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The beginning of a new year is the ideal time to review our goals for the year ahead. This can seem a daunting task, however if I know what I’m setting out to achieve, I am clearer on where I want to direct my time, energy, and attention. My experience is that without some sense of direction, I can easily end up spending time and effort on things which are less important to my overall goals.
Something which I really enjoy about working with the team here, at AccessEAP, is their enthusiasm and motivation. People are frequently approaching me and our leadership team with new ideas and initiatives. I am an advocate for thought leadership and disruptive thinking, and can feel both excited and overwhelmed by the volume of ideas presented to me.
The challenge that many organisations, including ours, are faced with is where to focus attention. We are all working with finite resources including people, budgets, and time. The beginning of a new year is the ideal time to set this focus. A great reality check so we can stay on track with competing key initiatives, is to think back to our organisational mission, vision, and values.
We have to take a step back to make sure that what we’re doing and where we are heading is in keeping with our organisational values. I would encourage all leaders to think about why your organisation exists and what you want to achieve as the starting point. For me, this big picture, values-based approach provides the purpose and direction for our organisation’s day-to-day goals and activities.
In thinking about how you want to make your EAP really count in 2019, consider the areas of support and wellbeing you’d like to focus on. What is important to your team members? Different teams have different challenges and therefore need different approaches. There will always be an element of unpredictability as various issues come up throughout the year. However, I’d encourage you to think about your wellbeing program and initiatives taking a more strategic approach to getting the most out of your EAP before the year goes into full swing.
Adding some structure to the years’ events can provide some necessary grounding so that your time, energy and attention can be channelled where it needs to be throughout the year. Our intention at AccessEAP is to help you with planning employee wellbeing initiatives through our 2019 Wellbeing in Focus Calendar. This sets out different themes occurring throughout the year around mental health and wellbeing, and provides a potential structure for you to base your activities around, so you can be set up for the year ahead.
I hope that you had a happy and safe festive season, and we look forward to working with you and your organisation in 2019.
Sally Kirkright, CEO, AccessEAP
