Australia is no stranger to natural disasters— bushfires, droughts, cyclones, and floods can disrupt entire communities. Whether facing the anticipation, immediate shock or the lingering effects of a crisis, everyday life can be turned upside down.

Before, during and after such events, individuals can experience a range of intense emotions, with the immediate loss of agency and personal safety putting everyday routine into question. Those affected can be forced to reconsider their day-to-day working commitments and priorities family and safety and in severe cases, survival.

Research reinforces the importance of addressing not only immediate practical needs but also the ongoing management of emotional wellbeing.

Understanding the Phases of Trauma

Disaster recovery is not a linear process. The 6 Psychological Phases of Disaster are a common model used to outline how individuals and communities progress through overlapping stages following a traumatic event (source). These stages show us that while immediate support is critical, the journey to recovery can extend for months or even years.

Understanding your chronotype can improve your sleep quality and daytime productivity

Did you know your sleep pattern might be written in your genes?  Chronotypes are natural inclinations that determine your optimal times for sleep and activity. Aligning your activities with your body clock enhances your performance and overall well-being. 

Everyone has a favourite meeting time, be it first thing or after lunch. Our different energy peaks and troughs throughout the day are driven by our unique "chronotype" (Roenneberg et al., 2007). To determine your chronotype, consider your energy levels throughout the day. What are your natural sleep preferences on weekends or when you’re on holiday?

Different studies have used varying categories, one method uses four:

• Bear: Active with sunrise, sleeps with sunset; peaks in mid-morning and early afternoon.
• Lion: Early riser, productive in mornings, winds down early evening; sleeps around 9-10 p.m.
• Wolf: Late riser, energetic in afternoons and evenings; struggles with early morning starts.
• Dolphin: Light, irregular sleeper; productive late morning and early afternoon; sensitive to noise.

For the sake of the early bird, night owl metaphor, let's take a deeper look at these three more classical categories.

Dear diary, how can I lay out my thoughts better…

Does this sound like you? Journaling—you might have tried it once, or perhaps it’s your go-to stress relief. The practice is pretty simple: It's the process of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Journaling is more than just a way to record your day. It’s a powerful tool for well-being, backed by a growing body of research.

Clinical studies show numerous mental, emotional, and even physical health benefits. Whether you're looking to reduce stress, improve your mood, or enhance your creativity, writing down your thoughts and experiences can transform your overall well-being.

Here are eight clinically proven benefits of keeping a journal:

The Eight-Minute Catch-Up can Support Colleagues and Yourself

The COVID-19 pandemic was a strange and confusing time. However, most would agree it brought unprecedented challenges to our mental health, as lockdowns and social distancing measures led to widespread feelings of isolation and loneliness. When the going got tough, a pivotal study jumped in to gain insight into one of the worst memories in our recent history.

Titled: "Effect of Layperson-Delivered, Empathy-Focused Program of Telephone Calls on Loneliness, Depression, and Anxiety Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic" by Maninder K. Kahlon, PhD, et al., was conducted and published in February 2021. This randomised clinical trial explored the impact of empathy-driven conversationsof individuals during the pandemic. The findings of this study not only highlighted the importance of social connection but also laid the groundwork for practical applications in our daily lives, such as the idea of the "eight-minute catch-up," championed by leadership expert Simon Sinek. The findings show that it doesn't take much to connect and support those around us.

In our fast-paced lives, finding time to connect with colleagues can be challenging. Yet, by dedicating just eight minutes to a meaningful conversation—whether during a break, a quick walk, or a virtual chat—you can significantly benefit both your mental health and that of your coworkers.  Research has consistently demonstrated that regular, brief interactions can foster emotional resilience, enhance empathy, and strengthen team cohesion. Social support is key to building emotional resilience, especially in the workplace. A study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (2020) found that employees who regularly receive social support from colleagues are better equipped to handle stress and are less likely to experience burnout.

When you take the time to check in with a colleague, you're not just exchanging pleasantries—you're actively listening and showing that you care about their wellbeing. A study in Frontiers in Psychology (2020) highlights the importance of social cohesion and empathy in the workplace. Workplaces with a culture of empathy tend to have more collaborative, better communicating and more engaged employees.

Your body, a bit like a jazz band, has its own groove... a deep-down, inbuilt beat that jams with the melody of the birds and the perpetual motion of the sun. It’s our Circadian Rhythm, aka ‘body clock’, an internal timer that registers light and regulates hormones, digestion and temperature accordingly. So, when we harmonise with our own metronome and have a healthy relationship with the rise and fall of the sun, we naturally will feel better, think better and sleep better.

What are Circadian Rhythms?

Circadian Rhythms were first described in 1729 by French Astronomer Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan after he noted the leaves of a mimosa plant opening in the morning and closing in the evening… even in a dark room. In the centuries since, scientists have learned that the same 24-hour cycle orchestrates physical, mental, and behavioural changes across the tree of life, from animals to plants and even microbes.

Light and dark are the biggest triggers of circadian responses; however, stress, temperature, physical activity, and nutrition also play key roles depending on the species. But just because we use the same clock as an owl, doesn’t mean we should mimic its schedule. It goes without saying that rhythmic responses are species-dependent, but given some variations, don’t worry if you’re a ‘hoot’ after midnight, but more on that later. In evolutionary terms, these behavioural rhythms have been preserved and honed over time; as they say, the early owl catches the mice! (Cermakian & Boivin, 2003).

The Human Clock

You might be familiar with the human circadian rhythm; after all, it governs your daily routine, but deep in your cells, it is an inbuilt mechanism that controls your hormone release, body temperature, digestion, appetite, and sleeping patterns. This clock is less of a metaphor and more of a protein timer, but it is a bit different to the one on the front of your oven. Proteins in our cells create a 24-hour cycle by turning each other on and off in a specific rhythm commanded by the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus or, more legibly, the SCN). This collection of 20,000 nerve cells in our brain observes light signals and resets this cycle daily, acting like a master clock (Reppert & Weave, 2002). This helps regulate sleep by releasing melatonin at night, when there isn't much light to make us sleepy. Conversely, morning light reduces melatonin levels and increases cortisol, helping us to get up in the morning and stay awake (Duffy & Czeisler, 2009).

In Australia, 2 in 3 people* report having at least one sleep problem. Sleep is necessary for healthy functioning of the body and brain and impacts how we interact with one another and show up in the world.

When our busy modern lifestyles clash with our natural sleeping pattern, aka, our Circadian Rhythms, we need to look at ways to mitigate the impact of inadequate sleep.

Here’s our guide to sleep hygiene:

Take in the morning sunlight

Natural blue light from the sun helps regulate your circadian rhythm, making it easier to wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night. Finding a sunny spot first thing in the morning helps you get the right light to wake up properly.

Traumatic events impact 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 and their families in the immediate aftermath and in the days, weeks and months following tragic events.

The immediate focus is to ensure that everyone is safe. At this present time, particularly with intense media coverage and access to information on the internet, it’s important to acknowledge that this is a heightened state of emotion for everyone involved. 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 people will enhance and promote their own personal coping strategies and resilience.

• If needed, allow additional time at home to spend time with family and friends - this helps them to feel safe and connected, and reassure others of their safety.
• Make sure your people have access to support information and numbers - specifically the EAP and any other services you may have in place.
• Create an environment that allows people to talk amongst themselves about fears and hopes related to the tragic events. Openly sharing with others has been known to promote personal recovery. There is also comfort in a shared community supporting one another.
• Be mindful and respectful of individual needs. Some people may feel uncomfortable or scared of sharing their feelings. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to feel.
• Establish an open-door policy that allows people to seek the appropriate care when needed.
• If possible and when appropriate, try to establish normal routines as soon as possible.
• Encourage people to communicate their needs, rather than assume you know what their needs may be.
• Maintain communication if an employee is away for any length of time.

An incident of this nature has the power to entirely consume those involved, especially when it has an impact on one’s feeling of safety and one’s family. As leaders and managers, it is within our control to provide support, reassurance, and care. 

For further guidance download 'After a Traumatic Event' pdf brochure, which can be shared with your people.

Manager Support is available on 1800 818 728

Our counselling services are conducted in an inclusive and non-judgemental space utilising the specialisations of our counsellors, psychologists, and social workers to the very best advantage. Our LGBTQIA+ Dedicated Line is answered by trained and supportive consultants. We will be using pronouns to identify ourselves and we’ll be asking our clients how they would like to be addressed. We go a step further as AccessEAP will also provide ACON’s Pride in Health + Wellbeing Program training and support for all of our people, to ensure that communications, policy, documents and procedures are in line with best practice.

Those calling the LGBTQIA+ Dedicated Line will be offered counsellors that we have verified as being trained and/or have experience working with the LGBTQIA+ community, not only for issues related to gender and sexuality but also a broad understanding of the barriers, obstacles and generally different issues that LGBTQIA+ community experiences. Please feel free to make specific requests in order for us to find the most suitable counsellor. Our Customer Services Consultants will work hard to use culturally appropriate language and we welcome feedback to continually learn and improve our service.

We want people to feel they can be who they are and feel they belong.

Call the LGBTQIA+ Dedicated Line on 1300 349 950

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

Promote a socially and emotionally healthy workplace climate by adopting specific combinations of leadership behaviours and strategies

Leading a team has always presented challenges and this has only continued to increase recently. With burnout rates going up and new legislation requiring organisations to proactively address psychosocial (emotional and social) hazards, new research suggests leaders can create a safer and higher-performance work environment by developing specific combinations of leadership strategies.

Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, explains that specific combinations of leadership behaviours shape an employee’s mindset, experience, and quality of work. Leaders can better create a psychosocially safe climate by moving away from authoritative leadership and demonstrating consultative leadership and supportive leadership styles combined with challenging leadership.

Consultative leadership encourages employees to support each other and seek each other’s input. Challenging leadership encourages employees to aspire to do more and encourages the expression of creativity, sense of empowerment, and desire to learn and improve. All these factors have a direct and indirect effect on psychological safety.

Our journey towards cultural competency. 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.

Arrilla Cultural Competency Training is the first step in this process aiming to empower all AccessEAP employees to gain knowledge, skills and confidence to work more effectively with Indigenous colleagues, customers, companies and communities, or while working on Indigenous projects or strategies. The training is also designed to improve understanding and the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the wider, diverse Australian community. As we all move towards Indigenous cultural competency, so too will organisations. Although we have a dedicated Culturally Competent Team with a depth and breadth of experience and knowledge we don't purport to all be overnight experts - it will take time. Together, we’ll create a better environment to help Indigenous people thrive, and we’ll enable organisations to benefit from a more productive workforce.

Update on our RAP journey

AccessEAP’s reconciliation journey has progressed with the planning of the Reflect component of our Reconciliation Action Plan, now completed.

Some of the changes we are implementing include:  

The role of organisations in helping to end violence against women

Marcela Slepica, Director, Clinical Services

On October 17^th 2022 State and Federal governments released the National Plan to end violence against women and children. This 10-year plan includes a framework of actions to end violence against women and children in one generation. It highlights how all parts of society including governments, businesses and workplaces, media, schools, and communities must work together towards a shared vision of ending gender-based violence.

The statistics are very confronting. 1 in 5 women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, 1 in 6 women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or previous cohabitating partner since the age of 15 and 1 in 4 women have experienced emotional abuse by a current or previous cohabitating partner since the age of 15. The rates are higher for certain groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women¹.

To address these staggering figures, the National Plan has 4 domains: Prevention, Early Intervention, Response and Recovery, and Healing. The government has now released the First Action Plan (2023 2037). The First Action Plan provides a roadmap for the first 5 year effort towards achieving the vision of the National Plan. It sets out the initial scope of activities, areas for action and responsibility with respect to outcomes, and outlines how they will make the commitments set out in the National Plan a reality. Read more about the First Action Plan and the ten action items they are committing to implement here.

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

Prioritising the people side of change will help to create a psychologically healthy work environment where employees feel comfortable asking for help, sharing suggestions informally, or challenging the status quo without fear of negative social consequences. An effective team values psychological safety as much as physical safety and performance standards.  When this is the experience of individuals and teams, organisations are able better to innovate, leverage the benefits of diversity and adapt well to change. A psychologically healthy workplace is a precursor to adaptive, innovative practices, which is very much needed at the individual, team, and organisation levels in today’s rapidly changing environment.

Staying in your comfort zone can feel calming and reassuring in the short term, but it’s not a long-term solution for success. Challenging the status quo can support transformation, alleviate anxiety, broaden horizons and minimise stress.

Recent research suggests that organisations can foster a healthy and successful workplace by supporting and developing leaders to demonstrate specific leadership behaviours that help their employees thrive through change.

Some examples of positive leadership behaviour include:

Learning & Development Training

Accessing your EAP Service

AccessEAP Video Series: Manager Support Hotline

Use this link to embed the video on your intranet, or click the link to download.

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

Psychological safety is an integral part of health and safety at work. While companies may be aware of its importance, the process of creating a psychological safety strategy and putting it into practice can feel daunting.

The first step is understanding what is meant by psychological safety.

What is a psychologically safe workplace?

A psychologically safe workplace is one that protects people from psychological hazards. A psychological hazard is anything that could harm someone’s mental health.

Quarter 2 of the Wellbeing Calendar has launched! Thriving through change can be difficult so we have created the Quarter 2 Pack to help get you started. 

The theme for Quarter 2 is Thriving Through Change, highlighting the following key awareness days: 

• 22 April - Earth Day
• 28 April - World Day for Safety and Health at Work
• 12 May - International Nurses Day
• 17 May - International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia
• 26 May - National Sorry Day
• June - Pride Month
• 3 June - Mabo Day
• 12-18 June - Men's Health Week

Download the Quarter 2 Pack - Thriving Through Change
Access the calendar and the Q2 Pack (Poster, Infographic & Activity) via the Employee Login Area - https://www.accesseap.com.au/employees/index.php

International Women's Day is held each year on the 8th of March. This year's theme is #EmbraceEquity.

A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity.

For more information about how you and your organisation can get involved including customisable Social Media content, see the International Women's Day Website.

AccessEAP IWD Panel Events

AccessEAP is excited to be running panel events for International Women's Day in partnership with The Kraft Heinz Company. Our influential speakers will share their stories and experiences with equity, diversity and inclusion.

Right now, parts of New Zealand are experiencing natural disasters, causing loss and damage. Natural disasters disrupt lives physically and psychologically, creating intense emotional distress for individuals, families and whole communities.

It is important through times such as these to identify those of your people who may have been directly impacted and provide assistance where possible. Events such as these can be challenging, as the combined uncertainty about the immediate situation as well as fear and concern for what may lie ahead over coming days and weeks can exacerbate our thoughts and feelings.

As a leader, your organisation plays a vital and valuable role in assisting and supporting your people and their families in the immediate aftermath and moving forward. We encourage you to help your people feel they can focus on their immediate priorities, which is the physical safety of family, friends, loved ones and their homes and possessions. As a leader, take the time to check in with your people, and where appropriate, remind them that their EAP is available and able to help support them through these challenging times. Many people will want to be seen as “coping” so asking how they are going is really important. Being prepared to provide initial and long-term support for people will enhance and promote their own personal coping strategies and resilience.

•  Normalise reactions: Accept that people will experience a range of emotions and that it is normal. Once the event is over, it doesn't mean people's feelings go away. Acknowledge their feelings and reassure people that their intense feelings are normal given the disaster.
• Ask how you can help: Ask if there's anything that you can do to assist employees or if there is anything they need? e.g. flexible hours, transport or belongings. Keep talking to gain clarity on what assistance they need.
• Do not catastrophise: It is common to reflect on the "what ifs" or "what might have been". Do not speculate on how much worse it could have been. Avoid comparison of stories as each person has a right to their feelings.

To support those that may have been affected by the event, we have included documents for individual strategies (download pdf here) and tips as well as information for managers and leaders (download pdf here). These tools are also available through the AccessMyEAP App.

If you have any questions or would like to better understand what you can do that will meaningfully support your team, the experienced clinicians on our Manager Support Hotline are able to help you help your people. As manager, your individual needs matter just as much. Reach out for support when and if you need it. We are here to help.

Women’s Invisible Load

The invisible load is a book written by Dr Libby Weaver, which breaks down where much of our stress and overwhelm comes from. This book inspired one of our Associate Clinicians, Julie Chalmers, and is a topic she brought to light during our International Women’s Day Events. We wanted to share more on this insightful topic which affects most women. Whether they realise it or not.

“Our invisible load is the stress we carry, that no one sees, that drives how we think and feel. From the physical load on our body to the emotional load in our mind, this invisible load is what really sits at the heart of our stress. And until we learn to unpack this, reducing our experience of stress will be almost impossible.” Dr Libby Weaver, The invisible load.  

What’s your invisible load?

Invisible loads can look different for each of us. It’s about carrying the mental burden of ‘responsibility’ even when we’re sharing the load or not physically doing the task that responsibility relates to. Perhaps you are the walking family calendar; you know when it’s time to take the dogs to the vet, when the children are due their vaccinations or what vitamins they need to take after dinner each night. Someone’s birthday? You remember to buy a present and send a card. Or perhaps you are the responsible one who manages the family budget and takes care of all the bills. Maybe you’re the planner, planning every detail to the last dot. An upcoming family holiday? You scroll through the latest deals, assess the safest countries, and decide on what is the most affordable spot.