Two Chairs’ Post

When your office is shut down due to roof remediation works for extended period, how do you keep the team collaborating together and face-to-face to avoid seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during Canberra winter? You secure a sun-filled open space in Kambri, kickstarting cross-functional teamwork and providing post system release hyper-care on sterile. Getting different teams working on common goals to work side by side drives rapid idea generation, troubleshooting, fosters building of trust, and keeps the teams engaged, motivated, and in a positive mindset. I see the office shutdown as opportunities rather than as a roadblock. It gives me the chance to be creative about work arrangement and social activities for the teams, and this is a true testament to the adaptability to the high-trust team supporting research systems at ANU.

Ever had an uncomfortable situation at work, and wondered, "Is that OK?" or "How should I handle this?" You are not alone, and you can help others get through their tough situation by participating in this survey at https://tough.day #toughday

The McLeod Health Workforce Development team uses a people-first approach for aligning individuals with a health career path that provides long-term success. How exactly does this work? Find out here: https://ow.ly/77T750PiBua.

Gen AI, automation, organizational demographics, changing organizational structures/priorities and post pandemic work styles have made navigating the workplace more challenging and it's only going to accelerate from here. This is likely to mean more tough days are coming but with a trusted confidential resource at your disposal that leverages world renowned thought leaders resiliency may just be a few keystrokes away. Check out this survey to share your thoughts and try this new tech out yourself!

As we enter Youth month, here is a sweet reminder to treat our young co-workers how we would like to be treated or how we wished someone treated us when we started your first job: “Don’t be a toxic co-worker. Work with passion and kindness regardless of ranks, statuses or positions, we are all employees working for the same company and the same CEO. Don’t be the reason why someone else is going through a stressful time feeling undeserved, demotivated, depressed, burnout, anxious, an outcast and insecure. Don’t be the reason why your co-worker loses their self-confidence and faith in their capabilities to execute their job. Don’t be the reason why your co-worker calls in sick every week just because the working environment is unbearable. Don’t be the reason your co-worker cannot voice their concerns or suggestions to improve the working conditions or add value to projects, everyone deserves to be heard and seen. Don’t be the reason your co-worker doesn’t get their desired promotion that they work hard for. Show empathy and support while remaining teachable, we never too good to be bad or never too bad to be good, we never too old to learn new tricks. As humans, we learn everyday. Create a safe and inclusive environment, it’s not only HRs job to create safe spaces, it’s our responsibility as a team to create inclusive environments as we are a diverse people from different backgrounds and cultures working together towards a common goal. We are all fighting silent battles, our world is chaotic enough. It’s doesn’t cost you anything just to be kind to another. You don’t have to be friends. Just be kind! Lastly, dont project your fearful nature of growth onto a growth mindset. Their is ENOUGH space and resources for everyone to grow in the workforce.”

How does feeling alone at work influence employee behaviors? What does feeling isolated at work mean, and can lonely employees retaliate? These were some of the questions that inspired me to explore social isolation in the workplace and workplace deviance behaviors. I am excited to announce that my flash talk, Feeling Isolated and Coping at Work: Engagement in Workplace Deviance Behaviors, has been selected for presentation at the annual Association for Psychological Science (APS) convention in May in San Francisco. I am looking forward to discussing the research I conducted with Lucy Jdanova.

Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed at work? You’re not alone. A survey across the US, UK, Canda and Australia found that: 52% of employees “always” or “often” feel exhausted. 43% of employees “always” or “often” feel overwhelmed. Join us for a practical discussion with the talented Dr. Iona Naismith about how best to support yourself and others, no matter what you are facing at work. https://shorturl.at/oqu12

Do you know what's keeping your employees up at night? Register for our #MercerLive on November 15 featuring Kate Brown, Katie Hockenmaier and Megan Connolly, with host Lauren Mason to find out. #FutureofWork #HumanResources #EmployeeExperience

Do you know what's keeping your employees up at night? Register for our #MercerLive on November 15 featuring Kate Brown, Katie Hockenmaier and Megan Connolly, with host Lauren Mason to find out. #FutureofWork #HumanResources #EmployeeExperience