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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. 

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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.

• Help build organisational capability
• Strong team environment
• Sydney or Melbourne Based

AccessEAP partners with businesses to promote positive organisational behaviour, enhance employee well-being and improve workplace productivity. As an Australian owned, not for profit Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider their outstanding success is based on understanding the unique needs of customers and tailoring services to support and prevent mental health issues in the workplace. Due to continued growth and an expanding service offering they need a passionate and consultative practitioner to support the Technology team during a period of significant technology change and transformation.

Your role will be to provide end-user support of the AccessEAP IT environment, ensuring technology resources are available, support requests are handled to and responded to within SLA’s. This is a key business technology support role, with responsibility for day-to-day IT support, internal Helpdesk functions, assigned technology projects & assisting others where needed.

Your track record of success will reflect your experience deploying, maintaining & supporting ICT infrastructure in small to mid-sized organisations. You will possess excellent technical knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Office365, Microsoft Windows 10, Active Directory, SaaS application state (hybrid cloud environment) WAN technologies & the deployment of routers & firewalls.

Previous experience in managing/supporting telephony infrastructure both direct & by a 3rd party and  setting up an IT ticketing system from scratch will be highly regarded

Most importantly you will enjoy working in a team environment that is driven by respect, collaboration and accomplishment and where expressing your ideas and opinions is truly valued. AccessEAP take the health of employees seriously and you will be working in an environment that genuinely cares about the wellbeing of all employees

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.

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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.

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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.