Proactive Action: Recent Episodes
Emma Parsons
Giving support, whether physically, emotionally or psychologically, to a person is not one size fits all.
The support that you give someone, may not be the same support the other person needs. So find out what support your team needs because that will not only help them, but also the business as a whole.
mentalhealthsupport #psychologicallysafeworkplace #psychosocialrisk
Workplace bullying is not uncommon, it happens within organisations.
So how can we reduce bullying in the workplace?
Not only does it affect our team, but it affects the organisation as a whole. It costs us money when people leave and good talent and people.
So what are we doing about it? Do we have policies in place? Are we communicating that out to our teams?
Let's support a happy, positive culture at work.
proactiveaction #workplacebullying #mentalhealthawareness
What is EAP or Employee Assistance Program?
Do you have one at work? Have you utilised it?
Not everyone in your team might be familiar with it nor are they eager to reach out to it. As a leader, there are different ways you can encourage them.
EAPstrategy #psychologicallysafeworkplace #mentalhealthatwork
An act of kindness, however small, can make a positive impact on you and others. It doesn't take up lots of time or energy, and the simplest gestures are often the most impactful.
I'd love to know if you have experienced a random act of kindness from someone or if you have done one yourself and what it was that you did for someone. How does it feel?
Share them below.
actofkindness #randomkindness #workplacewellbeing
Do you know what the psychosocial risks and hazards are in your business?
In Proactive Action, we've created a Workplace Mental Health Quiz that will help you up-skill, improve, develop, and understand what to do to prevent psychosocial risks and hazards within your business.
I hope you find as much information and incorporate it within your business.
Click the link here, and take the quiz. It's free.
mentalhealthquiz #psychosocialrisk #workplacehazard
How can you better communicate with your employees?
Communication has no hard and fast rules, and what works for one person may not work for another. We are all different, it's not one size fits all, so consider what is important to them when communicating with them.
The key to communicating effectively with your employees is understanding the different ways they communicate.
Communicate in a way that makes them feel safe, heard and respected.
communication #effectivecommunication #workplacewellbeing
Do you know how to spot signs that someone is feeling lonely and isolated at work?
Loneliness and isolation are real workplace health issues. It can be hard to distinguish the feeling of loneliness.
It's important to know when people are starting to feel isolated at work, so that we can reach out and help.
cheerupthelonelyday #loneliness #isolation #workplacewellbeing
What do rewards and recognition look like in your organisation?
To achieve good levels of rewards & recognition, both extrinsically and intrinsically, we must communicate to our people how we can serve them.
Rewards and recognition are low cost, but they bring a high impact to motivate our people.
How are you recognising good behaviour and good outcomes within your business?
recognition #rewards #workplaceculture #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
What makes you happy?
It is a common question that we get. Doing things we want at the moment can make us happy, but usually, these are short-lived.
Happiness is something that we can find in simple moments, if we choose to. And it's something we can continue to have if we are in control, we are aware and we are being intentional. So even in difficult moments in life, know that you can still choose to be happy.
happiness #joy #peace #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
How do we create habits?
When we want to start and learn something new, it's always a personal choice and it takes effort to make it work.
The first thing to do is establish a habit, eventually becoming a routine. It's a great way to achieve your goals and avoid exhaustion and stress.
habits #goodhabits #routines #stressmanagement #mentalhealth #wellbeing
How do you manage time boundaries?
People often get stressed out because they feel overwhelmed with the things they need to do.
Supporting them on how to manage their time can make them feel more fulfilled because they're getting more done in the day.
time #timemanagement #workstress #workplacewellbeing
Why are consultations necessary?
To comply with workplace health and safety, we have to encourage consultations within our teams and understand what’s going on within the workplace.
Getting excellent feedback from various people in our business shows us what we need to do to move forward and keep our people happy and safe.
consultations #safetyworkplace #healthyworkplace #workplacewelbeing
Are you aware of the unseen risks within your business?
We have to understand that there are risks and hazards that we can't see. When we start looking at what mechanisms we have in place in the business and bring transparency around this, we save our people and the company from risks.
Start seeing the unseen.
psychosocialrisks #psychosocialhazard #harrassment #safetyworkplace #workplacewellbeing
How do you monitor what you are doing with regards to EAP and peer support groups in your business?
It's really concerning that lot of companies are not extracting data and feedback from their employees.
This is crucial because this data can be useful to help your people be mentally healthy and to keep the business moving forward and show what's actually going on within your business.
data #psychosocial #EAP #peersupportgroups #mentalhealthfirstaider
How do you measure mental health and psychosocial risks in the business? Can you actually measure it?
In Proactive Action, we created the MindSafe System which collects data from the business to analyse what is actually happening.
Being data driven is crucial as it saves so much time of your team.
datadriven #psychosocialrisk #mentalhealthatwork #workplacewellbeing #mindsafesystem
We think we are doing our best to support our people, but as it turns out, there is still work related stress present in them.
So how do we help sort it out?
It's about understanding them from a psychosocial point of view on what is impacting them, what they want and need from the business, and why they want and need it.
psychosocialhealth #mentalhealth #workstress #workplacewellbeing #menshealthmonth
There is a massive stigma happening around mental health, especially in male oriented industries.
When we're looking at mental health in our workplaces, we need to look at how we break down the stigma and have an effective communication.
This video will encourage you to change the way you are communicating about mental health.
stressawareness #menshealth #mentalhealth #communicationiskey
More people are becoming more aware about the term "psychosocial risks" but not what it truly means.
There are a lot of factors that impact our mental health safety and recognising it ahead of time is important.
workstress #psychosocialrisks #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
How much time do you spend thinking or worrying about work?
Worrying is an indication that we need to do something. We need to make a choice, you can either do something to stop yourself from worrying or don't.
There's no point in worrying, so start enjoying life and spending time with people that matter.
stressawareness #workplacestress #workplacewellbeing
To keep physically healthy, we exercise and even go to a gym. But to keep our mental health healthy, there is no specific exercise to be done.
To take care of our mental health, we have to think about what things we are doing that bring a positive impact and what causes us stress.
What are you currently doing with regards to looking after your mental health?
mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing #mentalhealthatwork
How do we know if someone is stressed at work?
We can able to notice if someone isn't quite themselves if there is a change in their behaviour.
So it is important to know our people to be able to identify if there is a sudden changed in their behaviour and to know what factors that cause the stress.
proactiveaction #stressawareness #stressatwork #workplacewellbeing
Mental health is as important as physical health.
Looking after our mental health is knowing what's going on in our heads. Because what we think creates what we're feeling.
If we understand how we're thinking, we can manage our feelings better.
How are you going to be more proactive around your mental health?
proactiveaction #mentalhealth #mentalhealthatwork #workplacewellbeing
A big factor that we must consider when creating a mentally healthy workplace is a timely response to the situation.
We need to start looking at sending pulse tests or surveys to our people to see how and where they are at so we can respond to them in a timely manner.
Let's be more proactive in helping our people get the help they need and deserve.
respondingtimely #mentalhealthatwork #pulsetests #mentallyhealthyworkplace
To create a safe space in your workplace you have to encourage people to talk and listen to them sharing your own difficulties.
It builds trust and confidence that you are not going to judge them based on your assumptions and make them feel they are not alone.
How are you going to strategise around creating safe spaces in your workplace?
safespace #safeworkplace #workplacewellbeing
Most of the organisations today have already started peer support groups to make everyone feel connected with each other.
To improve the relationship within peer support groups, you need to make sure that you have a personality type that everyone will talk to.
How does your organisation's peer support group look like?
peersupportgroup #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
There's still a lot of stigma surrounding discussions and conversations about mental health, especially in the workplace.
As an organisation, how do you create an open conversation about mental health within your employees? What difficulties and challenges are you experiencing?
In this episode, I discuss some ways on how we can create that open culture around mental health within our organisation.
openculture #mentalhealthculture #workplaceculture
How do you set your priorities? Are you able to manage them?
Sometimes we get overwhelmed and stressed because we've got so much to do.
To clear our mind from stress, we have to set our priorities based on what is important.
priorities #importantpriority #stressmanagement #workplacewellbeing
Have you thought about how you are going to live a better life today?
To feel fulfilled in life, you must improve what happened yesterday and make today better.
fulfillment #livebettertoday #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
Regulating our emotions is crucial as it affects not only us but also the people around us.
This video will help you how to manage your emotions effectively for you to make better decisions.
Don’t let emotions overpower you.
emotions #reset #diaphragmaticbreathing #workplacewellbeing
Having better conversation in the workplace is vital to keeping a productive and mentally healthy environment.
To understand a person better, we need to be compassionate. This can help address situations properly and find a perfect solution to solve a problem.
Are you having difficulty with initiating conversation with your team? Let me know in the comments and watch this video to help you deal with it.
betterconversations #compassion #workplacewellbeing #mentalhealth
We always want to see our employees feel motivated and excited to do their tasks, and not just after their wages.
A great way to achieve this is by showing them purpose and their value to the organisation or the business.
Having the right purpose will give us the right direction.
How do you help your employee find their purpose?
purpose #senseofpurpose #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
We always want to have work-life balance to keep ourselves healthy and be able to spend time with our family, while being productive at work.
But we sometimes struggle to keep that balance between personal life and work.
Find out n this video how you can manage work-life balance effectively.
balance #worklifebalance #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
This month of January is financial well-being month.
It’s the perfect time to look over our finances, and check in with our team's financial well-being as well. It is important to keep on track to maintain a mentally healthy workplace.
How do you support your team and employees with their financial well-being?
Share us your thoughts, we'd love to hear them.
Financial First Aid 1800 007 007
Drug and Alcohol Foundation 1300 85 85 84
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
Relationship Australia 1300 364 277
financialwellbeing #financialhelp #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing
Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2022!
It is the time to reflect on what you have achieved last year and what you need to change or to keep on doing to achieve your goals for this year.
Settings your goals for this year will lead to new beginnings and to a healthier and more productive personal life or business.
settinggoals #newbeginnings #reflection #happynewyear2022
In the new year, let's not forget to look at what plans we've got in place with regards to having a safe and mentally healthy culture within our organisation.
Identifying hazards within your business and having proactive measures to reduce them will be a great start of the year for the employees and the business.
makingplans #newyearresolution #mentalhealthandsafety #mentallysafeworkplace
We want to wish every one a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Stay safe and see you all in the new year!
Christmas is around the corner. Some of our team members will have mixed feelings and will be struggling.
Although we can’t fix their problems we can let them know there’s dedicated support out there.
Financial first aid 1800 007 007
Drug and Alcohol foundation 1300 85 85 84
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
Gambling helpline 1800 858 858
Relationship Australia 1300 364 277
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and I wish you a prosperous New Year.
#mentalhealthatwork #mentalhealthawareness #workplacewellbeing
When we experience stress and challenges in life, we often feel lost and disconnected.
By looking at things that are important to us can help us decide how we are going to deal with difficulties and identify what is best for us.
Living within the values we believe in will make us feel fulfilled in life.
whatisimportanttoyou #values #mentalhealthatwork #mentalhealthawareness #workplacewellbeing
Have you started to reflect on what you have done and achieved this year?
It is important to have time for self-reflection to prepare ourselves for the coming year. Looking back on what has happened this year and the lessons that we have learned from our experiences may help us to plan better for the coming year.
reflection #achievement #mentalwellbeing #workplacewellbeing
How does the lack of confidence of a worker within your team affects the business?
Having confidence allows a person to utilize their skill set and innovate. It first starts within themselves but you can also help them boost it.
Here are some ways how you can improve confidence within your team.
selfconfidence #mentalhealth #workplace
Have you experienced being led by someone who micromanaged you? How does it feel?
Or are you a leader who micromanage your team? What results are you getting?
If you experienced any of these then I bet that you are not happy with the results. Micromanaging is one of the most complained management style by employees, as no one would want to work with someone who controls your every move and basically does not trust you.
It's a psychological hazard. And this will cause risks to your team and your business.
micromanaging #micromanagement #mentalhealthatwork #workplacesafety #psychosocialrisks
When was the last time you did something kind for someone?
Kindness is sometimes overlooked in a workplace because we don't see it as an important action to perform. We are more focused on getting things done at work.
Being kind to someone can encouraged them to be kind to others too and it will help create a strong relationship and positive culture in the workplace. Choose to be kind. It's free.
proactiveaction #kindness #positiveculture #workplacewellbeing #workplaceculture
Do your tasks and workload cause you so much stress? How do you handle it?
The reality is that the workload isn't really the cause of our stress. Rather, it's how we look at things with resistance. Too much stress can affect your work and productivity and it is not healthy for you.
Try to look at the reasons why it causes you stress. Acknowledge it and identify it so you can choose how to fix it and work with less stress.
proactiveaction #stressawareness #workplacewellbeing #productivity
Do you usually notice someone who seem out of sorts in your workplace? Did you do something to help them out or did you just ignore them?
If someone is struggling within your team, that individual will affect the team's behaviour and productivity; which will also put risks on the business.
But asking and supporting them on what they are struggling with will have a big impact for them to cope up with the situation.
proactiveaction #struggles #workplace
How do you foster psychological safety in your team?
What are the aspects to look out for?
Mental wellbeing is vital to maintain a healthy and safe workplace. There are many ways to promote and develop psychological safety within your team.
proactiveaction #psychologicalsafety #mentalhealth #wellbeing
As a leader, we need to secure our own well-being first to manage and support our team efficiently.
This Mental Health Week is an ideal time to think about how you are able to keep mental health safety going for you and your team at work.
This week is a good time to reflect on your situation at work and how to incorporate this realisation during this time.
proaciveaction #mentalhealthweek #healthandsafety
To have a healthy and safe workplace, we always need to consider cognitive safety.
But, as leaders, we need to understand the context of it and how it affects our business and what we can do to mitigate the risks and hazards it may cause.
Here are the things you need to consider to have a cognitively safe workplace for your team.
proactiveaction #cognitivesafety #workplacesafety
As a leader you are liable with anything that affects your team and your business. So asking questions to your team about how they are doing is also your liability.
If you find it difficult to ask, just assess the situation and your boundaries to look at the things you need to know.
proactiveaction #liability #bullyingawareness #harassmentprevention
Does bullying and harassment exist in your workplaces? Is having a set of polices against bullying and harassment enough?
To build a healthy workplace that is against bullying and harassment you must ensure that the perception, in the context of the kind of culture you want to establish, is clear.
proactiveaction #bullyingawareness #harassmentprevention
A mentally healthy workplace has a big impact on the productivity and success of every organisation.
To build a positive culture in workplaces, we must identify and measure first the risks that a business is facing then address how to sort them out.
proctiveaction #mentalhealthmeasure #mentallyhealthyworkplace #possitiveculture
We often experience being tested in life which makes us stressed and anxious.
And most of the time, we are blinded with what we should do to overcome it because we are badly affected already.
There are two ways on how to look at this.
Decide whether you want to look at it negatively OR Choose to see it as a lesson to learn from.
Let me discuss how you can get your mindset to stay curious about things you are resisting.
There are times where we feel that our life is just running past us and that we don't feel that we have any control over it.
Actually, we do.
Everything is a choice which is all within our control.
To help you get in control, try this simple technique that I personally use when I feel like things are getting out of my control.
proactiveaction #controlyourlife #braindump
Do you know much conflict is costing you and your business right now?
What can you do to lessen conflict in the workplace?
There are ways to manage conflict and improve your people's performance and mental health.
Here are some of the ways.
proactiveaction #conflictresolution #manageconflict
Every employee that leaves your company costs you time and money.
How much does losing an employee cost? How do we keep them from leaving?
Let me discuss with you in this video.
proactiveaction #productivity #workplacementalhealth
When there's too much stress in the workplace, do you band-aid it or solve the cause of the stress?
Because if you are doing the former, then you're just wasting money.
Start looking into and understanding what is actually going on in your team and you will see positive changes.
If you have any questions on how you can incorporate this practice within your business, please contact me at info@proactiveaction.co or call me on 0481 286 550 for a private and confidential conversation.
bandaidingstress #solvetherootcause #reducestress #workplacementalhealth
There are things that you can do to start improving and reducing the psychosocial risks within your organisation.
There are also ways on how you can identify high risk individuals and get them the help they need.
Will you be proactive or reactive? Will you do something before it happens?
Or wait until something happens before you do something?
proactiveaction #psychosocialrisks #beproactive
Christmas may seem a few months away, but nothing beats being prepared for the future.
Start encouraging your team to be financially ready for the holidays through this simple tip.
It will help your team to be less stressed financially and hopefully enjoy the holidays.
Reward and recognition within your business is a major factor when we're developing a mentally healthy workplace.
People will always remember how you make them feel.
So what are you doing to show appreciation? How are you recognising and rewarding your teams? How often are you doing it?
Look at how you can recognise and reward your teams and build mentally healthy, high performing teams.
Relationship is a key factor to improving the mental health risks and hazards within your business.
How do you handle your relationships within your team members and your organisation as a whole?
Know the key factor to improve mental health, risks and hazards in your business in this video.
proactiveaction #relationshipsatwork #workplacementalhealth #mentalhealthatwork #mentalhealthawareness #menshealthmonth
There's a lot of different moving facets when it comes to your team feeling supported at work.
The kind of support for one person is going to be different to the next person. And what you need right now is also going to be different to the other person. There are different things you can do as an organisation to help support them.
When your team feels supported, they can deal with the pressures of work the healthier way.
proactiveaction #support #workplacementalhealth #mentalhealthatwork #mentalhealthawareness #menshealthmonth
Breaking down the stigma is not as easy as it seems.
We can't solve other people's problems for them but we can help them.
So how can we help with their struggles?
proactiveaction #breakthestigma #breakingdownbarriers #workplacementalhealth #mentalhealthatwork #mindfulness #mentalhealthawareness #menshealthmonth
June is Men's Health Month.
How do we break down the barrier and stigma around mental health, especially with the men in our team?
Men are at greater risk of suicide but least likely to seek help. In 2011 men accounted for over three quarters (76%) of deaths from suicide. However, an estimated 72% of males don’t seek help for mental disorders (Blackdog institute).
The strongest thing you can do as a man (or woman) is to get the help you deserve. It takes courage and bravery to admit that you are not okay and need help and then a whole load more to actually ask for it.
It took me years! But once I did, it wasn't just me that benefitted, but my children and our relationship (in truth, I look back and wish I had done it years before).
There is help out there, people waiting for you, professionals, friends, family.
You are NOT ALONE!
LifeLine: 131144
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
Phone a Friend, or your GP
You've got this!
proactiveaction #menshealthmonth #breakingdownbarriers #workplacementalhealth #mentalhealthatwork #mindfulness #mentalhealthawareness #mensmentalhealth #mentalhealth
On Mental Health Awareness Week's last day, let's talk about reducing workplace bullying.
Even if there are company policies and procedures in place, these don't prevent workplace bullying. If we don’t allow a safe space for our team to voice what is happening, nothing will change. What type of culture do you want to breed?
If someone leaves due to bullying:
It will cost money and time to replace that person.
Lost productivity due to disruption and unease within the team.
Training, the decline in productivity when the new person starts while they are learning the ropes… just to mention a few
Now the question is, how can we reduce workplace bullying?
Be transparent with the policies and procedures.
Establish what your policies are and how are you communicating that on all levels. Define what bullying looks like and what it does not look like. Emphasise the repercussion. Bullying is zero tolerance. Provide a safe place for them to come and talk openly about it.
Let's start looking at how we can break these stigmas to have a positive, happy culture.
If you got any questions, always put them in the comments, and I'll be happy to answer them.
When we have something that's happening or we can see something that is coming up in the future like some deadline that we've got coming up, we start worrying about it. Sometimes we can get stressed over it, which can sometimes lead to feeling anxiety.
When we're in a higher state of anxiety, we're almost in a state of panic and it affects the way we think, the way we work and the way we interact with others. And this can show up for different people in different ways.
In this podcast, I'm going to show some easy tips on how you can feel more in control of your life.
Have you been in those situations where something's happened and your stress level literally just goes through the roof?
I'm sure that you've been in that situation where something's happened and you are just reacting. You're in that fight mode and you're just reacting to everything that's going on. Listen to this podcast for the techniques that I use to start reducing your stress now.
The three biggest stresses which I see time and time again take different forms for different people. Everything comes in all different shapes and sizes; it's just a matter of talking about it, breaking down the stigma. It is normal. Everyone suffers with these things from time to time, and it is okay and there is help out there. We want to be there to support them, for work, to be a sentry for them, and for them to enjoy to come to work and know that we've got their back.
For #mentalhealthawarenessweek, let's make mental health part of the organization's culture.
We do little flashes in the pan like "Are You Okay Day". But there's no real culture around mental health when those days aren't around. Companies struggle in creating mental health action plans. So today I'll talk about the three tips on how to make mental health a part of your culture.
- Draw out a framework then add a strategy
Look at your low-hanging fruit first. Check the things that you are doing every single week and add mental health aspect or spin to it.
- Always look at the mental health aspect.
This can help you hit the ground running. And while your team is working on that, you can then start looking at those strategies with a bigger vision.
- Be consistent.
Bring this up all the time. Consistency becomes a habit; which then will become, "It's just what we do" which will become your CULTURE.
What actions are you going to take responsibility for to develop your team?
If you would like to go deeper, contact us on 1300 114 818 to have a private and confidential conversation on your business needs and how you can move forward.
In this episode, I will tell you about psychosocial risks and how they impact your business and your people.
It's not a One Size, Fits All type of communication with your team.
As a leader, you have to learn how to contextualise.
How can you bring the topic on mental health into meetings and discussions in a contextual way to the audience you are talking to?
Let share with you more about that in this video.
proactiveaction #checkingin #mentallyhealthy #mentalhealth #wellbeing #mentalhealthawareness #mindfulness
Studies have shown that a happy workforce is 10% more productive. When someone feels safe, connected, and valued; they naturally do more for the business.
Appreciation Can Go A Long Way.
Recognising the work that your team has done reinforces positive behaviour and builds their self-confidence.
As Maya Angelou once said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Have you showed your appreciation towards someone? Or if someone has shown their appreciation for you, how did it make you feel?
Can you imagine a workplace where everyone is doing a random act of kindness to everyone else, just because?
What do you think the environment is gonna be like? What do you think is the performance gonna be like?
Tomorrow is Valentine's day and traditionally, this is an annual celebration for lovers to express their lover and gratitude to each other. But I want you to take this opportunity to show yourself some self-love. In this episode, let's talk about the importance of self-love and how it's good for our mental health.
Let's talk about some tools and tips that can improve your time management. This is crucial for your business so you can effectively prioritize your tasks and eventually achieve your goals faster.
In today's episode, I'll share ways on how companies can break the stigma and encourage their employees to use the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
In this episode, I share ways on how you build a psychologically safe workplace because this is one of the key pillars in creating a high performing team.
This is one of my favourite techniques to stop the unhelpful thoughts that run around in my head.
It's simple and easy, you don't have to listen to the 'itty bitty gritty' committee anymore!
Get back in control and focus on the positive things!
A lot of people feel that we should be happy because we've got everything we want and need. But that is tying happiness to an external thing.
Happiness is a feeling and not a thing.
We need to look at what we're doing and how it makes us feel in the present and after; and understand it.
The question stands... Does it make me happy?
Sometimes we feel like we are just existing. Just trudging along life without purpose and control.
You just want it to stop and put your feet in the ground.
Here's a simple technique on how you can regain control back.
When we're feeling exhausted from working hard all day long, all we want is some personal time and space to breathe when we get home. But sometimes it doesn't happen and we end up pushing our loved ones away.
What I get my clients to do is called 'Creating Space'.
Let me share with you some ideas on how to create that space for you.
I know it can be hard when we are working hard and feeling stressed, someone interrupts you - your reaction is short and snappy.
This easy technique will help move you from reacting to deciding, give it a go because I know you'd rather feel in control!
When our mind won't stop racing, give yourself a Brain Break - you deserve it!
Incorporating this simple technique into your day and at night as you drift off to sleep!