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This November it's time to talk about Men's Health. The Movember Foundation is taking a stand to Tackle Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer, Mental Health And Suicide Prevention. To challenge the stigma of Mental Health they encourage everyone to have a conversation, just remember to use ALEC.

• ASK
• LISTEN
• ENCOURAGE ACTION
• CHECK-IN 

Click here for more information about Movember and how to get involved.

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:

Updated 6Mth Planner

The way the world looked to us when we created the 2020 Wellbeing in Focus Calendar is a different place to where we are now. In response, we created a 6Mth Planner for you and your people. The 6Mth Planner focuses on building resilience in your workforce and supporting the performance of your people. 

As we continue through 2020, check out our Wellbeing in Focus Calendar. 

The AccessEAP Wellbeing in Focus Calendar is a great way to plan monthly activity around the areas that may be of particular importance to your organisation while making sure you are aware of a wider range of topics. Our 6 Month Planner gives a great overview while the quarterly themes help you to deliver information in manageable parts, highlighting importance and focusing attention.

Our 2020 Wellbeing in Focus Calendar is available through the Employer Login Area of the AccessEAP website.

During the pandemic, we have been given insights into so many previously unseen lives. There have been stories in the media of frontline workers carrying on in the face of real adversity. We have seen leaders struggle and the mask covered faces of people trying to keep their businesses, families and way of life going in some form. We have seen a little or in some cases a whole lot more into the lives of our people. From the tech-savvy who entertain us with their everchanging exotic or fanciful backgrounds to the unashamed pyjama or tracksuit wearing team members with a pet on their lap. Whatever we see, it's what we hear that provides a fuller picture, the voices of young children or the excited bark of a dog who has decided its always time for a walk.

We all have lives outside of work, people who depend on us, whether it be partners, children, older parents or close friends and family, they demand our attention and can give us a great deal of worry as well as a great deal of joy. This week we turn our spotlight to supporting the mental health of working parents or caregivers and the children they care for.

Although there is a sense of so many people being affected by the pandemic in so many different ways, the mental health and wellbeing of children and teens is something that has been given significant media coverage. It is the subject of research projects across the globe, in Australia one such survey found that up to 10% of the children of the 700 families surveyed may need support for anxiety and depression. The other side of that is a positive story 80% of the children were found to have good mental and emotional health.¹

Supporting your people who have caregiver responsibilities is not always easy, particularly when we are managing the economic and social constraints of government restrictions put in place to protect the community.  We've created tools to provide some practical ways for you as leaders to support working parents and for parents to help their children, particularly teens as many of the nation's 17-18 year-olds face their final exams. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

As we continue to focus on Mental Health this month, I encourage you to share your experiences in supporting parents and caregivers with us. 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.

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We’re well and truly into Mental Health Awareness Month, and continuing the fantastic conversations from R U OK? Day. It’s easy to focus on one day as it focuses our attention. It can be less easy when we try and keep the conversation going over a month, as the day to day demands on our attention start to take up more of our minds.  

This week we’d like to invite all of us to take a moment to rebuild and reinvest in our mental health and wellbeing.

As our personal circumstances continue to evolve through the pandemic, we’ve become accustomed to doing things in certain ways. These coping behaviours have served us well. Will they continue to be the best way to support our mental health and wellbeing as we move into a future where movement, border and travel restrictions no longer impact us? How can we take the best of our coping behaviours to grow into our future? What are the things you would like to see your people and teams carry with them in the future?

We've created new Tips and Tools on Supporting yourself and others and Keeping Mentally Healthy. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

We need to keep the conversation about Mental Health going. We know it isn’t easy, but we are here to support you and your people. 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.

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

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1 in 5 of us experience a mental health issue every year. Mental Health Awareness Month in October is an opportunity for us to advocate for and raise awareness of mental health. With the COVID-19 pandemic still impacting the lives of our communities, it’s time to give mental health the focus and attention it deserves.

Organisations that create and harbour a culture of understanding, empathy and trust allow people to be open about the issues impacting their lives. And it is especially important for people with mental health conditions to feel safe and comfortable in discussing their experience and obtaining appropriate support. Please contact your Relationship Manager to discuss what Mental Health Awareness options we have to support you and your people.

For more information and tips on How to Improve Mental Health in the Workplace, click here.

Kicking off mental health month, we wanted to take the time for a refresher on maintaining a positive outlook – or at least a balanced outlook. There are a lot of negative stories in the media at the moment and uncertainty about what the future holds. Even when we hear good news such as the easing of restrictions in Victoria, we can't help but feel the sting of what has been lost. Can you easily name something positive that has happened in your work or life this week?

The ability to find balance in our thoughts and feelings is a skill that can be learnt and strengthened. Positive thinking can reduce stress, anxiety and feelings of depression; however, it isn't about forcing a smile no matter what. Positive thinking benefits us because it relies on maintaining both an optimistic and realistic mindset using your strengths and working through challenges with greater optimism than pessimism.

This week we turn our spotlight on maintaining a positive outlook.

We have created two new strategies and tips, and a gentle reminder to make use of the resources available in your state or territory to mark Mental Health Week or Month. How can we, as leaders, model a balanced approach to support positivity as we face constant change and challenges? Our personal and leader tools give you some tips on how to help build these skills in your team. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

Positivity can help us to move forward in many situations but not all. We are here to support you and your people no matter the nature of your concerns. 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.

It’s tough to always be your best. Now more than ever the challenge to constantly be our best as leaders, lead with kindness, empathy and respect and respond in ways that support others can tax even the most resilient of us. It’s easy when emotions are heightened to react in ways we usually wouldn’t, as we have a million different things running around our heads. It’s easy to say something that might be misinterpreted or rub someone up the wrong way. It’s equally as easy to interpret something in a way that wasn’t intended. Conflict is a normal part of life, and very often a catalyst for positive change. It is also part of being human.

This week we’re turning our spotlight onto conflict.

How can we harness conflict and foster positive outcomes? Our clinical data shows an increase in conflict – at home, at work and in the community. It’s completely understandable as many people across Australia and New Zealand have had their lives and workspaces closed, changed completely or even remain open serving the public throughout the pandemic. Some people report feeling burnt out or struggling to keep their emotional balance. Some of us desperately want our lives or daily routine back to return to normal. Conflict can often be found during times of change.

How can you harness conflict in positive ways? How we, as leaders, respond to conflict is critical to supporting your people and their responses to conflict. We've created new Tips and Tools on Navigating Conflict. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

Navigating conflict can be challenging. We are here to support you through this. 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.

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Positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings and behaviour with a focus on strengths, rather than weaknesses. Positive psychology aims to help people build on the good in their lives rather than repair the bad, and to help people thrive and flourish.

Professor Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, developed a model of psychological well-being and happiness covering 5 core dimensions. The evidenced based model he developed is known as PERMA (Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning & Achievement), and can be applied to the workplace. Recent research by Australian-based Michelle McQuaid has added a new dimension H for Health to make the PERMAH model.

Positive emotions – Positive emotions boost our job performance. Positive emotions in the workplace are also contagious. People thrive when they are happier and experience less stress and fatigue. They are better able to remain optimistic, problem solve and work together in teams. 

Engagement – Look for opportunities to utilise your strengths. Be proactive. Have a conversation to discuss how you can apply your strengths. Managers should look at creating opportunities for team members to draw on their strengths and interests.

Relationships – Fostering positive relationships in the workplace has a number of benefits. It makes people feel connected and supported. Promote opportunities that allow collaboration and interaction.

We know how easy it has become for people and teams to feel isolated, anxious, disengaged, separated, overwhelmed and drained. It can be tough to be your best in life and work in a pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, it has become easier for our thoughts to also become infected, taxing our reserves of resilience and coping. At times like these, it’s the simple things that can make the most difference. Be kind to your people leaders. They’re doing the best they can leading through unprecedented times. Be kind to your people. They’re doing the best they can to do their jobs and support your organisation. Be kind to friends, family and loved ones. Be kind to those strangers you do have a chance to interact with. Most importantly, be kind to yourselves, so that you can then be kind to others. We all feel like we’re juggling work, life and people commitments and balance these in new ways.

This week we’re turning our spotlight onto the power of kindness. Our tools are all ways to help your leaders and people to be kind, compassionate and patient with themselves and each as we all live through the pandemic. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

The continuation of R U OK? Day conversations is a simple yet powerful of showing kindness to those around you. You don’t need to do this alone. 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.

We know that one of the greatest challenges for people leaders right now is finding a pragmatic balance between meeting your people’s immediate needs and leading through the pandemic . A common human reaction during times of stress, anxiety and uncertainty is to feel isolated within ourselves. Those of us who feel more vulnerable may find themselves feeling that only those who have gone through something similar can understand. But one of the greatest strengths we as humans can share with each other is our ability to empathise and try and see things from other’s perspectives. Leaders should strive to ensure communication goes both ways by creating opportunities for teams to give feedback/share ideas. “Can we shift our perspective to find just one benefit? Together, we are here for the long haul.” The richness and diversity of our experiences, when unleashed by shifting perspectives, helped us get ‘unstuck’ and work together on finding solutions.

In dealing with our own, or our people’s responses to the pandemic one thing we’ve noticed is the sheer range of ways people have used to get through the pandemic. These coping strategies have varied greatly between people, and even within individuals as we are trying to draw on whatever might work at any given moment. What might have worked last month probably looks different this month. Even day to day, how we cope shifts.

This week we've created new Tips and Tools on Supporting your wellbeing and Exploring diversity through the pandemic. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. Following on from R U OK? Day we have also included an R U OK? Tips & Strategies resource to keep the conversation going.  

We encourage each and every one of you to take some time for your self-care. Investing in your own self-care means that you are better able to be the support someone else might need. 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.

M&C 31.8.20

• Help make a genuine difference every day
• Freedom to apply your creative spirit
• Strong team environment

To continue our growth we need someone to create and deliver best practice, holistic OD programs and solutions that promote psychological health, deliver measurable organisational outcomes and enable personal growth.

Your role will be to diagnose and translate customer OD needs, (particularly related to leadership development and change management) design and deliver appropriate initiatives at an individual, team and organisational level. Consulting with business partners you will leverage relationships, relevant data sources and emerging thinking about Organisational Development, and design appropriate solutions that drive changes to culture and practice. Partnering with internal stakeholders and external partners, you will ensure that our content is evidence-based, up to date and reflects best in class thinking.

With a strong background in OD design and delivery, and preferably degree qualified in Organisational Psychology, your key attributes will include your analytical and creative capabilities. Your flexibility and adaptability allow you to prosper and thrive in a rapidly changing and growing environment. Most importantly you will have a passion for mental health and wellbeing and enjoy working in a team 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 call David Williams on 0414551795 or to apply send your resume to dwilliams@kurtispaige.com.au

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