Forensic Psychologist, Luke Broomhall joins us in the latest instalment of the COVID-19 Wellbeing – Interview Series. Mr Broomhall shares his tips and advice for leaders, managers and team members on how they can look after their own mental health and that of others.

How can leaders check in on the mental health of their team members?

Mr Broomhall urges us to look out for behaviours that sit outside the norm for that person, such as bouts of tearfulness, withdrawal, or anger. If so be prepared to sit down and open up a conversation with this person on the behaviours, you have noticed.

You might like to start the conversation by saying…

“  [Name} I have noticed lately that you seem a bit more [describe the behaviour e.g. withdrawn and quiet] and [these goals or items haven’t been met] and I’m a bit concerned about you and I just want to know if you’re okay and if there’s anything I can do?”

The role of the manager or leader when handling the response to this question is to have a human response grounded in empathy, but to also understand what they can and can’t control, and in turn to provide resources for the individual to access that will support them. When you encounter a strong emotional response from an individual you can respond to them as described below:

1. Demonstrate empathy for the emotion that is occurring by acknowledging the emotion exists and that you can see that they are experiencing this.
2. Affirm that their experience of this emotion is valid and okay, and that you are there to listen and help in whatever ways that you can control.

“I understand you are feeling this way, tell me more about your experiences and what you are going through at the moment”

1. Take the time to listen and not jump in too soon with solutions.
2. Act to change what you can for the wellbeing of the individual and provide access to support resources and persons as needed.

Returning to the Workplace

In the transition back into the physical workplace there are several measures and tips that leaders and managers can employ to ease people into the ‘new normal’ of post-COVID-19 work.

• Be patient while employees’ transition.
• Ensure workplaces do not grow complacent with preventative COVID-19 measures.
• Be aware that not all staff members will be positive about the return to the workplace and should be aware of this as a flag for potential issues around conflict, bullying and other concerns.
• Encourage the access of Employee Assistance Programs for early intervention.
• Develop and grow the mental health literacy of leaders and managers.

How Can We Help a Colleague or a Friend Who is Struggling?

We all want to be able to help and support our friends and colleagues when we can see they may be experiencing mental distress. Mr Broomhall shares that we can all take an active role in checking in with others during this time, but firstly you must:

1. Fit your own oxygen mask first – make sure you are in a balanced and centered place and ask yourself continuously ‘Am I coping okay myself?’, as it is very hard to look after other people if we are in a difficult space ourselves.
2. Focus on the behaviours you can see when discussing your concerns, refrain from saying that they seem more depressed or anxious, instead note that they may have been more withdrawn tearful, etc.
3. Provide an opportunity for them to speak openly with you, for example go for a casual coffee or walk together building on social connection.

Grow Your Mental Health Literacy

Emotional intelligence and mental health literacy are capabilities that can be fostered and developed over our lifetime. Even if you currently struggle in these areas, rest assured that with some effort you can grow your confidence and skill. We encourage you to explore the below professional development opportunities which cover essential strategies in developing mental health literacy and emotional intelligence….

• Emotional Intelligence and Beyond (online) | 4 SEP 
• Maintaining Positive Focus in Changing Environments (face-to-face)| 17 NOV 
• Performance Management for Leaders (face-to-face) | 24 NOV

If you have had a chance to view this interview, please provide your thoughts here.

The Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) will be presenting a three-part webinar series on ‘Leading People Through Disruption’, beginning on 25 August 2020.

The series will be presented by Dr Jo Cribb — one of the youngest people ever appointed as a chief executive in the New Zealand public service in 2012. Her work has focused on advancing the cause of vulnerable in society, spearheading some of the most difficult issues of our time, including child abuse, child poverty, family violence and vulnerable women.

The webinar series will give participants insights into how to make decisions during a time of crisis and maintain an inclusive and positive style of leadership.

Dr Cribb said that effective leaders created change in a values-based way, and the best were able to empower their staff and admit the limits of their own knowledge and ability.

‘Leadership is about mobilisation, bringing people together and making things better than they were before. You can have that influence at every level and everyone can be part of the leadership team’.

Dr Cribb also said that organisations were too complex and the problems that they had to deal with were too difficult for one person to have all the answers. Leaders needed to be honest and admit they don’t know everything —something particular true in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.

‘It is really important for authorities to be honest about what they don’t know when they communicate with the public.

This has been the experience in New Zealand and it has actually strengthened trust in government. We have been able to communicate really complex judgement-based policies and do so effectively.’

The first webinar will focus on leading people through disruption (25 August 2020).

The second webinar will explore what it means to be an inclusive leader under pressure (3 September 2020).

And the third webinar will look at ways to build an inclusive culture during crises (17 September 2020).

Those interested in participating in this series can register on the ANZSOG website.

Author: Frank Exon, Executive Director, IPAA National

For Chief Executive, Department for Health and Wellbeing, Dr Chris McGowan, the pandemic response has been a showcase of collaboration and innovation. In this Virtual on the Couch interview, Dr Chris McGowan discussed how his department structured their response to the COVID-19 pandemic by identifying 6 streams of work to achieve their 3 goals being “Flatten the Curve, Optimise the Public Health System and Keep Public Confidence”. Dr McGowan was interviewed by Tricia Tebbutt, Partner, PwC, where they explored Dr McGowan’s insights into the pandemic and responded to questions from the IPAA SA community and broader public sector.

Questions to Dr McGowan included…

• Looking back on the last 3 months, what where the biggest challenges you faced and how did you respond?
• Communication is key. What are some examples of how you communicated with your team and the wider SA Community?
• What was it like in your department during the early weeks of the pandemic?
• Where there some surprises during the early weeks that you weren’t expecting?
• What do you think are some of the opportunities that have occurred that you want to take with you into the future?
• What did you learn about yourself as a leader over the last few months?
• How do you think SA can help demonstrate further support in developing leadership and emerging future leaders?
• What’s the focus and priorities of SA Health over the next 6 months as we move into recovery?
• What do you think would be the lasting legacy of COVID-19, both positive and negative?
• The stabilization of the COVID-19 situation means moving from prioritizing suppression to focusing on detection to protect SA as we move into the recovery period.

As highlighted by Dr McGowan, support for emerging and developing leaders is essential. Learning and capability development is an important steppingstone in the leadership journey, providing the opportunity for self-reflection and growth. If you would like to learn more about leadership training opportunities are available both through the South Australian Leadership Academy and IPAA SA.

If you have watched this interview please feel free to leave your feedback and comments here.

Chief Public Health Officer, SA Health, Professor Nicola Spurrier has joined us virtually ‘On the Couch’ to share how the response to COVID-19 has evolved over the course of the year, and in turn what the future may look like as we face a new “normal”. Professor Spurrier highlights the fantastic work of her team and supporting organisations, as well as the commitment of everyone in the state to suppressing the spread of the virus through social distancing and other restrictions.

“we have a great community here….I had a sense that people would understand, get together and be able to do what was needed”

Professor Spurrier was interviewed by Adelaide Managing Partner, PwC, Jamie Briggs, where they explored responses to the following questions.

• How regularly do novel coronaviruses appear? Is this one particularly virulent?
• Why did we do so well in South Australia [in our response to COVID-19]?
• Was the success of the COVID-19 response common across the country or unique to SA?
• How much more do we know now, than January 1st about the virus?
• How much work went into the preparing for the pandemic in early 2020 as the virus situation developed?
• How much is the national group learning from the outbreak in other places around the world, where there isn’t as much control?
• Where is the vaccine and where are the treatments? Where do you think we are at?
• Is where we are at, where you think we will stay for the next 6-months according to the Transition Committee?
• Being front and centre of the media’s interest how have you handled the attention over the last few months? How has that impacted on you personally?
• Do you think that COVID-19 will have longer time impacts on the way that we live?
• Are you worried about a breakout here – if it does happen as in Melbourne?
• Is Winter and cold and flu season going to impact the pandemic situation? Are people able to get the virus twice?
• In a world where global pandemics and the like may become more common, do you think there will be more of an emphasis on public health in the coming years?
• How does a good and bad scenario for Victoria play out from this point forward?
• Looking back would you do anything differently?

Leave your feedback on this event here.

In a recent address to staff of the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, IPAA National President, Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM, spoke about the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public services across Australia, and highlighted the importance of telling the stories of public service at the state, territory and national levels.

WE SHOULD CELEBRATE PUBLIC SERVICE

Gordon began by congratulating and thanking the public servants of Queensland and of Australia for their work during the pandemic:

‘You’ve made a profound contribution during a major health, social and economic crisis to protect and improve the lives of the Queensland and the Australian people — well done, and thank you.’

Gordon paid tribute to the speed, collaboration, and effectiveness that public services across Australia have shown in delivering their governments’ responses to COVID-19, and their capacity to ‘think creatively and to act, to change quickly and to do things differently’.

He recognised the importance of digital technology in dealing with the pandemic, both in alternatives to face-to-face engagement and in rapidly making more data available to inform government decision making. And he observed that ‘ministers and public servants have found that they could only do their job with others: be it within their own government, other governments in the federation, or with business and the community’.

Read the full article for free on the IPAA National Website.