The Thinker: October 2024
Have COVID-19 restrictions, and even the virus itself, left us all with a debilitating workplace hangover from which we are still recovering?
While this question is framed in a playful way, it is a serious one. At ThinkWell we are hearing a fascinating range of observations about the effects of COVID-19 times on the confidence and professional competence of new graduates. We are also coming across teams who reflect that their “COVID ways” of operating, which helped them to cope between 2019 and 2022, are becoming a source of concern because of the pace of work involved and lack of opportunity to stop and think about how things have changed.
Interestingly, we are also coming across speculation about the performance of professionals new to their fields who learnt their approaches in a vastly different way during lockdowns. We are hearing the question – does their apparent ease and confidence operating in an on-line world detract from their in-person social and communication skills? What does this mean for the future of our teams? Click here to read full article.
Mental stress in the workplace is expensive
The Safe Work Australia Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Report Sept 2024 contains some striking, and some might say alarming, statistics about workplace claims in relation to mental stress. Claims for mental stress are significantly more expensive and take people out of the workplace for significantly longer periods than other workplace injuries/illness. In 2022-23:
• the median time lost from Mental Stress serious claims in 2022-23 was 38.1 working weeks. • The median compensation paid for Mental Stress serious claims in 2022-23 was $67,400 • Workplace serious claims in the Mental Stress category have increased 97.3% in the 10 years to 2022-23.
End the year with worker wellbeing a priority
As we plunge forward into the last quarter of the year we at ThinkWell Consultancy have been talking and thinking about just how demanding and stressful this time can be for professionals and service users alike. We are also mindful that this period can also be a time for social connection, celebration and joy. How is that workplaces can buffer the former and foster the latter?
ThinkWell recognises that professionals dealing with high levels of ongoing occupational stress can experience burnout and disconnection from the values and purpose that brought them into their profession in the first place. As the year draws to an end, it brings the opportunity for intentional reflection and review, elements that we know support worker wellbeing and connection. Here’s a couple of our offerings:
- We can facilitate a 2024 review for your team, drawing out the successes, achievements, learning and growth that has taken place. It’s a fabulous way to activate the reward centre in people’s brains at the same time as focussing on reflection and connection! Email us for more information and a quote.
- Our free 30min webinar on Trauma informed approaches to supporting staff wellbeing provides a great insight into some of the key principles that underpin why and how two factors - stress and reward - are such important considerations for workplaces.
ThinkWell training
We offer two workshops specifically focussed on building safe, inclusive workplaces and responding to the needs of staff working with high levels of occupational stress.
• Being well - inclusive workplaces, supportive teams and prioritising belonging • The toll it takes - vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout
For more detail on these packages go to Think Being Well
We also offer a range of half- and full-day workshops that further explore wellbeing and optimal functioning in the workplace. Email us to find out more!
Our ThinkWell emblem
Our ThinkWell emblem, the beetle, is a tiny but tough. She symbolises survival in the face of adversity, and the ability to adapt to change. Beetles have been revered by cultures over the ages for their apparent fragility, which is really a mask for their innate capacity to evolve and thrive. Just like humans, beetle communities are woven from a complex web of interconnected relationships. Like us, they work best when they work collectively. At ThinkWell we draw inspiration from the beetle’s unique ways, and believe they parallel the methods we use to promote optimal functioning and resilience for professionals.
We are calling on all of our wonderful friends, colleagues and clients of Thinkwell to help us name the ThinkWell Beetle. She (yes, she!) needs an identity, and like most responsible parents, we’re turning to the internet for advice. We have some options for you to consider, as well as a chance to use your own creative genius. Suggestions close in mid-November, so please get in before then - Click here to vote!
The brain building bit
We love sharing resources and the good things that are happening!
We’ve been enjoying exploring the wealth of resources about Psychological Safety on the LeaderFactor website (https://www.leaderfactor.com/)
This recent guide “Do you actually care about your team? What’s missing from traditional EQ frameworks” supports leaders to explore whether they are genuinely demonstrating care for their team members through their behaviour, values and interactions.