When I think about the statistics on domestic and family violence, it’s hard to understand the numbers. It’s even harder to think about the real-life impact of what has occurred and is occurring right now. If at least 1 in 6¹ women is affected, there could be victims and perpetrators somewhere in any of our workplaces or personal lives. Could it be that they are very good at hiding what is going on? How do we make sure that as leaders we are doing all we can to ensure that those impacted by domestic violence feel psychologically safe and able to seek support? Last week our spotlight was on trust. Trust is vital in helping support our people who may be impacted by domestic and family violence. Our role is to facilitate support, we are not expected to have all the answers, and in many cases there will not be a solution.

This week we turn our spotlight on supporting people across all organisations to respond to domestic and family violence during the pandemic.

The 25th of November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with White Ribbon Day on Friday, 20th November.  At AccessEAP, we strongly support these awareness days, particularly with the severity and frequency of domestic violence reported increasing as a result of the pandemic². Often the workplace is known to provide a safe place for victims of domestic and family violence. Working from home and other restrictions has increased isolation and the natural circuit breaker that leaving the home provides for both victim and perpetrator. Organisations have a vital role to play by raising awareness of this issue, understanding when and how to offer support, and addressing attitudes in the workplace which perpetuate domestic violence. 

We recognise that this is a topic which causes unease and we appreciate you taking the time to think about this very hard topic. However, there are things you can do that will help and make it easier for victims as well as those supporting victims, we've created two new tools to assist you. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

At AccessEAP, we are sensitive and equipped to deal with the complexities of all forms of violence (domestic, family and intimate partner) that may occur. We encourage you to reach out for support, especially at this difficult time given the unique pressures created by the pandemic. We offer Psychological Counselling and 1-1 Support, as well as Domestic and Family Violence training offerings.  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.

References

1 https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/domestic-violence/overview
2 https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/sb28_prevalence_of_domestic_violence_among_women_during_covid-19_pandemic.pdf

This week we are really pleased to see restrictions eased in Victoria. We want to acknowledge the sacrifices that people have made, as it has been a very challenging time. It’s also important to call out the strengths that people have shown throughout this - resilience, endurance and trust. Victorians in workspaces across the state have had to reach out for help and trust that their colleagues including those in other states would be there for them. 

This experience in particular, and the pandemic in general, highlights the importance of trust. We have seen world leaders rated in terms of trust and the success of their efforts fighting COVID-19 directly relate to whether their people trust that they are equipped to successfully lead them. We have seen how invaluable having the trust of your people is when uncertainty and change are the only constants.

We're turning our spotlight on trust and building trusting teams.

The positive traits are great foundations to build upon. Optimism, realism, hope, self-belief and trust are traits that help us survive and then thrive. Trust is a critical leadership lifestyle and one that can not be switched off and on. As leaders, we need to consistently support an environment where our people can trust us and each other. Allowing people to be their natural best, displaying vulnerability and asking for help when they need it builds on the strength and potential of individuals and teams.

We've created new Tools focussing on ways to build trust and the importance of self-trust. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

At AccessEAP, we work hard to ensure we are trusted to provide confidential support in a safe environment where people can be their authentic self and ask for help without fear of judgement. 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 is an unfortunate part of the current economic situation that difficult decisions relating to redundancies may need to be made. Redundancies often cause anxiety and uncertainty. How your organisation handles redundancy can send a powerful message on how you value your people. At AccessEAP, we recognise the difficulties faced at this time and can support you to lead your people through change with respect and compassion.

Right now, those facing redundancy and job loss are particularly vulnerable as they may already be experiencing a household with reduced income and mental health issues related to the pandemic. Combine this with potentially restricted job opportunities, and people may need additional support to get them into a position where they feel more confident to prepare for a new job opportunity or search.

Our Career Transition and Redundancy Support services help people deal with change, position them to thrive in the future and offer practical support so that they feel more confident to enter the job market.

In the Employer Login Area of our website you will find details on our Career Transition and Redundancy services. Please feel free to contact your Realtionship Manager for more information or to discuss these services in greater detail concerning your specific needs.

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.

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

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.

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.

It’s ok not to be ok. It’s even more ok than ever to not be ok through our current pandemic. When you find yourself consistently challenged in ways you’ve never really experienced before, over an extended period of time, it’s easy to feel drained. We are in a period of time that we can say is unique for most of us as our lives change and evolve in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the moment that you find yourself reading this take a pause and acknowledge that in spite of all the challenges you have done the best you can do, and that’s more than can be expected. Remember, “It’s ok not to be ok”.
 
This week we’re turning our spotlight on how we can better support ourselves through challenging times. This includes what we as leaders need to do to support ourselves so that we can support others.
 
It’s a natural human response to say to someone who is going through tough times “I understand”. We recognise that for many of us who are either in heightened physical distancing or supporting our people in that situation, that right now we empathise with you. We may not understand, but we are genuinely cheering and supporting you through these challenges. We’re here for you and will stand beside and with you. We recognise that many people are just trying to make it through the day before doing the same the next day. We also believe it’s very important to remind you that we will get through this together.

This week we've created new Tips and Tools on Self-care and Supporting your people. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

Mental health and wellbeing is the focus for many of us, as we head into October's Mental Health Awareness Day, Week and Month, depending on your location. 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 almost becoming a ritual at AccessEAP that we celebrate another week that we have successfully gotten through together, for our people and for your people. We’ve taken up the challenge to shake things up, call out and celebrate the good things that are happening around us. We actively seek the wins, no matter how big or small, to share with each other. We know we can do with some feel-good news.

How often are you taking time out to reflect on how you are actually doing? Are you taking the time to acknowledge what’s been happening in your life and the lives of those around you? Can you remember the last time you acknowledged you’re doing your best to get on with your life through the challenges of COVID-19? We’d like to invite you to take the opportunity, right now as you read this to remind yourself:

“You did the best you could today and that is good enough”

Life is a series of moments, and sometimes we are not great at taking the time and space to seek a different perspective on what is happening in our lives. It can be challenging to find the time, space or create a moment of clarity where we can stop, pause and reflect. Let’s take the time, right now, and give ourselves permission to acknowledge what we’ve been experiencing in these challenging times and reward ourselves with some personal encouragement that we’ve done the best we can.

This week we’re turning our spotlight onto the positivity and power of finding new perspectives.

We’ve created two new tools, Managing perspectives and Regaining perspective. Both of our new tools provide your leaders and your people with some simple tools to help find balance in our work and lives. It’s the power of perception, and we can make a conscious choice to adopt fresh perspectives to help us get through this, admittedly longer than expected moment, together. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

In the lead up towards R U OK? Day next month, remember that it’s not about one day of the year. We invite you to make it a part of your everyday organisational language. It is a profoundly human question to ask, and helps us as humans come together.

As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. 

Let's celebrate another week of getting through the pandemic together. It's been tough for many of us, let's take a moment to recognise how far we've come and perhaps more importantly, how we've come together.

We wanted to congratulate our friends, colleagues and loved ones in physical distancing in Victoria for getting over the hump – you're halfway there! We're cheering and willing you across the finish line. Likewise, for those of you in Auckland, we're in this together. Last week Kate McPhee, one of our experienced Psychologists from Melbourne, spoke about evicting COVID-19 from our minds, where it's taken up a permanent residence for many of us. We think enough is enough and we want to call out that regardless of COVID-19 there are still good things happening around us. It's easy to lose sight of this and keep a balanced perspective. This week we want to ask all of you to join with us in openly talking about hope, optimism and our resilience that is helping us get through this together.

This week we're turning a spotlight on the power of positivity.

As leaders, one of the core things that we can do for people is to create a sense of safety for our people and teams. How we create this feeling of safety in our workspaces has a profound impact on how our people shift their thinking and engage with their work as well as their personal lives. Now more than ever, our people need us to create, foster and nurture psychological safety in the workspace.

We’ve created two new tools, Authenticity as a leader and Fostering Hope through COVID-19. Your Leader Tool asks us how we can be a beacon for navigating uncertainty, negativity and anxiety by talking openly about optimism, hope and positivity. Your Personal Tool asks us to reflect on what we've been through and foster hope for ourselves and others. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website.

Let's create balance in the story our people, teams and organisations are living through. For many of us, we're not great at recognising or celebrating those small moments in life that contribute to our sense of wellbeing. So we're taking up a challenge for ourselves, and invite you to join with us. Find those small moments of joy, ways that build a sense of connection with others and those rituals that help bring a smile to someone else. Call it out and openly praise it – together we can help our people move through the pandemic and create with our people, a workspace culture we are proud to be a part of.

As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. 

It feels like the second wave is already upon us with everything that's happening across the region – and this week we want to acknowledge the challenges now facing our friends, colleagues and family in New Zealand. While some of us may feel like we can successfully surf the second wave, how many people are really talking about being on the second wave right now? How many of our people are just trying to get through renewed physical distancing restrictions? How many are barely keeping their head above water?

We know that people cope in various ways. Some of these coping mechanisms may look and feel very different to how we would cope. Alcohol, gambling, or even just withdrawing from connecting with other people outside of their home, are all behaviours that are both natural and normal reactions. However, these aren't necessarily healthy over a long period of time. As leaders, how should you respond to your people who are coping in different ways? How can you help your people grow through COVID-19 so they can be their best in life and work?

This week we're turning our spotlight onto support for our people to engage in positive coping behaviours.

We're asking everyone to challenge themselves to call out and name what they're feeling. Being able to name something gives us the ability to do something about what we've identified. It helps our minds being able to see things clearly, and more importantly, think about what we can do about it. Our data shows an increased predominance of feelings of tiredness, exhaustion, feeling drained or deflated and also a 'bit over it all'. We've recognised that over the past couple of weeks its been tough to be our best in life and work, as people we know, work with and care for are impacted across Australia and this week even in New Zealand.

As a result, we've decided that enough is enough and we're calling out the continual domination of COVID-19 in our thoughts, conversations and media. We feel it's time to recognise that there are different ways for people to cope, and our focus is on helping our people adopt positive, healthy, long term behaviours. Let's celebrate the fact that we are in this together, and come together to have the conversations that let us know what someone else wants from us that will help support them towards being their best through the pandemic.

We’ve created two new tools, Identifying coping behaviours and Evicting the virus from your headspace. Your Leader Tool this week calls out coping behaviours, so your leaders understand how their people are coping and ways to help them support their people. Kate McPhee, one of our experienced Psychologists from Melbourne who is living in the heart of the renewed physical distancing, has created our Personal Tool, which calls out that COVID-19 has set up camp in our minds and it's time to clean it out. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

We've seen an increase requests for support over the past five weeks, and we expect this trend to continue as this time round people know what to expect and are seeking support sooner rather than later. We'd encourage all of you to continue to find ways to be your best, and be the support and leader your people want you to be.

We are here to support you through this. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. 

Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels

This past week has reminded us of the truth that change is the only constant. Our thoughts go out to everyone in Victoria as they’ve started another round of physical distancing. We hope that you feel Australia’s support as we get through COVID-19 together. One of the traits often attributed to the Australian personality and character is that we come together through hard times to support one another. Remember to reach out and connect with those of your colleagues, family or friends in Victoria, build connections and relationships as it will help them through the next six weeks.

We’ve noticed some interesting trends in our conversations over the past week and wanted to call it out. A word that has seen an increased frequency in use is ‘deflated’. We’ve noticed that many people experience feeling deflated and described themselves as feeling flat. There is certainly a sense that the recent increase in community transmission has many of us looking at Victoria and asking if, or even when, this could happen to us. How can we provide the necessary support to our people or our peers when we ourselves feel challenged? How can we build our resilience skills to help pick ourselves up or recharge our psychological batteries?

This week we’re turning our spotlight on the importance of naming and normalising the range of emotions and responses.

Supporting your people inevitably requires your leaders to ensure they continue to engage in the right sorts of conversations that will keep your people engaged and feeling supported. What are some tips and strategies you can equip your leaders and your people with? How does your organisation harness the power of positive communication to lead your people through these challenging times? How can your leaders keep things on an even keel as we continue to be challenged to adapt by COVID-19?

Within AccessEAP, we continue to emphasise the importance of investing in self-care. One of the things we always try to do is ensure that we care for our people so they can care for yours. What does this look like? Each morning in our daily Executive Leadership Team huddle, we make it a core agenda item to check in with each other. “How are you doing?” is one of the most asked questions at AccessEAP. Our people leaders make it a daily priority to check in with various members of the team. We’re seeing the benefits of this approach as our people check in on each other. It’s become more than a core part of our culture, it’s just what we do on a regular basis – and we see the benefits in our internal employee Pulse Surveys.

We’ve created two new tools, Strategies for checking in with your people and Acknowledging and neutralising negative thoughts. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

We are here to support you through this. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728. 

Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels

For many months we have been exceptionally conscious of our physical health. In response to COVID-19, we have modified and learnt new behaviours which have helped keep many of us safe from becoming infected, or indeed infecting others. Some of these behaviours have been to adopt physical distancing, frequent proper hand washing, use of hand sanitiser or in the case of Victoria compulsory wearing of masks. Our focus on physical wellbeing makes sense during a pandemic. These good physical hygiene habits have helped Australians avoid the scale of infections in other countries such as America. 

What are the good mental, emotional and psychological habits which we have developed alongside these new physical hygiene habits? For many leaders, we have been focused on leading through crisis and evolving our workspaces to meet the requirements of the new normal such as COVID-Safe Workplaces. As you know, we all have signs posted all around our physical workspaces reminding everyone of the importance of physical hygiene requirements. Does your workspace have signs posted everywhere with psychological, mental and emotional good habits? 

This week we’re turning our spotlight onto the critical need to promote positive psychological and emotional habits as much as we’re promoting physical habits.    

How can we equip our managers and leaders with the tools that will help them equip their people with the necessary coping skills? What are the psychological and emotional habit equivalents of handwashing and physical distancing? How can we help our managers and leaders help their people move from surviving the pandemic to thriving beyond the inevitable recovery? 

We’ve created two new tools, to provide some strategies and tips for creating, promoting and sustaining positive psychological habits. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools including this week's tools, Building positive mental and emotional skills in your people, in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

It’s also important to recognise and call out that pointing fingers and blaming others can often be a way for us to try and feel in control or to make ourselves feel better. The underlying factors shaping our behaviours during a time of crisis are often fear and anxiety. It’s important as leaders to ensure we model the kinds of behaviours we would like to see in our people and teams, as this will help support and grow your organisational culture through these challenging times.  

As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

As we continue to see the impact of rising cases in Victoria and with news of increased cases in Aged Care facilities, it is understandable that many of us may be feeling a range of heightened emotions. Concern for the residents, their families, and communities, as well as concern for the employees and managers at the front line, will challenge us all.

The media attention and increased scrutiny of the rise in cases has put additional pressure and stress on those in the aged care sector.  While it is important to address systematic issues, it is unhelpful to blame or point fingers. We all need to focus on addressing the situation and support those who have been impacted. This is time to focus on our learnings, not to start pointing fingers. Caring for some of the most vulnerable people in society during a pandemic and dealing with emotional issues such as deterioration in a resident’s health can be extremely challenging. Your people may feel themselves trapped, as they try and find ways to look after themselves and their loved ones against the needs of residents and their families.

In order to support staff so they can continue to do their job, we need to remind employees and managers that there is help available.  We know that at this stage getting through each day seems like all that we can manage, but it is important for staff to know support is at their fingertips. While we may not be able to control what is happening around us. We can help ourselves and each other by reaching out for support.  Counselling can be organised conveniently over the phone so it may be possible to get the support needed right now.

During this outbreak your managers and employees may be impacted in various ways and managers may require additional support, in their roles of leading or managing employees. We know that a key protective factor in organisations to reduce psychological risk is supportive management. A manager’s wellbeing is key so that they can support others. AccessEAP has a range of services to assist staff in managing stress, building resilience and keeping mentally fit through this challenging time. For more information about the support we can provide, please speak to your Relationship Manager who can connect you with our Clinical and Organisational Development teams.

Government support

Managing through uncertainty and crisis requires leaders to invest their time and energy in building and maintaining our people’s and our team’s resilience. We’re faced with new twists and challenges to leading in the new normal. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to demand flexibility and adaptability by all of us. How can we help equip our people with new ways of thinking and responding in their work lives?

We think it’s important to call it out – we need to develop our ability to engage with constant change and uncertainty and turn this into a strength. Adaptability is one of the elements which underpin resilience. Helping our people learn how to cope with challenges is important. Once this platform is solid, we can help turn these coping mechanisms into coping skills, and help our people use their strengths. One of the things leaders are expected to provide in today’s working environment is creating a psychologically safe environment. What does psychological safety in the workspace, given new blended work models, look like? How can we ensure that we are helping to provide feelings of safety and stability to our people?

This week we’re turning our spotlight on helping our leaders and our people lean into their strengths. In times of crisis, we can help ourselves and those around to ‘lift our eyes to the horizon’. Normal human reactions in any crisis is to focus the attention to what’s immediately in front of us and respond to perceived threats. While this is an incredibly useful evolutionary response, we can build additional ways for our people to adopt different perspectives and behaviours by identifying their strengths and know how to lean into these.

This week we have leaned into the strengths of our wellbeing skills, to bring to the forefront our blend of clinical and positive psychology tools to assist your leaders and your people. Find our wide range of Leader Tools and Personal Tools including this week's Harnessing Strengths tools in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work. Contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728.

There’s an almost palpable sense of rising negative feelings about the resurgence of COVID-19 again this week. Our collective optimism that we crushed the first wave has been eroded as talk increasingly turns to the likelihood of an impending second wave and whether this is already upon us. We’re being challenged by events – how can we maintain our positive outlook on life? How are those of us who need to work really hard at being resilient coping with these constant challenges? Our data suggests that the personal impacts of living through the pandemic is increasingly challenging individual’s capacity to cope. How can we support our people to be their best in life and work?

Our resilience as Australians has been tested for over six months. Leaders need to maintain, build or reinvest in our own resilience. This can help us build the resilience of our people and teams. Some of the traits that comprise resilience are things that we can help our people learn and live in their day to day lives. As leaders, emotional intelligence and agility are two areas we have leaned into heavily through the pandemic. For our people, coping may require different sets of skills or traits.

As leaders, how can we better equip our people with the necessary skills and traits that help them cope better? How can we help them find perspective and keep as even a keel as is possible?

This week we’re turning our spotlight on resilience and particularly helping our people find ways to feel in control of their lives. COVID-19 is something that has happened to all of us. As Australians, we’ve chosen to come together to collectively try and flatten the curve. We’ve also chosen to, as much as possible, follow advice and implement new ways of living such as physical distancing. We’re making a choice to come together and do what’s necessary to try and prevent a broader second wave. Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves and each other that we’ve all been a part in making these choices.

Find our wide range of Leader Tools and our new Personal Tool - Finding and maintaining your sense of personal control in the Employer and Employee Login Areas of our website. 

Building resilience during these times can be challenging but it is something we can work on together. As always, as your EAP we are here to support your people whatever the nature of their concerns, please contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728.

We wanted to start the conversation this week by addressing the question that is probably sitting somewhere in the minds of a lot of people – is this the start of the dreaded 'Second Wave'? Just as we were enjoying the reprieve offered from the restrictions of physical distancing, the Victorian government's response has been the reintroduction of Stage 3 restrictions for Melbourne. I'm sure our thoughts are with those who have been impacted directly or had friends and loved ones affected.

Last week we talked about the importance of language, and I must admit it is disheartening to be bombarded by media messages about the 'Ring of Steel' surrounding Melbourne. Already government messages are preparing other states such as NSW for the inevitability of heightened restrictions. It's hard in times like these to avoid feeling that we're under siege, and a constant defensive mentality is not a great way to achieve mental health and wellbeing.

This week we're putting the spotlight on supporting one another and the importance of getting the language right. As a result, we've also adopted a different approach to your support tools this week. We wanted to take the opportunity to have one of our senior clinical team members, Kate McPhee (Psychologist & Clinical Associate Coordinator) from our Melbourne office create the Personal Tool. We wanted to acknowledge the experience of those in Victoria and use their lived experience to help us better understand how to support others. Kate described some of the impacts of well-intentioned messages from friends and loved ones over the past few days as:

“We’ve had well-meaning interstate friends, family and colleagues say ‘you poor people in Melbourne having to increase physical distancing restrictions AGAIN’. Try to imagine how this makes us feel? For those of us in Melbourne remember they are intending to be supportive and its hard for them to understand, don’t take it personally and reach out to your family and friends in Victoria who do understand. In Melbourne there is a sense we understand why it has to happen, we’ve done it before and we are just trying to get on with doing our part.”

Access via our Employer Login Area - COVID-19 Supporting your people:

• Personal Tool - Coping with new physical restrictions and uncertainty

We are here to support you through these changes. Wherever you are located, we're in this together. As always, as your EAP we are here to support your people whatever the nature of their concerns, please contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728.