Anxiety is the response we have before, during or after an aversive situation. It can be triggered by our internal thoughts, or externally through the world around us.

How we experience our anxieties in and out of work can be deciphered by two major factors, either the intensity or the duration of stress in the work space. In this snack bite feature with Dr. Jodie Lowinger, find out when anxiety is normal and when it is preventing you from living to your full potential.

Jodie discusses tools and exercises that can help you adopt a growth mindset and help alleviate your anxiety. High-levels of self-expectation and setting unrealistic goals can be a major catalyst for anxiety in the workspace. Dr. Jodie gives listeners advice on the power of self-awareness in this 10 minute snack bite, and how simple breathing exercises can help you re-connect and re-engage with yourself under pressure.

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Special Guest: Jodie Lowinger

Producer: Charles Hunter

Mindfulness, your ability to focus on the present moment and cultivate self-awareness, is a powerful tool for any business.

Organisations are starting to realise the impacts of work on their employees, and how some work cultures are more synonymous with stress and mental illness than others. Organisations that don't take responsibility for the wellness of their employees at work experience higher rates of presenteeism and absenteeism and lower rates of productivity and motivation.

Doctor Jodie Lowinger is the Founder and Principal Clinical psychologist at the Sydney Anxiety Clinic. She is also a corporate psychologist and is the founder of Mind Strength consulting where she coaches businesses and executives on mind strengthening skills and techniques. With over 20 years' of industry experience, Lowinger helps workers enhance their job performance and harvest skills in mindfulness.

Mindfulness, as Lowinger describes, is the ability to be aware in the present moment, it is also a learned, and trainable skill. Implementing mindfulness in the workplace increases your ability to focus both internally and externally. It increases your job performance, your ability to pay attention; your focus and your ability to respond and not react to a crisis. It keeps you centred and grounded, especially in high-pressured, fast-paced work environments.

This podcast provides you with a 10 minute insight into the benefits of mindfulness at work, and how you can start to use it today.

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Special Guest: Jodie Lowinger

Producer: Charles Hunter

Tegan Haining is a Personal Trainer, a Fascia Stretch Therapist and an Aussie model. She is also the author of her book "The 7 Day Quickie"- a comprehensive, seven-day training program designed to help you with your health and fitness goals.

You may recognise Haining as a contestant from the 2016 season of the Australian Survivor series, or from making headlines as a personal trainer in London. She has even trained celebrity and world athlete David Beckham.

Now Haining is here to teach you four easy-t0-do techniques that can improve your strength and flexibility at the desk. Doing these postures will strengthen and improve your posture, stretch out your fascia, increase your circulation and enhance your ability to focus. You can reduce that stiff feeling you get from hunching over at a desk all day in this less than 15-minute podcast.

Get rid of your forward, rounded shoulders and tight, clenched up muscles.Listen and learn how to open up your chest, hip-flexors, peck minors and neck again. Replace the tension you feel throughout the course of the day by doing these simple, 1-minute stretches and improve your mind and body flow.

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Special Guest: Tegan Haining

Producer: Charles Hunter

In this week's podcast, find out why Matthew Kean, The Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, is building a stronger, more effective mental health care system that will help people grow and reach their full potential. Mr. Kean is in charge of three crucial areas of government in NSW, one area being work, health and safety. His concern regarding mental illness and its alarming effect on people in the workforce can be depicted in the growing rates of presenteeism, absenteeism and stress-induced fatalities seen today.

This year, more people will die from a suicide than a car accident.

Mr Kean understands mental illness and the impact it can have on a sufferer as well as various other stakeholders including the sufferer's family and friends, businesses and the wider community. In this podcast, Mr Kean opens up to Terry about losing his friend to mental illness, and why it is now his priority to make sure all Australians, everyday, leave to work and return home safely.

The impact of work-induced stress has had far-reaching consequences on the mental health of Australian workers. It is now a fact that 1 in 6 Australians of working age are suffering with a mental illness. On top of this, Mr. Kean states the average employee will spend up to one third of his life working in Australia. Concerned with the increasing prevalence of mental illness in the workforce and the amount of time we spend at work, Mr. Kean says he will use his political platform to bring about the right kind of change. This podcast discusses the need for both businesses and our government to combine efforts and make the changes necessary, to improve the mental health and wellbeing of NSW workers.

Businesses committed to investing more time and money towards the mental health of their workers receive a $4 to $1 profit based on ROI report findings. The benefits that can be acquired by investing in the mental health of Australian employees are more than just financial; they are, as Mr. Kean discusses, a service towards improving the quality of people's lives. Improving the community is imperative for Matt Kean, who openly discusses his mother's battle with mental illness, an issue both sentimental and important to him.

Most businesses lack the programs or devices capable of promoting the mental wellbeing of workers and some bosses still see mental illness as a personal, non-work issue. Matt Kean discusses the social benefits of having systems in place that will help people reach their full potential, get industry leaders on board, de-stigmatize mental illness, and drive positive changes in our culture.

Listen, and find out how and why Matt Kean is driving change towards the issue of mental health in NSW today…

In this week's podcast listen to:

• Matt Kean's areas of government (01:20)
• From UTS to the Hornsby electorate (06:30)
• Firsthand experiences with mental health (10:05)
• Kean's Maiden speech (12:05)
• Making a dent (14:43)
• What causes business reluctance? (17:17)
• The Summit and industry captains (19:00)
• Changing the culture (21:09)
• Talking about mental illness (22:30)
• The challenges for young people (23:13)
• How to get help (24:50)
• The ideal future (27:07)

What is that one, fixed thing, that everyone has in common; yet most people feel like they never get enough of?

Time.

You have probably found yourself wishing for those few extra hours at the end of a long and busy day at work.

Luke McLean-The Health & Wellbeing Manager at Cotton On, has found ways to turn your work day into a quality experience, saving your precious time through techniques that can build and maximise your own energies. Prepare yourself for an insightful podcast on employee wellness and how the company permeates positive energy throughout its culture.

The purpose at The Cotton On Group is clear; make a positive difference; whether this is achieved by providing people with quality, ethically-sourced clothing, or through their Cotton On foundation- a philanthropic program focusing on empowering local and global communities. But what the public might not be so aware of, are the positive changes that Cotton On has been making in the office. McLean talks you through some of the onsite facilities, health programs and services that Cotton On provides for their employees at head office; including an Osteopath, a beautician, walking meetings, a café and the bonding benefits of a bring-your-dog to work day. McLean is focused on aligning the company purpose to the company culture; creating a wellness environment worthy of the 2000 plus hours which he says most of us work every year. This is why Cotton On is creating facilities that can actually make a difference to the time, quality and energy present in an employee's life.

McLean, who is also the founder of Eco Life coaching, discusses how he uses eco-psychology, to create a flourishing workplace environment that encourages workers to bring their best energy to the office. Listen to how the foundations of eco-psychology can actually maximise employee energy and help you understand the nature of culture. Also listen and find out how you, as a leader, can consciously start to direct culture, and facilitate a wellness movement at work.

In this week's podcast listen to:

• Combing corporate leadership with wellness (02:50)
• Having the right intention (06:00)
• Creating culture (07:00)
• The Cotton On Group, facilities and services (10:16)
• In store yoga and bring-your-dog to work day (20:00)
• Culture as a living organism (24:00)
• Eco-psychology (25:00)

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Producer: Charles Hunter

Employee wellbeing is crucial in getting people to perform their best at work. The Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at the Commonwealth Bank, Ben Sheidow is providing employees with the resources that can help integrate better balance, health and flexibility into their busy working lives.

In this podcast, journey into the health and wellbeing culture at the Commonwealth Bank, and what the organisation is doing for their workers Australia wide. Despite being a large organisation with over 50,000 workers, Sheidow discusses why it is a priority for Commbank to focus on the needs of every individual; this means providing them with the resources that can develop their performance so they can grow within the company.

A combined mixture of traditional programs such as the "Employee Assistance Program" and the "Managerial Assistant Program" with newer programs such as the "Thrive portal" have had a positive influence on the health and wellbeing of Commbank employees, and an overall influence on the productivity and performance of the company. Listen to how Commonwealth Bank is creating a thriving corporate space with facilities that provide their employees with psychological advice, exercise and nutritional programs, wellbeing training and a private Commonwealth Bank health fund.

The Commonwealth Bank is adapting it's organisation to the wants and needs of the modern day worker. The organisation recognises that work demands can leave employees feeling time-poor, with a detrimental impact on employee mental health. The resolution? Health Hubs and an online educational program. Sheidow explains how a one-hour trip to the doctor can now be done in a four-minute health check in any one of their major capital buildings. Listen to how providing employees with onsite access to resources and information actually saves everyone, including the company, time!

And as for mental health? Their innovative online self-serve health and wellbeing portals offer employees educational training programs, articles and community services that are all personalised to suit their needs.

Listen and learn for CommBank is paving the way towards a better work place...

In this week's podcast listen to:

• From playing sport to Health Science (04:05)
• Employee programs (07:58)
• Onsite resources (10:00)
• The Thrive Portal (11:06s)
• A better work environment (12:39)
• Mentors and development opportunities (15:07)
• Collaboration and culture (20:50)

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Producer: Charles Hunter

Whether you have experienced a mental illness or not, it is likely that you know someone who has. Statistics ran by the Australian Government state that out of every 6 employed Australians, 1 is living and working with a mental illness. In today's podcast conversation, we welcome NSW's Mental Health Commissioner Catherine Lourey to a discussion on mental illness and why this is an issue for the whole community.

The impact that a mental illness can have goes far beyond the individual sufferer; it affects your family, your friends, your work and your community. Today's businesses are recognising the benefits of an office environment that promotes employee health and wellness. Mental stress caused by work can have an adverse effect on the organisation, including the rising costs of absenteeism and presenteeism, poor employee productivity and poor performance on the job. According to Lourey only 25% of Australian businesses are addressing their employee's mental health at work. This podcast discusses how organisations can take preventative action against mental illness in the workforce and why they should start to intervene.

Lourey also talks about why we need to replace societies old, limited views on mental health. According to Lourey, who has had first hand experience in human services, public policy and public housing, mental illness is a lived experience. Like any other disease or illness, mental illness is experienced differently by every individual with a different degree of impact on their life. Evidence shows that mental illness is an experience that you can recover from, and by providing sufferers with a community that facilitates and supports this process, rather than one that has been known to discriminate; people will be able to manage themselves faster.

How can government organisations, businesses and the community begin to work together to support each other's mental health and wellbeing? Lourey provides you with the characteristics of a "mentally healthy" workplace including why we need self-agency, what the right policies are, the importance of leadership, the importance of supportive colleagues and why we need to create an inclusive office space.

Our work place is essentially our community, and a great business should be able to manage the health and wellbeing of their staff.

Listen and find out how you can start contributing to a mentally healthy workplace...

In this week's podcast listen to:

• What is the NSW Mental Health Commission? (02:16)
• Building resilience (04:13)
• What is "Lived Experience"? (12:15)
• The characteristics of a mentally health workplace (16:00s)
• The flip side (17:20)
• Fighting the stigma (20:47)
• It's a community responsibility (28:49)

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Producer: Charles Hunter

In this week's podcast join Lisa Harvey, the Head of Workplace Experience at AMP, in a discussion on the modern day office.

How can the design of a work space contribute to the Organisation and it's employees?

According to Harvey and her team, employee health and wellbeing is influenced by the spatial design of the office. Consider your own experience at work- is there a space you can access for alone time or quiet thought? Are there interactive desks that help facilitate group discussions? Do you know the benefits of a standing desk or does your office receive enough natural light?

In this podcast Harvey discusses the potential of the work space. AMP's Workplace Experience team is taking this to new heights- using techniques that connect their employees, to their practices and to the culture within this space. Listen and find out how office ergonomics can change the employee experience; improve job performance, reduce stress and stimulate work output and productivity.

The employee experience and their expectations are evolving; work is no longer the unyielding process that it used to be. The advent of technology means that employees can work from virtually anywhere, with the enticement of flexible working hours. So why are HR leaders like Harvey, dissenting the importance of the office? Harvey discusses how the tangible space of the office plays a vital function, both socially and culturally, for an organisation.

What you can take from this podcast, is an understanding of the symbiotic relationship that exists between space and culture; an uplifting office space will create an uplifting culture! If a company's values are clear and in alignment with the values of the employee and with the expectations of their experience; then a company can create what Harvey discusses to be "good work".

AMP is creating a culture that accounts for the needs and desires of every individual who values the company's core purpose. Find out how you can create a work space that understands and supports the wants and needs of it's employees and harbors a positive work culture, so you too can learn how to flourish!

In this week's podcast listen to:

• Why AMP is connecting the work space, with practice and culture (5:00)
• The employee's purpose (07:45)
• A friend in uncertain times… (9:00)
• Customer's at the centre (11:45)
• Supporting a diverse workforce (14:09)
• Designing a supportive space (21:00)
• The essence of the business (27:24)
• The resilience frame (29:00)
• The office- a contributor to wellbeing (30:40)

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Producer: Charles Hunter

Assistant Commissioner Carlene York is the commander of Human Resources for the NSW police and a police veteran with over 30 years' experience. Her career is an exemplar for women who have faced and overcome some of the issues that arise for females working in a male dominated culture. In this week's podcast, York open's up to Terry about her career- from working as 1 out of 2 female officers in the 1980's to becoming the Corporate spokesperson for women in Policing. She also shares the details of what it was like to command the man hunt for Malcom Naden back in 2012. These days, the health and mental wellbeing of the NSW police is a major priority for their current Assistant Commissioner Carlene York. Police duties, as she describes, can be dramatic and violent. It is not uncommon for an officer to experience some form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after handling a disturbing case. In this week's podcast, York discusses the unforeseen nature of police work, and how society has started to change its perceptions towards mental health. With more than 30 years of police experience, York knows the psychological impact of the job and is currently using her HR role to focus on early intervention and preventative strategies. With mental illness now affecting 1 in 5 Australians, employee mental health is a trending topic for corporate leaders. Listen to how Carlene York designed a "Workplace improvement program" that not only improved the mental health of participating officers, but also improved their overall performance. Listening to this, business leaders can discover the mutual benefits of providing employees with support for their mental health at work- financial benefits included. What you can also expect in this podcast, is a discussion between York and Robson on the silent culture surrounding mental illness. Find out why old-world beliefs and masculine stereotypes still pervade the police force and prevent sufferers from getting the help that they really need. York discusses how HR can address these problems by promoting resiliency through education modules and training programs.

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Producer: Charles Hunter

We all know that human resources provides for a positive workplace environment. HR is the backbone to a successful, culturally rich organisation but how are you contributing and making your workplace more positive and inclusive? In this episode of the WellBeing GROW podcast, Terry Robson discusses the era of a new, people-based work culture with special guest speaker Jayne Ward, an international HR specialist and current Group head of performance, talent and rewards for Australia Post. Just ask yourself, are you ready to take on new opportunities at work? Could you convey your ideas to important colleagues or board members at any given moment on any given day? Do you know who you are and what direction you want to go in at work? Is your elevator pitch ready on standby? Ward discusses how one simple pitch could lead you to one amazing first impression. Having an elevator pitch can ease you into more meaningful conversations at work, and could mean avoiding all the uncomfortable, under-prepared moments. This is not to get confused with another schmooze tactic; rather it is about meaning everything you say so that you can best represent your authentic self and build more genuine relationships at work. Listen to Robson and Ward chat about the Cultural Revolution taking place in today's corporate world. Find out why a major company like Australian Post is evolving both digitally and culturally, for reasons beyond just pure innovation. Ward will tell you why employees and businesses are now looking for a sense of purpose and a way to produce work that can make a difference. Ward discusses how the mission of Australia Post - to reach the lives of every member of every Australian community - is the driving motivator of the company's staff. This shared purpose creates a positive, inclusive culture that helps brings employees closer together. Ward also encourages a corporate revolution based on respectful, human relationships; starting and enforced from the "top down." This gives a new and more profound meaning to an otherwise out of date mode of hierarchy, where CEO's are starting to lead by example amongst employees, rather than away from them. This podcast can provide listeners with the knowledge on how to define who you are at work. It gives detailed insights into the benefits of a having a shared, and collective purpose within an organisation, how top-down hierarchy creates an inclusive work culture, and why emphasising human relationships at work is crucial for corporate productivity. In this week's podcast listen to:

• Jayne's HR journey (02:46)
• What's an elevator pitch? (06:42)
• Australia Post - the largest digital workforce in Australia (12:20)
• Top-down leadership and community service (14:45)
• One size doesn't fit all (17:20)
• How to build a culture (21:13)
• Technology's influence on culture (25:40)
• Pain points (26:46)
• Inclusivity, culture and building relationships (27:37)
• Benefits (34:00)
• Impostor syndrome (35:50)

Credits

Host: Terry Robson

Producer: Charles Hunter