Be Well

A couple of weeks ago, an event titled ‘Wellbeing Week’ popped up in my diary. I was intrigued, as I wasn’t aware of Australia running such an initiative. It turns out that they don’t, it was my children’s school dedicating a week to this topic...fortunately my wife is organised when it comes to school calendar events!

Upon googling Wellbeing Week, I learnt that it is an initiative of the Mental Health Foundation targeted at schools, with the aim of providing young people with the tools and knowledge to help manage their mental health. They focus on five key areas, including Connect, Get Active, Be Mindful, Keep Learning, Give to Others. I liked it, so we gave it a shot at The Grants Hub.

It was so interesting dedicating a week to this topic within our workplace. Sure, it’s something that we intentionally aim to integrate into our work at The Grants Hub, but it was different when we all focussed on it more intently. Many interesting conversations arose. For some, they commented on how they find it somewhat uncomfortable to do things that help them relax, as their brain is always thinking of the next thing they want to do! As a result, they have learnt simple strategies such as ‘booking in’ time to rest and invest in relaxation. For others, they spoke about how they deal with anxiety, including a simple check-in system where they periodically rank how they’re travelling out of 10. Others admitted to wellbeing not being a strong point and that they just wanted to do a lot of listening. At the end of the week, each team member took some work time off to chill out and invest in their health. For some, it involved heading out for a relaxed drive to their favourite shop, for others reading a book, and yet again others just hanging out with their dogs. When tackling this topic, there was no right or wrong. It was honest, and there was a level of vulnerability. It was different, but it was good. 

When I think about it, I’m not quite sure that we invest enough in wellbeing in Australian workplaces and my children’s Wellbeing Week certainly challenged me in this regard! If kids need to be intentional about this, surely we as adults do too? When I think back to my time at school, those five key focus areas which the Mental Health Foundation prioritise came so naturally. Connecting with friends, being active in the playground, having opportunities to be mindful, the learning that took place in each subject, and learning to do good for other’s sake...they just happened so easily! But as adults, I think these kinds of activities can easily slip our radar, and we don’t get to our wellbeing because we’re too busy. Isn’t it crazy...we’re too busy to be well!

So, from this year onwards, The Grants Hub has decided to schedule in an annual Be Well Week, and I’d encourage other workplaces to do something similar. We have no idea where exactly this will take us, but that's part of the fun of it, and we’re excited about the prospect of all of us being better off as a result. It may be small, but we hope it sends a clear message to everyone within our team that being well matters to us. 

Justin Ballantyne
Operations Manager