by Grace | Dec 21, 2021 | Workplace Education
Christmas, New Year and the start of January is a common time for many workplaces to take the foot off the pedal and enjoy a few weeks holidays. No doubt you have managed to relax, enjoy some family time and perhaps complete a project at home you’ve been meaning to do.
Returning to work and a routine after holidays can sometimes be less than appealing – here’s some skills and tools that will help you get motivated in no time:
- Get an early start – Prepare for your first day. Get an early night before and turn up to work a little early. This will help you get a head start on the many emails to catch up on.
- Have a small to-do list: Utilise the first part of your day to plan your day. Block out a couple of hours (or the morning) to go through and action all your emails. Make a small to-do list to achieve for the day. Make sure you include a few ‘fast wins’ to quickly tick off your list.
- Plan – Plan out as much as you can for the following week and month, before working backwards and filling in the smaller items your plan needs. It’s easier to stay motivated when you can see progress.
- Prioritise – Set your priorities and have an estimated time to complete them – try to achieve a few ‘small wins’ first and tackle a few ‘frogs’, the larger more-time consuming tasks.
- Take your breaks – Take regular breaks to clear the head – possibly treat yourself to lunch your first day back.
- Communicate with your colleagues and customers – It’s a good idea to touch base with your co-workers and boss to let them know what you’re working on. You should also connect with your best clients to let them know they are at the top of your mind but you need to catch up after holidays and will be back in touch with them soon.
by Grace | Dec 21, 2021 | Workplace Education
We all have our personal new year resolutions that typically comprise a variation of lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking.. What about your new year resolutions within your workplace? Our career goals are just as important to continually challenge ourselves so we don’t become complacent.
We’ve come up with some examples to help you create your own workplace new years resolutions:
- Upskill – challenge yourself to complete an online or face to face course which will help you develop further skills in your field and who knows, it could get you that promotion you’ve been looking for!
- Update your social media profiles – Take a look at your online profiles (eg. Linked In, company website, etc). Is the information in line with your professional image and is it up to date with your skills and expertise?
- Give credit when credit is due – Uplift your work colleagues by recognising when they do really well at work. Not only will this improve your workplace morale, it will make you and your colleague feel good and motivate you both to continue to strive for success.
- Improve your to-do lists – Your current to-do lists may entail post it notes scribbled with random information that always seem to disappear. Maybe it’s time to find a new method that works for you, such as an excel spreadsheet or a to-do note pad which you update everyday. You will feel more productive and on top of your game.
- Develop new connections – Make it your goal to network and develop new contacts within the industry this year. This may involve attending networking events or connecting with peers online – all of which will help improve your social and professional skills, give you credibility and help you create valuable relationships.
- Rethink your professional goals – Having professional goals can help you advance your career. Think about what you want to achieve in 2022 to develop your career, get a promotion or move into a different area of work.
- Pack your lunch – This not only helps you make healthier choices when meal prepping and packing your lunch every day, it also helps you save money!
- Exercise at work – We don’t mean hit the gym in your lunch break (although for some this may be possible!). We mean walk a couple of blocks at lunch or park further away from work to help you achieve the recommended 10,000 steps per day.|
- Improve your work-life balance – Sit back and assess whether your work-life is imbalanced, and prioritise the areas you would like to work on. Whether it’s spending more time with your family after work or dropping the kids at school every morning on your way to work to spend quality time with the kids. A work-life balance makes us happier and often more productive in the workplace!
- Clean out your physical and digital cabinets – Anything not needed anymore, delete or burn!
- Do something at work for YOU everyday – A walk a lunch, perhaps a coffee break for mid-morning to refresh your mind, take time out in the afternoon for 5 minutes for a quick meditation session to gather your thoughts – all these things generally make you more productive and fulfill your day-to-day needs;
by Grace | Nov 30, 2021 | Uncategorised
Christmas is all about enjoying time with your friends and families! With a good ol’ Aussie BBQ, multiple roasts, desserts +++, alcohol… it’s an easy time to gain 5kg’s before you know it!
Just remember – balance is OK. You can still enjoy your good food and wine, keeping in mind not to go overboard.
According to Nutritionist Steph Wearne, here’s 6 tips you can do to prevent weight gain over the silly season:
- Stick to a portion plate:
‘Every time you sit down to a meal, try and make it ¼ plate protein, ¼ plate complex carbohydrates, ½ plate of vegetables and 1-2 tablespoons of healthy fats’ Steph suggests. Cooking at home makes this easy, however often during December we have more commitments than usual and are going out for dinner more often. When this happens, Steph recommends you still take into account the ideal portion sizes and order extra vegetables or salad while out at a restaurant.
- Keep active:
Your normal routine may be interrupted over Christmas time, but it is possible to keep active. ‘Instead of meeting a friend for a wine, go for a walk instead. Instead of visiting family at a house, suggest to meet at the beach’ Steph said.
- Meal Prep: Whilst it sounds like hard work, meal prepping during the Christmas season will help your waistline. Get organised on a night you have no plans and keep your food in the fridge or freezer when you need it. ‘Make your freezer your best friend and that way you keep healthy meals, snacks or even just frozen veggies on hand to whip up a healthy dinner in no time’ Steph recommends.
- Keep snacks on hand:
This can get you out of trouble when you’ve been tied up at work, or stayed longer than anticipated at an afternoon work catch up. ‘I’m talking a small handful of nuts, some veg with nut butter or hummus, protein balls or just a piece of fruit’ Steph said.
- Eat before finger food events:
Finger food events are tricky, as you never know what food will be available. The nutritionist recommends eating something before you go to such an event so you can politely decline anything too fatty or fried.
- Keep your alcohol intake minimal:
It’s the alcohol calories that really add up. Give yourself a drinks limit for events, which will help your weight over the Christmas period. Steph suggests in her blog – ‘The best thing you can do is to keep hydrated. This means a water between alcoholic drinks but also choosing drinks that are served with mineral/soda water is helpful’.
by Grace | Nov 30, 2021 | Uncategorised
Australian summers are hot, and a lot of us have jobs where we are required to be outside such as construction workers, farmers and even jobs that require a lot of travel in the car. As well as being sun smart, we all also need to be aware of heat-related illnesses and how to combat these working in the heat.
What is heat-related illness?
According to safework.nsw.gov.au (2021), if the body has to work too hard to keep cool, it starts to overheat and a worker begins to suffer from heat-related illnesses. Heat related illness is a term used to describe a range of conditions, including:
- Dehydration;
- Fainting;
- Heat rash;
- Heat cramps;
- Heat exhaustion;
- Heat stroke;
What are some warning signs of heat-related illnesses?
- Extreme high body temperature
- Hot, dry skin
- Increased heart and respiration rates
- Throbbing headache, nausea and vomiting
- Weakness, fainting or dizziness
- Muscle cramps
- Dark-coloured urine
- Confused, hostile or seemingly intoxicated behaviour
- Pale or bluish skin colour
- Seizures or unconsciousness
How to manage heat-related illnesses:
What should you do if you or if you noticed somebody in your workplace suffering from heat-related illnesses?
- Medical help – onsite first aid or an ambulance if necessary
- Move to an air-conditioned environment or a cool, shaded area;
- Loosen or remove any unnecessary clothing;
- Drink plenty of cool water;
- Fan and spray with cool water;
How can you protect yourself from a heat-related illness?
- When possible, avoid working in hot areas with full sun;
- Take frequent breaks;
- Use sunscreen and reapply as directions state;
- Cover up with a long-sleeve shirt and hat;
- Increase fluid intake;
- Avoid alcohol and excessive caffeine;
- Reduce activity when exposed to heat;
- Use a buddy system to watch for symptoms;
How can employers protect their workers against heat stress?
- Train employees in heat stress awareness and first aid;
- Provide drinking water;
- Provide rest breaks and air conditioned rest areas;
- Post urine colour chart in washrooms to raise awareness about hydration;
- Use machines to reduce physical demands at work;
- Schedule most strenuous work to cooler times of the day;
by Grace | Nov 30, 2021 | Workplace Education
Whilst Christmas is weeks away, it also approaches very quickly. While you are wrapped up in your Christmas preparations, we’ve created a list of 10 things to do before the man in red comes down your chimney!
- Organise or attend your work Christmas party – Christmas parties are a great way to acknowledge all hard work put in for the year and attending them helps build relationships in a relaxed, non-working environment. You might even organise a Secret Santa to add to the excitement! Ideas include a Christmas work lunch on the waterfront, or after work drinks down Little Malop Street.
- Decorate your home/desk – Get into the Christmas spirit and put up your Christmas tree at home, and maybe some tinsel on your desk chair!
- Volunteer – Whilst you shouldn’t wait until Christmas to volunteer, Christmas is a very good time to do so! There are meal programs or soup kitchens, gift wrapping or administration roles you can do to share the Christmas spirit!
- Rather than buying expensive gifts, give a thoughtful one! A personal item that reflects the recipients tastes or interests will always be well received!
- Bake some Christmas goodies for your workplace – Mini Christmas puddings, ginger bread men, Christmas cake – share the excitement in the office!
- Make a Christmas holiday playlist – 10 points if it features Mariah Carey and Michael Buble’.. music is apart of our lives. Play it around the house or in the office.
- Wrap some presents! – Gift wrapping is one of the most exciting parts about Christmas. Offer to help your loved ones wrap any if they have a lot on their plate.
- Watch a Christmas classic – We can’t go past our favourites – ‘Home Alone’, ‘The Grinch’ and ‘Love Actually’.
- Attend your local Christmas Carols – Join your community in a night singing Christmas Carols – Geelong hold carols by Candlelight, and your smaller community hold carols nights at the local footy clubs/schools.
- Go Christmas light watching – Look up the best streets in your community and cruise the streets watching the sparkly Christmas light decorations.