It's Men's Health Week from the 10th-16th of June. The focus is on Keeping Boys and Men Healthy, 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.

Check out our Top 10 Tips on Self-Motivation.

Download our Self Motivation Postcard here.

Friday, June 21st is this year's Bring Your Dog to Work Day. If you are lucky enough to have a well-behaved pup that can come in, and approval from your employer, please let us know how it goes and the effect it has on your workplace. We would love to share your story! Simply email newsletter@accesseap.com.au with the details.

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.

Here at AccessEAP we want our teams to live our values. Collaborating to accomplish set goals with respect, integrity and curiosity, but do we want our teams to be high performing teams or do we want “dream teams”?

The creation of effective or “dream teams” has never been more important than it is in today’s digitally evolving workplace. In fact, a recent McKinsey article, mentions that “the topic’s importance is not about to diminish as digital technology reshapes the notion of the workplace and how work gets done. On the contrary, the leadership role becomes increasingly demanding as more work is conducted remotely, traditional company boundaries become more porous, freelancers more commonplace and partnerships more necessary”. [i]

In the workplace context "dream teams" are high performing with a focus on the value and satisfaction that each member receives from the team to avoid burnout and promote a sustainable team. Creating and leading these teams can be complex, regardless of the size of the team or the organisation. Today’s workplace blends not only people from many varying backgrounds, beliefs and value systems; but leaders must contend with the inevitable variations in people’s personalities and preferred ways of working with others. As any leader or manager will tell you, this is no easy feat!

One useful approach is to understand that there are various role “types” which people can play in a team. The role “type” that people play will depend on their own unique background, skill set and personality. It is important that a team have a complementary mix of “types” because they each bring something unique to the team and have both strengths and weaknesses.

Beyond understanding individual roles and dynamics, it helps to understand some of the overarching dynamics of what happens when ANY group of people come together to form a team and this is where Bruce Tuckman’s stages of team development comes into play. Although it is another management model that has been around a long time, it is still highly relevant for team to learn about the different stages of forming, storming, norming, performing and transforming. Transforming has been added to the model over time showing that some teams come together for a purpose or a time and then disband and reform but also point to the fact that every time a new member joins a team, the dynamics in the team can change and the process can potentially begin all over again.

Knowing your character strengths isn’t just interesting information. When skillfully applied, they can actually have a significant positive impact on your life. Take a free strengths test here.

The concepts of positive psychology can have many benefits in the workplace. This powerful tool is used to focus on employees’ personal strengths skills, and capabilities, as a foundation for developing their performance. Check out our Case Study where Eleni van Delft (Director of Relationship Development at AccessEAP) explains how using Positive Psychology during a period of rapid business growth, allowed her team to play to their strengths!

Here are a few tips to promote self-acceptance, resilience, and psychological flexibility:

1. Stop the comparisons!

When we take the time to stop and appreciate the people around us, and all the things we have already achieved, we open ourselves up to experiencing something wonderful. All too often, this wonder can be rapidly eroded when we compare ourselves to others who appear to be richer, stronger, faster, and more beautiful (and the list goes on and on and on). So stop comparing! There will always be people who appear to have more “things” than we do. Constantly trying to catch up to them prevents us from living our own life to its fullest.

2. Commit to seeing life in a positive way.

Focusing on developing an optimistic outlook not only helps to elevate mood by changing the way we feel – for the better - but when practiced often, cultivating an optimistic outlook protects against problems such as depression, anxiety and stress. Thinking optimistically is a skill that can be learned, and this type of thinking helps to improve our experience of happiness.

3. Move that body.

The link between our mind and body is clear. When we exercise regularly the benefits become obvious, though please remember, training like an elite athlete is not required! To get the benefit that exercise brings we need to find what suits our lifestyle and daily routine. Walking, swimming and yoga are great when it comes to relieving stress. 

4. Laugh in the face of stress.

Stress is inevitable in today’s world and happiness does not mean we eliminate stress in our lives – in fact, some stress is actually beneficial. Firstly, we need to take an inventory and identify the things that make us stress out. Then, we need to make plans which allow us to neutralise the impact of this stress. Some ideas to manage stress include:

1. 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.

3. Trust

On May 17, 1990, the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization approved the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD 10), which no longer listed homosexuality as a diagnosis. International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) Launched in 2004 to celebrate LGBTIQ people globally.
Today, May 17th is used to champion inclusion, and build a better world for the LGBTIQ community.

Find out how you can get involved on the IDAHOBIT Website.

With the Easter Long Weekend (Friday 19th until Monday 22nd) coming up, followed by Anzac Day on Thursday the 25th, there are a lot of April Public Holidays.

Please be assured our counselling and onsite services are available 24/7, 365 days a year however our other business functions observe the Australian National public holidays.

Resilience refers to the process of adapting while facing adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or other sources of stress. Resilience is not a trait people are born with, rather it involves behaviours, thoughts and actions which can be learned and enhanced.

10 Tips for Resilience:

1. Make and maintain connections

2. Remember that some things are beyond your control

3. Accept change is a part of life

We understand that work and family challenges impact each other. Here are some resources to help navigate the ever changing landscapes of parenthood.

iParent- Where you can learn about the digital environment and how to help your child have safe and enjoyable online experiences.

Reachout- Helping parents support their teenagers through everyday issues and tough times.

AccessEAP offers a Supporting Working Parents Workshop specifically designed to assist participants to address the challenges and benefits of being a working parent, understand the impact of high stress levels on parenting and to identify practical strategies and skills to manage these competing roles. The workshop can be organised by contacting your Relationship Manager and is ideal for up to 15 participants.

Work place stress can present in physical symptoms and manifest as fatigue, headaches, indigestion, insomnia and anxiety. Managing stress can be a key factor in feeling more productive and enjoying your work. A helpful technique that can easily be used is defusing thoughts that can lead to exasperating stress.

Research has shown that quietening the mind requires repetition and practice of various techniques to change thinking patterns. Negative or obsessive thoughts can increase stress and be unhelpful or destructive to an individual’s well-being. The exercises can use methods of visualisation, and thought awareness to assist being present. This can help to recharge energy, taking time out or simply to feel refreshed. Taking a few big deep breaths can be useful to relax the mind. Here are some simple exercises that can be incorporated into everyday life for a number of minutes from 3 to 30 minutes depending on the time possible.

• Thought patterns

Practice changing negative thinking into positive by saying to yourself “in this moment if everything was going to feel perfect exactly the way it is, how would that feel, how would I see things at the moment and what would I be telling myself ?” “what would happen if I imagined that exactly what is happening at the moment is something that I planned” ie. Instead of saying to yourself “I don’t want this to happen, why is this happening”, etc imagine you are in control and it is actually your choice the way things are happening.

Stress can be exaggerated when we think about things that will probably never happen. Ask yourself “how in this moment can I focus on what is happening in the here & now, because it is unlikely that any of the thoughts I am having will ever happen. Perhaps I can trust myself that I can deal with whatever it is when the time is needed”.

• Taste exercise

Sit at a desk with a cup of tea, coffee or juice initially smelling the aroma or scent as you take big breaths and then look at the colour of the beverage. Take a sip as if it is the first time in your life that you are tasting the beverage. Allow your thoughts to concentrate on the experience making it as pleasurable as possible. This exercise can easily be used in the same capacity when you eat.

We've put together a list of some ways to save time in our everyday lives. Not all will suit everyone but you may find one or two that can make a difference!

1. Don’t procrastinate when it comes to tasks that can be done in under 5 minutes, just get up and do it.

2. Make important decisions early in the day when you are fresh rather than trying to do this at the end of the day.

3. Play an up tempo playlist to get you moving and up the pace. It can reduce boredom and add some fun.

4. Keep distractions at bay – if you need to focus on a task turn off your sound notifications and put your phone out of sight.

This month’s newsletter theme focuses on stress and how to manage it. However, in light of recent tragic events in Christchurch, my attention is lamentably drawn to how we manage stress and grief relating to events far beyond our control.

On behalf of everyone here at AccessEAP, I would like to extend our sympathies to everyone affected by the tragic events that took place in Christchurch on Friday, 15th March. 

Later that Friday afternoon, when the enormity of what was happening in Christchurch became evident, my team went to work establishing what was happening on the ground and getting support to our customers as soon as possible/practical (due to lockdown). Our aim was to remind our customer’s that we are here to support their workplace wellbeing every day but especially when devastating events such as this challenge all involved. We were able to provide an outline of what would be happening over the next few days and also provide guidance on how to support employees initially and over time.

The messages are becoming more familiar to us all as we partner with our customers through drought, floods and bushfires as well as man-made traumatic events. Everyone processes trauma differently and even if we consider that we know each other well there are still events that will trigger unexpected responses. The guidelines we provide are intended to give room for all such responses. Within the AccessEAP team, we have New Zealander's and those with very strong ties with New Zealand and particularly Christchurch, a city that has had more than its fair share of adversity in the last few years. Their grief and sadness is very real and they are being supported now and will continue to be – there isn’t an expiry or end date to all this – it does, however, get better. What we are looking to do is to create the environment to proactively support employees and encourage them to process and work through the trauma to aid in recovery.

Often people will not want to speak to a counsellor in the initial days or weeks as they support each other. It is in the longer term when people need support from a counsellor or their Employee Assistance Program. Here are a few messages I would like to recap from our recent communications:

One of our values at AccessEAP is curiosity, this is particularly relevant when it comes to good relationships, mental health and diversity in workplaces. It’s easy to make quick judgements about people based on stereotypes. Psychologists say that its common for people to jump to conclusions about others, as it provides a short-cut for our thinking processes and means we can focus our mental efforts on other things.

There are many ways that mental health issues can manifest in a workplace, and some of these behaviours can be very challenging. This can create misunderstandings, assumptions and even conflict between people. For instance, someone who is frequently absent from work or irritable when they are at work, will most certainly have an impact on their team and the people responsible for managing them. It’s easy to become frustrated with this type of behaviour and label a person as “difficult” or “hard work”.

The challenge for all of us is to stop and ask questions, to be curious about the behaviour. It takes time and effort to look below the surface of someone’s behaviour. An analogy which psychologists commonly use to encourage us to better understand one another is the iceberg. Often we only see that which is above the water surface, the proverbial tip of the iceberg. We don’t see what lies beneath, and we certainly won’t understand what is under the surface if we don’t ask questions. This is where an attitude of curiosity becomes important.

If someone in your workplace is behaving in a way that bothers, frustrates or concerns you, take a pause to try to understand what’s going on. Remember our tendency to take short-cuts in thinking. Next time you find yourself doing this, pause and ask if there could be alternative explanations. Our own biases tend to come into our interpretations and assumptions. The only way to really understand why someone is behaving a certain way is to ask.

Look around at the people in your work environment and try to name three things that you know about them based on conversation or questions you have asked. What do you know and understand about them as a person? Recently we used a technique during Feel Good February. All employees were invited to use G.L.A.D as a guide to write something anonymously to another employee. G -what am I grateful for about the other person? L- what have I learned from this person? A - what do I appreciate? and D, what delights me about the person or their behaviour. Employees could write something about one or all of these. This exercise was rewarding especially because it was anonymous and a great way to inspire curiosity and to focus on the positive in each other. For more information see our G.L.A.D. blog post here.

Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. Held every year on 21 March. The Day coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

For more information, please check out the Harmony Day Website which has so many resources for you to host your very own event.

At AccessEAP we hold a Harmony Day Lunch where everyone brings a dish and shares the background behind it. It is such a wonderful opportunity to learn something new about your colleagues and of course try some amazing food!

Don't forgot to check out our Tips on Managing Diversity.

At a time such as we are now experiencing, support for our clients and their employees is paramount. Over the coming days situations will change dramatically and people will feel the need for support at different times. Some may not feel the need for support at all.

We have provided the information below to assist organisations. We have also put together some information to assist your employees which you may find useful to distribute to as many people as possible. Please also remember to remind people that if they need counselling services to call 1800 818 728 where someone will be on hand to help.

Natural disasters like cyclones, disrupt lives physically and psychologically, creating intense emotional distress for individuals, families and whole communities. Organisations play a vital and valuable role in assisting and supporting their employees in the immediate aftermath and in the days, weeks and months following a disaster.

It’s important to be aware that everyone will respond differently and everyone’s needs will be different, initially and over time. Being prepared to provide initial and long term support for your employees will enhance and promote their own personal coping strategies and resilience.

• If needed, allow additional time at home to tend to family matters.
  
  
• Establish an open door policy that allows employees to seek the appropriate care when needed.

• Create an environment that allows employees to talk amongst themselves about fears and hopes related to the disaster. Openly sharing with others has been known to promote personal recovery.

• Be mindful and respectful of individual needs. Some employees may feel uncomfortable sharing their feelings. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to feel.

• Encourage employees to communicate their needs, rather than assume you know what their needs may be.

• Promote self-efficacy by engaging people in meeting their own needs by helping them regain their confidence and ability to manage their current and future situations.

• Maintain communication if an employee is away from the workplace for any length of time.

• Give employees assurance that affected families will be supported in some form or another. A disaster such as the floods has the power to entirely consume everyone involved, especially when it has an impact on one’s family.

• If possible and when appropriate try to establish normal routines as soon as possible. This aids recovery by providing employees with an opportunity to be active and return to a sense of normalcy.

• Provide simple and accurate information on how to access services, specifically encourage, and make it easy for, employees to speak with a professional counsellor from their Employee Assistance Program. 

How to access the Organisational Support services

From time to time we all encounter situations where we dislike a person’s behaviour and we feel we need to say something, but actually having the conversation is a different story. With the integration of technology into the workplace it is much easier to avoid a potentially uncomfortable conversation by sending a quick email and ‘dealing with it later’.

Whilst these conversations are necessary the immediate impulse for many of us is to avoid, avoid, avoid. Hiding behind technology may seem like a good idea at the time but communicating with the absence of tone and body language may make the situation worse.

Once you have decided to have a courageous conversation, consider your approach. Learn more from our CEO's monthly feature article, Timing is Everything.

Here are some tips for initiating a potentially difficult conversation whether it’s face to face or over the phone:

To create a thriving workplace leaders are encouraged to focus on mental health and wellbeing and to better understand the importance of harnessing emotions in the workplace.

Emotions in the workplace and organisational culture

Today workplaces need to engage and motivate their employees by understanding what employees need from their work. We know employees want to grow, want to be valued, involved, and to feel part of the organisation. Each generation may have differing needs and not factoring in employees’ values, needs and expectations leads to strong emotions at work which can lead to decreased productivity.

Emotions and customer experience

Acknowledging the emotions and impact of a challenging customer interaction and working towards a resolution is more effective than deciding who is right or wrong. This requires a skill set involving de-escalation and staying calm. We can support you to manage angry or disgruntled customers, respond in a way that builds relationships, learn how to make customers feel heard and meet their emotional needs.