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First Action Plan 2023- 2027 - National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children

The role of organisations in helping to end violence against women

Marcela Slepica, Director, Clinical Services

On October 17th 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.

Newport & Wildman are very supportive of this National Plan. We continue to provide domestic and family violence counselling and deliver training to organisations around Australia. As a part of our social purpose, we recognise the importance of addressing this issue and in providing vital clinical support for people in need. We encourage all organisations to think about their role and what they can do.

So what can your organisation do?

Given the high numbers of domestic violence in Australia, all organisations will be impacted in some way – an employee may be in a domestic violence situation and be too embarrassed or scared to share, one of your employees could be killed or their family member. With any domestic violence situation, there is an impact on employees, families, friends, colleagues and the broader community. Organisations will be impacted and do have a role to play. 

Prevention includes raising awareness and educating your people about domestic and family violence. Organisations also have a role in the Response and Recovery domain. Last year, the Federal Government amended the Fair Work Act and passed a law that all employees will be entitled to 10 days paid Domestic Violence leave.

Domestic & Family Violence Training & Onsite Support

We know that this is a very confronting and complicated issue. Newport & Wildman are here to support organisations and their people. We provide Domestic & Family Violence Training for Employees and Leaders. If your organisation is impacted, we also have onsite support available where a clinician will come to your organisation and provide support to your leaders and employees.

With the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on the 25th of November, it’s an important time to take action now and beyond. The impact of not addressing this issue is far too great. If you would like to have a conversation around supporting your people and raising awareness around domestic & family violence, please reach out to Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

 

1ABS Personal Safety Plan

 

Leadership Series - Prioritising the people side of change

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:

  1. Acting as catalysts for change
  2. Empowering and enabling other leaders on the team
  3. Role modelling and reinforcing the behaviours they expect from the rest of the team
  4. Create a positive team climate where all contributions are valued, people care about each other’s wellbeing and feel involved in influencing the team ground rules and values.
  5. Introducing sponsorship to promote the success of others rather than yourself
  6. Demonstrate situational humility and develop a personal growth mindset and curiosity.

As leaders help their team develop through demonstrating the above behaviours the benefits individuals may experience as a result include greater confidence, improved flexibility, higher levels of motivation, increased skills and a more compassionate approach.

At Newport & Wildman we have a range of learning and development modules as well as individual and integrated wellbeing services to assist you in managing your psychosocial risks. Reach out to us on 1800 650 204 or speak to your main contact at Newport & Wildman to chat about how we can help.


Shari Walton is a highly skilled senior Organisation Development Consultant committed to helping organisations thrive through creating mentally healthy workplaces. She has extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduate Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

Leadership Series - Creating a Psychologically Safe Workplace

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.

This may include:

  • bullying
  • unrealistic workload expectations
  • traumatic events or material
  • conflict or poor work interactions and relationships
  • poor change management
  • harassment
  • aggression or violence

To create a psychologically safe workplace, data is analysed to identify these and other potential psychological risks. Actions are then put in place to manage and reduce them.

Training is provided in key areas, and leaders set the tone through role modelling and managing change.

The goal is to create and nurture a company culture where:

  • people feel engaged and comfortable with their work.
  • employees are supported to express themselves without fear of negative outcomes.
  • jobs are motivating and well-designed, and healthy workloads are maintained.
  • respect is fostered between all people in the business, and inclusivity, open communication and equality are the norm.

How leaders can contribute to a psychologically safe workplace

Creating a psychologically safe workplace involves a comprehensive strategy. It requires participation and consultation at all levels of the business.

Leaders play an important role in creating and nurturing a mentally healthy work culture.

Here are some strategies that leaders can apply to achieve this.

  • Foster open and positive work culture where employees feel encouraged to express concerns, opinions, and ideas.
  • Recognise psychosocial hazards, such as excessive workload, lack of control, poor communication, and inadequate support systems.
  • Encourage employee participation in decision-making to create a sense of influence over their work environment.
  • Promote work-life balance through reasonable work hours and realistic expectations.
  • Encourage utilisation of training and resources for stress management and mental health support, such as targeted learning and development modules and EAP support.
  • Ensure workloads are distributed equitably.
  • Promote fairness in performance evaluations, promotions, and rewards.
  • Lead by example. Model inclusive behaviour by treating all employees with respect, actively listening to their concerns, and valuing their contributions.
  • Collaborate with employees to address psychosocial hazards in the workplace and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies.

Integrating as many of these leadership practices as possible will encourage the creation and continuation of a psychologically safe workplace.

Do you need help creating your strategy for a psychologically safe workplace?

This is what we help our customers do. We have a range of learning and development modules and individual and integrated wellbeing services to assist you in managing psychosocial risks.

Reach out to us on 1800 650 204 or speak to your main contact at Newport & Wildman to chat about how we can help.

 


Shari Walton is a highly skilled senior Organisation Development Consultant committed to helping organisations thrive through creating mentally healthy workplaces. She has extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduate Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

Stress, it’s not all bad

Stress is a completely normal and useful part of life. Without stress, a muscle grows weak. With the right amount of stress, a muscle grows strong. But too much stress and a muscle can become injured, and then we need time for rest and recovery. Problems arise when there is too much stress. So if we experience no stress at all – there are no challenges in our life – we can become bored and even depressed.

When we face the right amount of stress - a challenge that stretches us and is manageable - that can bring an enormous amount of satisfaction, growth and learning. This keeps our mind healthy. When we face too much stress - a challenge that is overwhelming – that can wear us down. And just like when we overuse a muscle, if we don’t take time to rest and recover, we can experience ongoing pain, and the damage can become worse.

The amount of stress we experience is a result of two things – our external world (what’s happening around us) and our internal world (how we think and feel about what’s happening, as well as our physical wellbeing).  We can’t always make choices about what challenges we face, but we can always consider how we think about what is happening to us and then work at changing that.

Let’s look at a resilience model that has been found to be very helpful in managing stress. It’s called the 3-Ps. It’s designed by one of the founders of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman. The three Ps stand for Personalisation, Permanence, and Pervasiveness. They are the ways we think that increase our stress levels.

Personalisation is when we believe we are the sole source of a problem rather than considering how our circumstances are contributing. For example, if you were more organised, perhaps you could get all your work done. And perhaps your workplace practices share in the responsibility. Talking with your colleagues and manager about how work is distributed may form part of the way forward.

Permanence is believing that a difficult situation will last forever. When we are in the middle of something that is very difficult or painful, it can feel like it will never end, which makes the whole situation feel worse. But change is constant – and the difficulty will pass. Reminding ourselves to look at how a situation is constantly changing and to see it in a longer-term context can help us to begin to see a way to turn it around.

Pervasiveness is believing that a difficult situation applies to all areas of our life, not just a particular circumstance. A common example is when you say to yourself, “I’m so stupid!” as a piece of DIY falls to pieces. The truth is that perhaps you’re not the world’s greatest handyperson, but you might be fantastic at comforting a friend in need or managing a work project.

Keeping an eye on these three ways of thinking can reduce the amount of stress in your life as well as increase your resilience. Come talk to us about the way you think and how you can change it – you might become less stressed. Call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

 

Stephen Malloch, Manager Clinical Consulting

 

Image by pch.vector on Freepik

Changes to the Better Access Initiative

Newport & Wildman is your Employee Assistance Program (EAP), your proactive mental health and wellbeing service here to support you. Confidential and free for staff, we offer access to counselling, coaching and training. Utilising EAP has become even more important in recent times, with people facing long wait times for counselling appointments through their GP and with the reduction of the Medicare-funded psychology sessions occurring at the end of this year.

During the pandemic, the government increased the number of Medicare-funded psychology sessions each year from 10 to 20, recognising the impact the pandemic was having on the mental health of Australians. In the 2021-22 financial year alone, 1,023,241 additional sessions were provided by psychologists1, highlighting the real need for support. This increase will end on the 31st of December 2022, reverting to 10 sessions.

The decision to reduce the number of Medicare sessions was based on a study from the University of Melbourne. The study suggested the current system was not providing equitable access for lower socio-economic groups and those living in regional areas. The government will convene a forum of experts and people with lived experience of mental illness early next year to assess the recommendations of the University of Melbourne report.

The danger of reducing the Medicare-funded sessions before that review is completed is increased anxiety in the community and more barriers for those with mental health concerns to receive adequate support. At Newport & Wildman, we acknowledge that people may be concerned and recognise that this change may affect you or people within your organisation. With the reduction of sessions, we encourage the use of EAPs to help bridge the gap with long wait times and to add another layer of support.

We are here ready to support you. Contact Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

 

Marcela Slepica

Director, Clinical Services

 

1 Australian Psychology Society

Leadership Series – Character Strengths

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

A key building block of positive psychology and wellbeing is character strengths. These 24 positive traits were determined in a 3-year research project involving 55 scientists and are manifested behaviourally, cognitively, and emotionally. They form part of the Engagement pillar of Professor Martin Seligman’s wellbeing model, and everybody has experienced at one time or other getting lost in an activity because it is so engaging. This is often referred to as “being in the zone” or in a state of “flow”, a theory introduced by Hungarian-born researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1970s. During this optimal flow experience, individuals feel strong, alert, in effortless control and at the peak of their abilities.

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Research proposes that everyone has 24 character strengths. These are personality qualities like creativity, honesty, humour, and perseverance. What makes everyone unique, is that some strengths come more naturally to them than they do for others.

When you complete the free scientific VIA Character Strengths Survey, your results will reveal which strengths rank highest and lowest for you. Understanding and applying your strengths will help you increase happiness levels, boost confidence, strengthen relationships and improve work performance. For leaders, they can provide greater insights into individual styles, team dynamics and contribute to developing a high-performing, effective team.

Three reasons why understanding individual strengths is a pathway to greater well-being:

  1. Your highest strengths are natural happiness boosters.
    • Research refers to your top strengths as signature strengths. They are so essential to your identity that they are like your fingerprint or written signature. People notice these strengths in you, and it feels good for you to use them.
  2. Lesser Strengths are not Weaknesses
    • Humans have a natural negativity bias but lesser strengths are not weaknesses, they are qualities that don’t come as easily to you as some of the other strengths in your profile.
  3. Finding your Just Right in Self
    • Once you become more conscious of your strengths, you will notice you are more inclined to overuse or underuse certain strengths depending on preferences. Understanding these dynamics can help you recognise when your strengths are out of balance, and you can adjust for better outcomes, which can lead to many positive wellbeing and overall happiness.

For more information, reach out to the Newport & Wildman Team to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team. To arrange a counselling appointment, call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

 


 

Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

12 Wellbeing Tips for the Festive Season

As we reach the end of the year, reset with our 12 Wellbeing Tips for the Festive Season. Newport & Wildman is here to support you through the festive season and into the new year. Call us on 1800 650 204.

AccessEAP Festive Season Wellbeing Tips 2022 1600

Download a copy here.

2023 Wellbeing Calendar

 

The Newport & Wildman 2023 Wellbeing Calendar and Quarter 1 Pack has launched! Finding Balance within our personal and professional lives can be tricky so we have created the Quarter 1 Pack to help get you started. 

The theme for Quarter 1 is Finding Balance, highlighting the following key awareness days: 

  • 24th January: International Day of Education 
  • 13th February: Anniversary of National Apology Day 
  • 8th March: International Women’s Day 
  • 17th March: World Sleep Day 
  • 21st March: Harmony Day

Download the Quarter 1 Pack - Finding Balance
Access the calendar and the Q1 Pack (Poster, Infographic & Activity) via the Employee Login Area - https://newportwildman.com.au/employees/index.php

Email Template and Suggested Training & Services
The calendar along with leader resources and suggested training & services is available via the Employer Login- https://newportwildman.com.au/employers/index.php


If you have any questions, call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204 or reach out to your main contact. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

Leadership Series – Emotional Intelligence

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

The term emotional intelligence was popularized in 1995 by psychologist and behavioural science journalist Dr. Daniel Goleman in his book, Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Goleman described emotional intelligence as a person's ability to manage his feelings so that those feelings are expressed appropriately and effectively. Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Framework contains four components.

Golemans EI Framework

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Some suggestions for how to embed key components from each of the four quadrants are outlined below.

Self-awareness strategies include:

  1. Keep a journal
  2. Slow down
  3. Step away and find perspective
  4. Practice optimism

Social Awareness suggestions include developing:

  1. Empathy: Builds human connection through understanding others' emotions.
  2. Service orientation: Assist staff personal development and explore issues impacting on others personal development and growth. How and where do you add value to your employees, colleagues, team members?
  3. Organisational Awareness: Understanding the dynamics of your team – who are the influencers? How are their strengths capitalized within your team?

Self-management includes 6 subcategories: emotional self-control, trustworthiness, contentiousness, adaptability, achievement, and initiative. Suggestions for self management actions to explore:

  1. Regulate your emotional responses in your interactions with others.
  2. Find your calm in the situation
  3. Remove judgements and assumptions
  4. Respond in a controlled manner

Relationship management includes 8 subcategories:

  1. Developing Others – recognise strengths and offering challenges.
  2. Influence - build consensus and support - focus on what is important to others
  3. Communication - ensure the right emotional tone is used.
  4. Conflict Management - realizing when a situation is heading towards conflict and taking quick and decisive action to resolve it.
  5. Leadership - be the person that others choose to follow.
  6. Change Catalyst - question established ideals and initiate new ideas, recognizing when change is needed.
  7. Building Bonds - by cultivating an extensive network of colleagues, acquaintances, and friends that has mutual benefit.
  8. Teamwork and Collaboration - defining your success criteria in such a way that everyone can make their own unique and valued contribution.

The most effective influencers and leaders integrate 4 or more of the above characteristics regularly into their leadership practice. For more information, reach out to the Newport & Wildman Team to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team.

To arrange a counselling appointment, call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

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Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution-focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

Release of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032

Marcela Slepica, Director, Clinical Services

On October 17th State and Federal governments released the National Plan to end violence against women and children. This is a 10-year plan that includes a framework of actions to end violence against women and children in one generation. It highlights how all parts of society including governments, business 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 3 women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15, 1 in 5 has experienced sexual violence and on average 1 woman is killed by an intimate partner every 10 days. 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 is working on clear action plans with the first plan to be released in early 2023.

Newport & Wildman are very supportive of this National Plan. We continue to provide domestic and family violence counselling and deliver accredited training to organisations around Australia. As a part of our social purpose, we recognise the importance of addressing this issue and in providing vital clinical support for people in need. We encourage all organisations to think about their role and what they can do.

So what can your organisation do? Prevention includes raising awareness and educating your people about domestic and family violence. Organisations also have a role in the Response and Recovery domain. On the 27th October, the Federal Government amended the Fair Work Act and passed a law that all employees will be entitled to 10 days paid Domestic Violence leave. This law comes into effect in February 2023.

We know that this is a very confronting and complicated issue. Newport & Wildman are here to support organisations and their people. We have renewed our accreditation, and as a White Ribbon Approved Training Partner, we facilitate White Ribbon training for People Leaders in organisations who are undergoing their own accreditation process. We also offer our own Domestic & Family Violence Training for Employees and Leaders.

With White Ribbon Day approaching on the 18th of November and the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on the 25th, it’s an important time to take action now and beyond these awareness days.

If you would like to have a conversation around supporting your people and raising awareness around Domestic & Family Violence, please reach out to Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

 

1ABS 2016 Personal Safety Plan

Leadership Series – Mindfulness

Anthony Bui, Learning and Development Advisor

“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” American Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn

How often do we spend time dwelling on past events or worrying about the future? Are we connected to what’s going on in the present or busy indulging in other thoughts? How does this affect our ability to stay calm in tense situations at work or within our relationships? How does this impact on our approach to leadership?

Mindfulness is being aware, accepting and not judging or attaching. It doesn’t mean being a passive observer, rather that we acknowledge what we are feeling or thinking and allow the space to respond constructively.

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Mindfulness allows us to decrease stress and anxiety by reducing reactivity and increasing response flexibility, improving our ability to empathise with others, developing our ability for self and other compassion and increasing our self-awareness of our emotions.

Ways to start practising mindfulness at work include:

  • Doing one task at a time. Taking the time to attend to an individual task without paying attention to other competing tasks.
  • Walking between meetings and taking the opportunity to be aware of our surroundings in terms of what we see, what we hear, and what we feel.
  • Being present when interacting with a colleague in a meeting. This may mean allowing ourselves to focus fully on our colleagues, providing space for them to express themselves and not getting distracted by other sounds in the room, or thoughts.
  • Taking time to eat lunch mindfully. Pay attention to the taste, the textures, and the smells of the food we are eating. Slow down chewing and savour your food.
  • Starting and ending the workday by “returning to the breath”. Spending 10 minutes focusing on breathing, is a great way to centre yourself for the day ahead, or to draw the day to a close.

Introducing mindfulness to our lives will greatly enhance our work and relationships and personal satisfaction. It will propel us to value, enjoy and appreciate every moment we have of every day. For more information or support on our training offering, reach out to the Newport & Wildman Team to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team. To arrange a counselling appointment, call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Anthony Bui is a Learning and Development Advisor with experience in ensuring customer learning and development needs are actualised. This includes experience with developing and designing course content and innovating training programs to further business success. He is passionate about developing leadership skills, communication skills and promoting positive mental health in the workplace. Anthony has completed the Bachelor of Counselling (Coaching) and is a regular member of Men’s Table. With work experience in blue-collared industries, he hopes to encourage positive mental health practices for men.

 

Pixels Photo by Yan Krukov

Self-Care to prevent Burnout and Fatigue: Ways to nourish yourself

The words ‘Self-Care’ are used to describe those things we do to sustain ourselves through difficulties and help us feel buoyant. A useful way to think of it is that we have various ways in which we can nourish ourselves. There’s the way that is most obvious – the food we eat.  And then there are other ways – the music we listen to, the books that we read, the artwork and scenery that we look at, the conversations that we engage in. All these activities feed us through our senses.

How to start:

  1. Take a moment to remember a conversation or interaction that really nourished you. What were you talking about? Who were you with? Perhaps it was with close friends or colleagues talking about a topic that really mattered to all of you? Maybe you came away from it feeling calmer, or clearer, or more alive?
  2. Then take a moment to remember a conversation or interaction that left you feeling drained – perhaps you felt somehow diminished by it.
  3. You can apply this same exercise to the music you listen to, the books and articles that you read, what you spend time looking at (which can include what you wear), as well as, of course, the food that you eat.
  4. Having made a mental (or actual) list of what nourishes you and what doesn’t – the next step can be to decide what a really healthy, sustaining way of living looks like for you – food, reading, conversations, music, what you look at, what you wear.

Nourishing ourselves like this helps us face and work with the inevitable difficulties of life and work. Rates of burnout and fatigue are rising in Australia. The latest ELMO survey of Australian workers (reported in April this year) found that almost half are feeling burnt out – a 10% increase on the same period last year. The increase is attributed to our increased workloads – 24% said they had taken more responsibilities in their jobs, and 32% feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they need to do. This is coupled with 44% of survey respondents saying they want things to change and are seeking greener pastures – they are planning to look for a different job this year.

Self-care is an activity we can do both individually and collectively as a whole organisation. As an individual you can ask yourself what ways of living nourish you. As a leader or manager, you can ask your employees how they are finding their workplace and workload, and what nourishes them.

We’ll never get it perfect – but we can nudge things along, paying attention to what is in our control, so our circumstances improve, and we feel more nourished by our life.

To arrange an appointment to help you through this process, please call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Stephen Malloch, Senior Clinician

Support through a natural disaster

Australia is no stranger to natural disasters, e.g. bushfires, droughts, cyclones and floods. These events impact entire communities, including organisations, their employees and families. The disruption to daily life can be significant. People may be forced to evacuate their homes and workplaces leaving cherished possessions behind as they turn their focus to survival. It is common to experience a range of intense emotions following a traumatic event like a natural disaster. The immediate loss of control and personal safety is frightening and can lead to severe or acute shock, distress and anxiety. People who have faced potential loss, injury, or even death from natural disasters will experience a range of feelings immediately, weeks and even months later. The memories and associated fear that a similar event will reoccur can be long lasting.

For individuals, see our tips and strategies (download pdf here).

As a manager, there are a few things you can do to support your employees (download pdf here):

1. 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.

2. Try to keep calm and lift spirits through community involvement: Provide reassurance that "we will get through this together" and focus on the things that were managed well, e.g. the brave responses of emergency services. People feel united in the shared experience and can support and comfort each other. This connection and sense of helping is critical to coping.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Encourage people to talk about their experience because keeping it inside isn't helpful - avoid reassurances such as "it could have been worse". It's common for people to want to escape their reality, they may deny or withdraw. They may need to delay their emotional response while they focus on survival or practical things so check in regularly and gently.

6. Avoid probing questions: Curiosity is part of human nature. Asking people for the details of a traumatic experience may bring it back or trigger other emotions, wait until they are ready to share their story.

7. Encourage a familiar routine: Routine and normal day to day activities provide a sense of control and security, which is reassuring when a natural disaster has a significant effect on their lives.

8. Returning to work: Having a sense of purpose and connection is essential to recovery and often work provides this. Facilitate this process by offering options such as flexible hours. The recovery process takes time, and there are often ups and downs so plan for people to have setbacks. Each individual will be different and recover at their own pace.

As a trusted partner your EAP is here to help: Remind your employees about their confidential EAP service and let us help you support your people. For further guidance call our Manager Support Hotline on 1800 650 204.

Welcome to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Dedicated Support Line

Welcome to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Dedicated Support Line: part of your EAP, provided by your employer and delivered by Newport & Wildman.

Facilitating a culturally safe referral process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is the purpose of this Dedicated Support Line. We recognise a need to speak with someone who understands the challenges you may face and to meet the request to either speak with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Counsellor or a Culturally Sensitive Counsellor (has experience working with individuals, families and community). By working together we aim to find the most culturally appropriate support for you. Referral to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services can also be arranged.

Working With You:

Our Customer Services Team participate in mandatory ongoing cultural competency training and are available to speak with you to facilitate the referral process to one of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Counsellors, Coaches or Mentors. Please call to make an appointment between EST 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday or outside these hours to make a booking.

At Newport & Wildman our Cultural Wellbeing Team includesboth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Counsellors and Culturally Sensitive Counsellors. If appropriate our Cultural Inclusion Co-Ordinator is able to assist any individual circumstances and will work with you to identify the most culturally safe options to support you or your organisation.

Together we find the right way to provide culturally appropriate support that works for you, sharing and caring in a respectful, confidential and safe space. Having a yarn can help with the day to day challenges at home or in the workplace such as;

  • Stress
  • Anxiety
  • Intergenerational
  • Trauma
  • Sadness
  • Loss
  • Depression
  • Burnout
  • Alcohol & Drug
  • Financial
  • Nutrition
  • Family/relationships

"keeping the spirit strong through strengthening social and emotional wellbeing"

This Dedicated Support Line provides a culturally sensitive way for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to access social, emotional, mental health and wellbeing support.

How to contact Newport & Wildman
Whatever the nature of your concern please feel free to call the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Dedicated Support Line on: 1800 861 085

Newport & Wildman employees begin their ongoing journey with cultural capability by completing Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence Training with Reconciliation NSW/Centre for Cultural Competence Australia. We are committed to ensuring the best experience for all our clients.

3.8.20 Australian Aboriginal Flag     3.8.20 Flag of the Torres Strait Islanders

Newport & Wildman acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Peoples of the lands we live and work on throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, culture, spirituality and community as we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who connect with this website.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are advised that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have since passed away.

Leadership Series – Positive Emotions

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

Emotional intelligence is a key component of effective leadership. Being in tune with your emotions and having sound situational awareness is a powerful tool for leading yourself and teams. Understanding emotional triggers, the power of gratitude, emotional agility, and empathy, are essential ingredients to strong leadership.

Social psychologist Dr Barbara Frederiksen indicates that positive emotions lead to novel, expansive or exploratory behaviours that over time manifest to meaningful long-term social and relationship benefits. Harvard Medical school psychologist Dr Susan David offers unique expertise on cultivating more agile, healthy, resilient, and authentically happy people, families, workplaces, and communities.


To live a rich and purposeful life we need to paint with the full palette of human emotions. Having emotional agility allows us to recognise and understand what emotions we are feeling and be conscious about them rather than being driven by them. It allows you to be more intentional as a leader and to encourage individuals to recognise and feel their emotions. Engagement, creativity, and innovation will flourish under this emotionally agile leadership approach.

How can you lead with emotional agility for yourself and your team? 

  1. Show Up

Approach your emotions or feelings with curiosity and acceptance. It may be tempting to ignore the uncomfortable ones but face them anyway. As a leader, listen to others' concerns, acknowledge the range of emotions involved and focus on positive change.

  1. Step Out

Enable autonomy over your actions and decisions by detaching from your emotions. See them for what they are, simply emotions, not who you are. Where possible label them as accurately as possible as this will help you to better understand their origins and what you can do about them.

  1. Walk Your Why

Recognise your core values and use these to drive you forward. When decision-making, ask yourself whether this decision reflects your core values and long-term goals.

  1. Move forward 

Introduce small, purposeful adjustments to align your mindset, motivation, and habits with your core values. Make sure that these tweaks are connected to who you want to be in your life, and as a leader. These value-centred shifts will support ongoing improvements in your life. 

Emotions keep us in tune with our inner and outer world and are an incredibly rich data source. As a leader, help your people to acknowledge their feelings, reassure them that all feelings are valid and encourage the ongoing processes of adopting emotional agility. For more information or support, reach out to your Relationship Manager to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team.

 


Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

 

Image from Pexels by fauxels.

WIN News: Experts say it's critical R U OK? Day isn't a 'tick a box' exercise

WIN News 17th August 2022

Newport & Wildman Director Melita Griffin and Clinical Services Manager Dorienne Spennato spoke with WIN News yesterday. Discussing R U OK? Day, with the message to check in with those around you and to keep having ongoing meaningful conversations.

Watch the video here.

Leadership Series – Positive Psychology: Taking a Strengths-Based Approach

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

Professor Martin Seligman, one of the world’s leading researchers in positive psychology identified that leaders who role-model positive psychology encourage a flourishing workplace, where scientific research is translated into improved leadership, better mental health, increased wellbeing and higher performance and satisfaction for individuals, improved employee engagement and retention and higher overall organisational effectiveness.

The way we work has shifted dramatically recently with hybrid working, remote teams and virtual interactions making positive workplaces more important than ever before. The ability of leaders to focus on strengths is crucial to achieving wellbeing.


Humans are hardwired to pay attention to negative experiences, and we have a propensity to learn from and use negative information more than positive information. Individuals may be unaware of what influences happiness in their life from one day to the next. At the heart of positive psychology lies the belief that people can lead happier, more meaningful, and fulfilling lives by moving their focus away from the negatives toward a more balanced perspective.

Many positive psychology exercises, such as gratitude journaling, lead to positive outcomes and the below exercise will help leaders find meaning and value from their own experiences by exploring their strengths and how they can utilise them to achieve desired goals and develop a sense of meaning and fulfilment.

Write the story of your past:

  1. Describe the challenges you have overcome
  2. Outline the personal strengths that helped you.

Describe your life and who you are right now:

  1. How do you differ from your past self?
  2. What are your strengths now?
  3. How have your strengths evolved?
  4. What challenges are you facing?
  5. How can you use your strengths to overcome these challenges?

Write about your ideal future: 

  1. How will your life be different than it is now?
  2. How can you use your strengths to achieve this ideal future?
  3. How will your strengths grow?
  4. What kind of person do you hope to become?
  5. Finally, how can you go about achieving these things?

Discovering and nurturing a strengths-based approach will help to shift negative outlooks to positives. Creating meaning through work will encourage motivation, high engagement, and a sense of thriving as well as build strong interpersonal relationships and resilience. For more information or support, reach out to your Relationship Manager to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team.

 

Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

 

Image from Pexels by fauxels.

Leadership Series – Resolving Conflict Constructively

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

Conflict is a continuum. Not enough can lead to apathy, artificial harmony, individuals suppressing their wants and needs and too much can lead to loss of self-confidence, disengagement, depressionbreak-down of work relationships or lack of productivity.

As a leader, how you manage smaller conflicts will impact how many escalate into serious conflicts such as severe employee relations issues, staff turnover, low employee engagement, and even legal claims.

Conflict may arise due to a range of factors including miscommunication, lack of information, conflicting goals, different values or unequal power and access to resources. Whilst conflict is a natural workplace phenomenon, if managed well it can be beneficial for an organisation as it can stimulate diversity of thought, development of more mature and meaningful interpersonal relationships and contribute to innovation.

Consider a recent conflict you may have found yourself in and self-evaluate your response using this checklist:

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We each have a preferred, or default, way of dealing with issues of conflict and although this can serve us well in certain types of situations, we may need to consciously adjust our style and draw on the skills associated with a different conflict style at times. Developing a broader range of interpersonal skills will help improve your ability as a leader to effectively resolve conflicts. Consider adopting some of the ideas identified in the above checklist and proactively look for opportunities to bring these into your future interactions.

For more information or support, reach out to the Newport & Wildman Team to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team.

 

Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution-focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team and business success.

Shari has over 30 years of experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

LGBTIQ+ Support Line

NW LGBTIQ Support Line Flyer

What can you expect?

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 LGBTIQ+ Support 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 Newport & Wildman 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 Support Line will be offered counsellors that we have verified as being trained and/or have experience working with the LGBTIQ+ community, not only for issues related to gender and sexuality but also a broad understanding of the barriers, obstacles and generally different issues that LGBTIQ+ 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 LGBTIQ+ Support Line on 1300 349 950.

AccessEAP LGBTIQ Support Line Flyer Icons

NAIDOC Week – Get Up, Stand Up and Show Up

22 002 NAIDOC 2022 theme promotion NIAAnewsPicture2

It’s another NAIDOC week celebration. The theme for this year – 2022 is as depicted in the above poster. It is a fitting theme as it encourages everyone that believes in what NAIDOC stands for to embrace just that, to GET UP! STAND UP! AND SHOW UP! on all that we have decided to achieve for our people and our communities. The fact is we cannot afford to rely on others to bring about much needed changes we so desire. Any desired achievements lie squarely on our shoulders, both old, and young emerging leaders of our Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people. As the theme calls us to do, Let us all - Get Up, Stand Up and Show Up where and when it matters most.

Now is the time to consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, organisations and community on the services and resources that best meet the needs of our people.

The tides are slowly moving and as the slogan says, we must be prepared to Get UP! Stand Up, and Show Up for without a united front we will remain standing where we find ourselves today.

 Lydia Gah, Holistic Counsellor and Coach

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Newport & Wildman acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Peoples of the lands we live and work on throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community as we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who connect with this website.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are advised that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have since passed away.

indig_flags.jpg

Newport & Wildman acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we work on and their continuing connection to land, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future. 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples using this content are advised that it may contain images, names or voices of people who have passed away.