Mental Health Awareness Week is only a month away, and this provides an ideal opportunity to promote initiatives that improve workplace wellbeing. This year’s theme is Top Up Together, and encourages everyone to connect with others as a fundamental way to improve daily wellbeing. It's not too late to get in touch to book in a webinar or training session with Umbrella during the week. You can also read below to find out more about our free webinars we'll be hosting during the week for workplaces and all New Zealanders.
The Umbrella team has organised two free lunchtime webinars to be run during Mental Health Awareness Week. These webinars bring together experts in workplace wellbeing to discuss the latest in wellbeing and behavioural science and clinical and organisational psychology.
“Top up together by putting wellbeing first at work” When: noon to 1pm, Tuesday 7 October. Speaker: Dr Dougal Sutherland, Prinicipal Clinical Psychologist Description: Dougal will unpack the formula for embedding an authentic wellbeing culture at work, including normalising conversations about mental health; share evidence-based examples of team practices that put wellbeing first; discuss common barriers to prioritising wellbeing at work and how to overcome them; and suggest ways to “top up together” at work.
“Top up together with the power of tiny habits” When: noon to 1pm, Friday 10 October. Speaker: Dr Barbara Rysenbry, Clinical Psychologist, Umbrella. Description: Barbara will unpack the basics of habit formation, neuroplasticity and behavioural science; share evidence-based examples of wellbeing habits that boost mental health and wellbeing; discuss common barriers to habit formation and how to overcome them; and suggest ways to “Top Up Together” at home, at work, and in the community.
When living with physical or emotional pain, we can get caught in the trap of waiting for “rock bottom” before taking action. While hitting a true low point can provide a stimulus for change, it also means we experience significant harm and distress while we are in the phase of “coping” or “just holding on.”
A much more preferable approach is to facilitate change early, before reaching “rock bottom”. Look for the early warning signs of pain or distress with the aim of reaching readiness for change before getting to that tipping point.
Early intervention for addictive behaviours For some of us, drinking, drug use, gambling or other addictive behaviours can be a path to “rock bottom.” Umbrella provides an early intervention service for drug or alcohol use to empower healthier choices before behavioural patterns become harmful. You can find out more about our drug and alcohol early intervention support here.
Enhanced EAP can help Workplaces have an obligation to support the wellbeing of their employees, and take all practical means to help them stay well away from their “rock bottom.” An employee assistance programme (EAP) is a tool employers can invest in to support their employees, providing confidential short-term counselling to promote wellbeing. Umbrella provides an accessible, impactful and proactive Enhanced EAP to employers across New Zealand. Enhanced EAP does more than just tick the box for an EAP service; instead, we provide targeted, effective support for overall mental wellbeing. Learn more about Enhanced EAP here.
IT'S TIME TO NORMALISE WORKPLACE WELLBEING CONVERSATIONS
A key step in building and maintaining workplace wellbeing is to normalise discussing this subject. When people are happy and proactive in approaching the subject of wellbeing, it’s so much easier to take early and effective measures to prevent problems from escalating.
Umbrella has a range of trainings and workshops that help build skills in approaching these topics and ensuring that wellbeing is always on the agenda. Our Psychological First Aid e-learning is designed for people leaders to increase their confidence and competence in identifying and managing stress and mental health problems in their people. Resilience Training in the Workplace gives participants practical skills and evidence-based strategies to stay psychologically well – even under stress.
The Together: Te Oranga o te Katoa book is an exciting resource for fostering mentally healthy workplaces, weaving Te Whare Tapa Whā and psychological research together to support individual and collective wellbeing. It is available for purchase in conjunction with our Together: Te Oranga o te Katoa training, or as a stand-alone purchase.
Are pets as good for our wellbeing as we like to think? - There’s a common belief that having a pet is good for one’s wellbeing. You often hear stories about how looking into a dog’s eyes gives you an emotional boost or that using real and fake animals in rest homes boosts residents’ moods, but it turns out it’s not a guaranteed path to better mental health – reality is more nuanced.
The long-term effects of everyday stressors - Dr Dougal Sutherland joined Jack Tame to discuss the long-term impact of everyday stressors and what can be done to mitigate potential harm.
