Psychological Injury Management in the Workplace Congress agenda

Conference day one – Wednesday 19 May 2021

Managing employee health, safety and wellbeing – through COVID and beyond

• Implementing psychologically beneficial employee outreach programmes
• Identifying the importance of outreach programmes within your overall WHS strategy
• Improving employee wellbeing
• Responding effectively to unprecedented WHS challenges such as COVID-19

Nathan Hannigan, General Manager People, Department of Industry, Science, Energy, and Resources

Creating the workplace culture that supports psychological health and wellbeing

• Identifying psychosocial risks within your workplace culture
• Implementing successful cultural changes in your working environment
• Addressing the stigma of psychological injury
• Managing bullying and conflict through supportive leadership culture
• Establishing your workplace as a ‘safe space’ for your employees

Clare Lawley, General Manager People and Wellness, Snowy Hydro Limited

Panel Discussion:

Promoting constructive communication between treating doctors and employers in psychological injury management

• Addressing the gaps of understanding between employers and treating doctors for more effective psychological treatment
• Building a constructive, collaborative relationship for successful return to work outcomes
• Understanding the differences between the objectives and perspectives of each contributor to the rehabilitation process
• Working cooperatively to the mutual benefit of employers, treating doctor(s), and the injured person

Peter Gould, Manager WHS, Local Government Work Care, JLT Public Sector

Dr Caroline Johnson, General Practitioner, Surrey Hills Medical Centre

Dr Arthur Stabolidis, Clinical Psychologist, The Psychology Suite

Case Study: Building trusting and honest relationships with employees in the psychological injury return to work process

• Understanding the importance of constructing relationships with employees for a successful return to work from psychological injury
• Recognising the importance of building trust over time for increasing engagement in mental health rehabilitation programs
• Designing your return to work strategy around the qualities of your workplace
• Developing healthy peer support networks for a sustainable return to work

Peter Gould, Manager WHS, Local Government Work Care, JLT Public Sector

Implementing successful early intervention and prevention programs for psychological injury

• Targeting early warning signs for psychological injury
• Knowing when early intervention is necessary for the prevention of psychological injury
• Integrating services to improve outcomes
• Using data and information to inform service and program improvements

Matthew Richman, Director Wellbeing Support, Tasmania Department of Police, Fire, and Emergency Management

Providing line managers with the skills and support to engage in psychological injury management

• Skilling managers to implement wellbeing and psychological health programs
• Communicating the importance of line manager proactivity
• Minimising the discomfort of mental health conversations on the coal-face
• Assisting line managers in understanding their role in psychological injury management

Carolyn Haybittle, Principal Health Advisor, Newcrest Mining

Afternoon Tea

Developing effective wellbeing programs to prevent psychological injury

• Identifying the characteristics of successful wellbeing programs
• Measuring the success of wellbeing for psychological injury management
• Ensuring wellbeing programs are successfully implemented
• Encouraging workers to engage with wellbeing programs
• Accounting for technological innovations in contemporary wellbeing programs

Irina Tchernitskaia, Employee Assistance Coordinator, Fire Rescue Victoria

Boosting mental health and resilience in the workplace

• The risk of psychological un-wellness in the workplace is at unprecedented levels. Our current eco-system of uncertainty, coupled with our fast paced, evolving world means individuals are susceptible to poor mental health.
• An alternative opportunity and perspective on building staff’s resilient toolbelt. 
• Discover what mindfulness in action is and the intimate link between Mindfulness and wellbeing. 
• Enjoy learning some practices and strategies that you can take back to your workplace. To encourage others in your team to help protect themselves against the ill effects of poor mental health

Sabina Vitacca, Mindfulness Consultant, Speaker, and Founder, Meditate Now

Conference day two – Thursday 20 May 2021

Understanding liability in psychological injury claims

• Understanding the law of psychological claims
• Meeting the expectations of care within psychological injury prevention
• Identifying the appropriate time to intervene to minimise psychological claims
• Comprehending your responsibilities during and following the psychological claims process

Andrew Douglas, Managing Principal, FCW Lawyers

Minimising the risk of psychological injury through effective peer support networks

• Identifying the positive advantages of a well-designed peer assistance program
• Equipping your employees with the skills to provide mutual mental health support
• Constructing your peer support strategy to complement existing wellness programs
• Promoting empathy and engagement in your peer support program

Chris Smith, Pilot Wellbeing Manager, Jetstar, Lecturer, University of Queensland

Mitigating psychosocial stressors in change management

• Balancing changing workloads with psychological health
• Promoting psychological flexibility and resilience in your changing workforce
• Constructing healthy and honest relationships with employees to reduce the impact of organisational change
• Constructively guiding your employees through the change process

Kim Grady, Head of Group Safety, Wellbeing, and Governance, Australia Post

Improving injury management outcomes through conversations about mental health in the workplace

• Identifying the qualities of a successful awareness campaign
• Bringing in workplace communication to engage workplace culture and comprehension of mental illness
• Team-building through effective personal and group discussion

Simone Wright, Vice President Human Resources (Asia Pacific), Pearson

Lunch

Reducing the risk of psychological injury within performance management

• Understanding the limits on performance management in the context of psychological injury
• Using transparency and expectation-setting to alleviate the psychological risks of intervention
• Focusing performance management to achieve outcomes without risking psychosocial stress
• Resolving interpersonal conflict which may grow from performance management

Seemali Shukla, Country HR Manager Australia and NZ, HP

Utilising resilience training to reduce the effect of psychosocial stressors on staff

• Using resilience training as a preventative mental health strategy
• Identifying the usefulness of resilience training for extended or repeat trauma
• Implementing useful psychological tools to bolster resilience in employees
• Building internal and external support networks to reinforce resilience strategies

COL Neanne Bennett, Director Mental Health and Strategy, and Head of Corps Army Psychology, Department of Defence

Ensuring management buy-in for psychological wellbeing programs

• Communicating the benefits of wellbeing programs for the business to management
• Using internal data effectively to demonstrate the benefits of a wellbeing program
• Negotiating the best internal policy for effective wellbeing programs

Stephanie Black, Head of Health, Safety, and Wellbeing, Galactic Cooperative