Staff Matters October 1, 2020 Issue 277 Week 14
CARING ABOUT OUR STAFF TAKE A BREAK - BOOK ANNUAL LEAVE! Affordians are the best trained and hardest working staff in the sector. Throughout COVID-19, many of you have not had the opportunity to take leave due to restrictions in place across the country. Your efforts and dedication have not gone unnoticed and we encourage you to seize the opportunity with restrictions lifting, to take some time to rest and refresh. You may not be able to visit your normal holiday destinations due to COVID-19, but you still need to take a break. The COVID-19 pandemic has been exhausting for everyone's mental health. You must relax and recharge both physically and mentally, so you don't become prickly and negative! Our hectic schedules and work routine may have a larger impact on our health and wellness than we think. Research suggests that proper relaxation of our minds and bodies when on vacation can enhance productivity, improve mental health and longevity. Culture is important at Afford and making sure that we all have the opportunity to reinvigorate our minds and bodies to maintain our work schedules is essential. Below are some benefits of taking time off that might be a great motivator for you: 1. Stress Buster Not utilising annual leave is often associated with increased stress levels at work and mental health issues. By taking the time off, you can significantly reduce workplace stress. 2. Health and Longevity Taking regular holidays may be one of the keys to living longer and better overall health and wellbeing! 3. Improve Your Mood Studies have shown that people who take holidays twice or more per year are less likely to become depressed, tense or tired. 4. Get Social Another benefit of taking holidays is happier relationships. Those who take took regular vacations have been found to be more satisfied with their relationships and feel like they have a better work-life balance. 5. Greater Workplace Productivity Taking annual leave can improve our mood, extend our life and reduce our risk of heart disease. Annual leave can also increase workplace productivity. In fact, research suggests that workers who experience favourable working hours and additional annual leave tend to work more productively and take fewer sick days. Take a break for your health’s sake. Taking annual leave is your body’s chance to recover from the demands of the workplace and recharge your batteries. Don’t forget when planning your leave, take into consideration your team and work together to have a plan of action so you and your team can relax on both sides. Take advantage of your Afford Rewards to save you money. Below are some of the Afford Rewards that can help you save your spending money: • Car rental – Avis, Budget and Europcar • Flight bookings - Jetstar, Webjet and Virgin Australia • Hotel Booking sites – Booking.com, Agoda, Luxury Escapes, Last Minute.com and more • Or just relax and rejuvenate on your time off with a spa day and save with Endota Don’t forget to share your happy snaps with us all on the Afford Staff FB page or send in your selfie to marketing@afford.com.au.
In This Issue 1
Take a Break - Book Annual Leave! Trivia Swag Selfie
2
Cherrywood's Gala Ball
3
Cherrywood's Gala Ball Continued
Staff Profile
Reminder
4
4 Weeks of Wellness AccessPay and EAP Handyman Timetable Selfies Of The Week Upcoming Events Afford Trivia Answer
www.afford.com.au
Staff Matters
STAFF PROFILE NAME: Chris Roberts POSITION: SLES Vocational Trainer LOCATION: Southport QLD FAVOURITE MUSIC/SONG I Got A Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas FAVOURITE MOVIE? Baby Driver FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Pastel drawing, swimming, travelling FAVOURITE FOODS? Anything spicy IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? Eagle (I’d love to fly high and see the world from a different perspective) WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Cambodia IF YOU HAD THE POWER, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? I would end all wars
October 1, 2020
Issue 277
CHERRYWOOD'S GALA BALL Our Cherrywood Day Program recently held an intimate Gala Ball to make up for the cancellation of the official annual NSW Gala Ball which couldn’t go ahead due to COVID-19. The idea to hold their own site-level event came from the Team Leader, Courtney Hunt, during their team meeting. The team discussed how COVID-19 has been affecting their clients and how many of them had vocalised how much they are missing Afford’s annual events. Due to this discussion the idea was born and so came about the Cherrywood Gala Ball! What an amazing team effort with everyone pitching in to get everything set up. “We had staff on cooking, staff on decorating, it was a massive team effort. I’m so proud of my team,” said Courtney. In true Afford Gala Ball style, theming was on the agenda and Disney was the popular choice. It was a truly magical sight having clients arrive dressed as characters from their favourite Disney books and movies. The staff borrowed props from previous Gala Balls, with the Afford in Wonderland clock from the 2018 NSW Gala Ball taking centre stage. “The whole day was really a highlight for me, the best thing was in the morning when we saw all of the clients walk in the door, just the smiles on their faces had me crying!” said Courtney. Cristina Alvarez, Fundraising, Events and Marketing Manager said “I loved seeing all the photos of clients dressed up and the decorations were breathtaking. I know how much coordination goes into making an event like that possible and Cherrywood DP staff all did such an amazing job in making it a magical time for the clients”. Hopefully next year brings the return of Afford’s famous events for everyone to enjoy!
IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? Teaching what I am teaching now SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? My family nick name is Hopper
www.afford.com.au
October 1, 2020
Staff Matters
Issue 277
CHERRYWOOD'S GALA BALL CONTINUED
Reminder! Staff, please be reminded about the importance of wearing masks: • Please note that all New South Wales and Victorian staff need to wear masks while working – inside and outside. Afford masks are available now, if you have any doubts or issues with stock, please discuss with your Team Leader or Manager. Staff, please be reminded about the importance of how to contact IT for support: • For IT support, please email your request to this address: helpdesk@afford.com.au
www.afford.com.au
October 1, 2020
Staff Matters
Issue 277
4 WEEKS OF WELLNESS - ACCESSPAY AND EAP We continue the 4 Weeks of Wellness, following on from last week’s edition, where you read about the importance of ergonomic workspaces. This week we would like to highlight some key points regarding our employer of choice initiatives which will benefit you financially and mentally. AccessPay Financial stress can occur in many situations and under various circumstances. By utilising AccessPay, you can maximise your money and ease the financial burden! All it takes is a simple phone call to AccessPay to find out how to save thousands. As an Employer of Choice benefit, AccessPay allows employees to maximise your take-home pay.
P EM
LOYER
Take steps to maximise your pay today! To make an appointment click: https://bit.ly/3n9gFkn
OF
EAP
CHOICE
The Afford Way promotes positive health and wellbeing initiatives throughout our organisation. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, confidential and complimentary counselling service that we offer to all employees. We encourage you to use this service and reach out when you are feeling you may want to speak to someone about your worries. A conversation can change a life. If you need assistance with personal, family or work related concerns that are impacting your health or quality of life, you can contact EAP and make an appointment face-to-face, online or by the telephone counselling service. Your wellbeing starts here: Contact EAP: 1800 81 87 28 / (02) 8247 9191 or info@accesseap.com.au
Handyman Timetable
Meet Our Handyman Tahier
Our Handy Man, Tahier, will be at the following sites this week: - Monday 5th October: Public Holiday - Tuesday 6th October: Away - Wednesday 7th October: Condell Park & Chipping Norton - Thursday 8th October:
Sunshine, Panthers & Bluebird
- Friday 9th October:
Baulkham Hills & Minchinbury Head Office
SELFIES OF THE WEEK
UPCOMING EVENTS DATE:
EVENT:
5 October 5 October
right ZZ NIGHT done Selfie Above: BU on ati od mm co uth Ac - Queensland So axe an th wi am ste letting off some ht! throwing buzz nig
Pawsome Se lfie Above: Hub therap y dog, Maisi Caboolture e with client Jordan Ber ger Support Coo and QLD North rdinator, Ann ette Tarrant.
Queen's Birthday Public Holiday QLD & WA Labour Day Public Holiday NSW & SA
6 October
World Cerebral Palsy Day
8 October
World Blind Day / World Sight Day
A: Bookkeeper
www.afford.com.au