamental in gaining understanding, having meaningful conversations and establishing or nurturing connection. It is a skill that few truly do well, but when we find a good listener, they are often a very valuable person in our lives.
If we are good listeners, how do we do it? If we are poor listeners, how do we improve? If we are somewhere in between, can we do better?
Listening is so much more than just hearing, or waiting your turn to speak (without interrupting), it is an active skill and as a leader, you become highly attuned to your people and where they are at. Practice active listening by paying attention, asking questions and taking in behaviours as well as what is being said out loud.
Our Leader Tool focuses on ways to improve your listening skills and why its such an essential part of being a good leader. Our Personal Tool covers good listening skills and how listening skills can help parents. 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. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.
AccessEAP acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Peoples of the lands we live and work on throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community as we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who connect with this website.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are advised that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have since passed away.
AccessEAP acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Peoples of the lands we live and work on throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community as we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who connect with this website.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are advised that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have since passed away.
