Supporting staff wellbeing during stage 4

Businesses across Victoria and Metropolitan Melbourne have been doing their best adjusting to increased restrictions in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic.

These restrictions have meant many families are now unable to utilise child care services, less work available for some people and additional stress on many businesses. Incorporating a focus on supporting staff and mental health and wellbeing as we navigate this challenging period is a must.

While early childhood education and its employees continue to be classified as essential to the workforce during this time, the limitations on who is permitted to access child care has resulted in a drastic reduction of occupancy for the time being. In some cases, centres have been forced to close their doors and many early childhood educators are finding their hours reduced. In other situations, people are dealing with the challenges of working from home or juggling work and children. With so many areas of potential stress for the early childhood workforce, providing support to staff is invaluable — perhaps now more than ever.

How you can support your staff in early childhood education

Thankfully there are many ways you can offer support to early childhood employees during these difficult circumstances. Supporting one another through this period is vital and can minimise the negative impact experienced by all. These key strategies can go a long way to ensuring your employees (and you) feel supported:

Take care of yourself

To effectively take care of others, you also need to take care of yourself. If you’re a child care business owner facing difficult times, you should also reach out for help via the resources and support options outlined in this article.

For Melbourne centres who require support, the Department website outlines measures introduced to manage the impact of the pandemic and its current related restrictions:

Services can access the higher Transition Payment of 30 per cent of pre-COVID revenue for services in Stage 4 affected metropolitan Melbourne. It is advised that this should be used to keep early childhood staff employed, in lieu of JobKeeper payments.
There is also an additional top-up payment available for eligible services in Stage 4 affected metropolitan Melbourne receiving lower CCS payments and experiencing greatly reduced attendances.

Be open and honest

Most people are aware of the challenges facing communities across all sectors, so transparency is encouraged. Tell your employees exactly what is going on and why certain changes are being made. Let them know you’re doing your best to be fair and support everyone. Give staff an indication of what you believe the future could hold and what management is doing and planning to navigate the coming weeks and months. This honesty will be appreciated and help your employees to feel respected and valued, which will in turn contribute positively to their sense of self-worth, mental health and wellbeing.

Focus on connectedness

Connectedness is a valuable resource. Many employees are likely facing similar challenges, but sharing your problems and speaking with others who can relate can really help.

Create a dedicated time when you and your team can get together online and catch up. Regular communication will give everyone something to look forward to and plan for. You might like to arrange one-on-one time to chat with your employees too to address any individual concerns.

Promote self-care

Whether it’s for yourself or your staff, taking care of oneself can go a long way towards promoting good health mentally and physically. Eating well, getting enough sleep, going outside daily for a walk and making time for things that you enjoy are practical ways to enhance wellbeing. Our self-care checklist can help.

Provide support resources to all

There are many resources available for anyone finding themselves struggling or needing support. They can be someone to talk to, practical tips to try or professional guidance. We have compiled a number of these resources which you can utilise for yourself and also share them with your employees.

Mental health and wellbeing support

Employers supporting staff is important and helpful as we work through this period of change, however further or professional support from a GP, counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist is sometimes necessary. Encourage your staff to reach out and help them to find out where they can go for help. These resources offer professional support, catering to each individual’s preferred means for receiving support. From reading, watching or listening to resources, to chatting online, texting or speaking on the phone, there are mental health resources that are free to access and can make a world of difference.

Resources to listen to

Phone support

Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14
Headspace: Phone support for 12-25 year olds – 1800 650 890
BeyondBlue – 1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
MensLine Australia – 1300 659 467

Text and chat support

Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service – Web chat by BeyondBlue
Lifeline Crisis Chat online chat
Lifeline Crisis Text
Headspace Group Chat for 12-25 year olds

Apps

Stop, Breathe & Think
Stop, Breathe & Think is a personalised meditation and mindfulness app that helps you develop skills to manage life’s ups and downs. It invites you to check in with your emotions, and recommends short guided meditations customised to how you feel. Foundational meditations are free, and there are additional activities and features for a paid subscription.

ReachOut Breathe
ReachOut Breathe is a free app that helps you reduce the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety by slowing down your heart rate with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

ReachOut WorryTime
ReachOut WorryTime is a free app that gives you a place to store your worries until later, so you don’t get caught up in them and can get on with your day. WorryTime will alert you when it’s time to think about them. Instead of listening to negative thoughts or pushing them away, research shows that postponing worries and only giving them attention at a set time helps you manage worry.

The Check-In
The Check-In is a free app developed by Beyond Blue for anyone who wants to check in with a friend whom you are worried or concerned about. It guides you through four steps on how you could plan a conversation, and give you advice on next steps.

Early childhood government support and advice

Get the latest information about the restrictions and Government support for the sector to ensure that you have the details needed to keep staff and families informed. The Department provides all the most up-to-date guidelines pertaining to the ECEC sector and the coronavirus pandemic in one spot, including a question and answer. There is also Government advice for centres, including funding, operations and health information available to you.

Catalyst Education continues to support the early childhood education sector and reminds you that this situation is temporary. Consider how you can use this time to plan for the future and prepare for a bright outlook for your service.