A shared commitment to wellbeing
Why does wellbeing in the workplace matter to you?
For us at Hodgkison, wellbeing is fundamental to creating a healthy and sustainable practice. We recognise that our people are at the heart of everything we do, and their wellbeing directly influences how they experience work, collaborate with others, and ultimately deliver for our clients.
A very important part of our philosophy is ‘family first’, with flexibility to attend family commitments, school events, appointments, and other important personal commitments wherever possible. We believe that supporting people in their lives outside work ultimately helps them bring their best selves to work.
What wellbeing initiatives or programs (formal or informal) have you put in place to support your people?
We have a combination of formal and informal initiatives. One of our key formal supports is our Employee Assistance Program through the ACA, provided by TELUS. It is available 24/7 to our employees and their immediate families, providing confidential support when they need it.
Importantly, it is also available to managers and leaders who may need support when dealing with staff issues, managing workplace pressures or simply managing their own stress.
We also place significant emphasis on workload and resourcing. Every Friday, we hold a resourcing meeting chaired by our Managing Director. It provides an opportunity to look at current and upcoming workloads, identify pressure points, understand where individuals or teams may be under stress, and consider whether work needs to be redistributed or priorities adjusted.
Recognition and connection are also important. We have monthly staff celebrations, where we recognise birthdays, work anniversaries, and other milestones. These provide a regular opportunity to stop, acknowledge, and celebrate together. We also have team celebrations around key points in the year, including an end-of-financial-year lunch followed by a day off, and a Christmas lunch followed by a day off.
These are simple initiatives, but they give everyone an opportunity to pause, connect and celebrate what we have achieved together.
What initiative or change has had the greatest impact, and what have you learned from implementing it?
I would say that creating greater awareness that wellbeing is a shared responsibility, rather than something owned solely by HR or management, has had the greatest impact.
Our weekly resourcing process has been particularly valuable because it helps us identify workload and stress points proactively. Rather than waiting for someone to say, ‘I’m overwhelmed’, it is a regular forum to consider whether workload, deadlines and available resources are balanced.
The EAP has also been an important part of our wellbeing framework because it gives employees, their immediate families, and our leaders access to confidential professional support at any time.
We have also learned that wellbeing is not always about large initiatives.
Sometimes it is a birthday celebration, acknowledging a work anniversary, giving someone the flexibility to attend their child’s school event, or simply giving people permission to take a proper break.
What support structures are in place for practice owners when they are dealing with difficult periods, such as financial pressure, workload challenges, or staff issues?
The weekly resourcing meeting provides an established forum for discussing workload pressures and resourcing challenges, while our leadership and management discussions provide a broader forum for financial, operational and people matters.
The EAP is another important support structure.
The fact that TELUS provides confidential 24/7 support to managers and leaders as well as employees and their immediate families is valuable because difficult staff or workplace situations can be stressful for the person managing them as well.
Ultimately, we try to create an environment where difficult issues are raised early rather than allowing them to become bigger problems.
How do you recognise when someone – including a leader – may be struggling, and what advice would you offer other practices about the best way to respond?
There is no single sign. Sometimes it is a noticeable change in someone’s behaviour, communication, engagement, performance or interaction with colleagues. Sometimes it is someone becoming unusually quiet, withdrawn or overwhelmed. This is why regular contact is important.
Our weekly resourcing discussions provide one formal opportunity to identify workload concerns; however, the informal conversations that happen throughout the week are equally important.
What prompted your practice to sign up for the ACA’s EAP service, and what has been your experience with the service?
The ACA’s EAP service through TELUS provided a practical way for us to offer that support as part of our broader wellbeing framework. The 24/7 availability is particularly valuable, and the fact that the service extends to employees’ immediate families means that it recognises that what happens outside the workplace can also affect a person’s wellbeing at work.
At Hodgkison, the EAP is ultimately about giving our people another avenue of support when they need it, while continuing to focus on creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and able to put family first without compromising their professional contribution.
How do you recognise when someone – including a leader – may be struggling, and what advice would you offer other practices about the best way to respond?
There is no single sign. Sometimes it is a noticeable change in someone’s behaviour, communication, engagement, performance or interaction with colleagues. Sometimes it is someone becoming unusually quiet, withdrawn or overwhelmed. This is why regular contact is important.
Our weekly resourcing discussions provide one formal opportunity to identify workload concerns; however, the informal conversations that happen throughout the week are equally important.
What prompted your practice to sign up for the ACA’s EAP service, and what has been your experience with the service?
The ACA’s EAP service through TELUS provided a practical way for us to offer that support as part of our broader wellbeing framework. The 24/7 availability is particularly valuable, and the fact that the service extends to employees’ immediate families means that it recognises that what happens outside the workplace can also affect a person’s wellbeing at work.
At Hodgkison, the EAP is ultimately about giving our people another avenue of support when they need it, while continuing to focus on creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and able to put family first without compromising their professional contribution.