Summer2018
Our journey of reconciliation
Looking back on our first RAP and forward to our second
London calling
Two very worthy local finalists at the 2018 Global Bupa Awards
Counsellors into classrooms
How Bupa is helping with early intervention for school children
Connecting our people across Australia and New Zealand
RECYCLED STAMP
The Resilience Project was founded by Hugh Van Culenburg in 2011, after a trip to India showed him how resilient children living in abject poverty were compared to children living in Australia. Deciding to do something about this situation, Hugh created a series of programs based on practical, positive, and evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. These programs have now been delivered to more than 500 schools, companies and elite sports teams. In October and November, Bupa ran a series of presentations in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to bring the Resilience Project to our people and their family and friends. And here is what they had to say about it!
Develop daily positive thoughts
Be more accepting of myself “I loved it. I cried, I laughed, I hugged, walking out feeling inspired and very grateful for the opportunity. I am taking a 30 minute health and happiness session at our next leadership meeting and plan to share some of the session.
Immerse myself in the moment “I will make a more conscious effort to be present in the moment (work and at home), knowing I can’t change the past, so taking the opportunity to stop, digest and fully immerse myself in the moment.
“Martin Heppell (the presenter) was like a ballistic missile, mesmerising us with his energy and positivity. He used the art of storytelling and provided strategies for everyday mind battle. His Resilience Project has a clear and practical message in the GEM (Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness) information package.
The one thing I will change is to be more accepting of myself and who I am, and do the same thing for others.”
I really loved the ‘kindness/empathy’ strategy. A small gesture can have such a big impact. Off the back of last night, I gave a contact who had helped me a small bunch of flowers to brighten their day and thank them for their generosity and big heart!”
Martin emphasised the need of developing a habit of daily positive thoughts coming from the kindness towards others, ourselves and the empathy, which alternates our behaviour and remove us from the world of greediness, self-beating, unhappiness and depression, which is the new ‘cancer’ of the future.”
Elaine McCluney, Retail Support Specialist, Customer Growth
Adrian Kemp, Regional General Manager NSW/ACT, Customer Growth
Joanna de Pree, Compensation and Damages Advisor, Health & Benefits Management
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Finding a greater sense of trust “One of the things I took out was to practise more of the positive feedback and kindness, but I think the core message I took away was trust. • Trust in the people around me to have my back when things become unfamiliar and I need to lead with bravery • Trust in the process • Trust in the end result.” Osman Avdicevic, Store Leader, Customer Growth
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Everyday actions, global heroes
Summer reading
Our journey of reconciliation continues
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Follow the seasons for healthier eating
How jumping out of your comfort zone only makes it bigger!
Putting counsellors into classrooms
How the motivators stay motivated
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The power of positivity and determination
Meet Paul Bates
Sisters are doing it for everyone else
Day in the Life of Alex Malon
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beatcontents
Bupa Bites
Years of service
10 Sunglasses. Not just a fashion accessory. A health necessity.
Please note that images of deceased Indigenous people may be contained within this magazine beat | 3
bupa awards
Everyday actions, global heroes The Bupa Awards for Australia and New Zealand are held annually in July to celebrate the actions of Bupa people who achieve extraordinary outcomes, often simply by going about their everyday working lives with passion and purpose. At this event, our two local finalists, Jack Liu and Christa Welch, were selected to attend the global Bupa Awards held in London in September, with Jack being named the overall Nicolas Beazley ‘Everyday Hero’ Global Award winner.
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Jack Liu thoroughly enjoyed his first ever visit to London, riding the double decker bus (right) with Melanie Blythe, Senior Internal Comms Manager UK, and (far right) with fellow Everyday Hero Global Finalists Helen Cousins, Manager Northlands House Care Home UK, and Christa Welch from New Zealand.
Jack Liu Nicolas Beazley ‘Everyday Hero’ Global Award winner Arriving for his very first visit to London, after a 17-hour flight from Perth, Jack Liu, Business Integration Specialist at Bupa, knew exactly what he wanted to do, and wasted no time in seeking inspiration from one of the world’s greatest seats of learning. “I arrived at Heathrow at 5am, went to my hotel to freshen up and get changed and then jumped straight on a train to visit the University of Cambridge for a tour. I was extremely impressed and one day, I hope to study for an MBA at Cambridge.” Jack arrived in Brisbane as an international student from China with a burning desire to prove himself and
a competitive streak. He knows that success only comes from working positively with others. “My father told me one thing that has always stuck with me and that was ‘you can never win by stepping on others, you have to take them with you’.” So with a background in hotel management, where fire drills and evacuations are commonplace, Jack knew exactly what to do when an extreme weather event caused the evacuation of the Brisbane Contact Centre back in March 2017, and that was to safely and calmly help take his teammates with him. “The evacuation really came from nowhere and although many people in the Contact Centre had experience with customer service, not many had evacuation experience, especially a real life one,” explains Jack. So jumping into safety mode, Jack knew from his previous training that staying calm in such situations was critical, but just as importantly was thinking and acting fast. “In situations of extreme pressure, you will sometimes lack confidence, but it’s critically important that you trust yourself and back the decisions you make.” That June day, Jack ensured all of his teammates
were evacuated safely, and in true ‘captain’ style, was the last to leave the Contact Centre. But that wasn’t the end of Jack’s day as he also managed the call queue for the Melbourne Contact Centre late into the night to help ensure Bupa’s customers weren’t negatively affected by the closure.
“ My father told me one thing that has always stuck with me and that was ‘you can never win by stepping on others, you have to take them with you’.” It was for this hugely positive outcome, as well as helping in other extreme situations such as a global ransomware attack and the closure of both the Melbourne and Brisbane Contact Centres on the same day, that saw Jack named the Global Nicolas Beazley ‘Everyday Hero’ Award winner. “It was very unexpected to even be nominated, let alone flying to London for the global awards,” says Jack.
Christa Welch Global Bupa Awards Finalist Christa, who is the Assistant Manager at the Waireka Care Home in Pahiatua New Zealand, actually struggles a little with the recent praise, and her first thought on being selected to attend the global Bupa Awards was how would she cope with the long haul flight! “I hate flying with a passion, and had only ever travelled to Australia before, so the thought of such a long flight to England was a little daunting.” Christa was a Nicholas Beazley ‘Everyday Hero’ Award Finalist because of her resident ‘Storybook’ initiative. “Working in aged care, you hear all of these wonderful stories from the residents’ lives and I just thought it would be good to capture them in some way.” Christa was also keen to build relationships between local primary school students and the residents, knowing how both beat | 5
“ Working in aged care, you hear all of these wonderful stories from the residents’ lives and I just thought it would be good to capture them in some way.”
generations can benefit significantly from such interactions, and the ‘storybook’ became the main focus of this initiative. Through further brainstorming with Waireka Care Home General Manager, Trish Bennetts, Christa then developed the initiative further to be a fully interactive learning experience for primary school students. “The storybook has questions at the end of each section for the students to answer, as well as envelopes for the students to place their return stories in to send back to the residents,” explains Christa. The first storybook focused on 102-year-old local World War 2 veteran Jack Martin, and Christa worked with Jack and his family to bring his experiences to life. Building a connection with the local Pahiatua Primary School, Christa presented the Storybook to their ‘Skill Builders’ group, an additional learning resource for certain children, where students spent a month reading through Jack’s life and answering specific questions. “The students thoroughly enjoyed learning about Jack and comparing the similarities and differences of his life to theirs, and this provided many opportunities for discussions and knowledge around history and social studies,” explained the leader of the ‘SkillBuilders’ Group at Pahiatua School. As Nicolas Beazley ‘Everyday Hero’ Finalists, Jack and Christa were both seated on the same table as Bupa Group CEO, Evelyn Bourke, at the Global Awards Dinner in London. Jack was presented with his award by the wife of the late Nicholas Beazley, the first time such an honour has been bestowed on the winner. Both are humbled by their recent attendance 6 | beat
at the Global Bupa Awards, and think what they did, was just part of their everyday working lives. One final benefit of the experience for Christa is that she’s overcome her fear of flying and is planning a trip to Brisbane in the New Year. “I now have absolutely no concerns getting on a plane and during my upcoming family trip to Brisbane, I’m really looking forward to catching up again with Jack, as we got to know each other so well in the UK and it will be nice to visit him in his home town.”
A story for the generations Although Christa was a touch self conscious about being in London for the Global Bupa Awards, “I felt really out of place being there with my little book,” she laughs when discussing the trip, the impact of her story book initiative has been significant. “My vision is for other care homes to create storybooks for residents and share them with local school children, as bringing the different generations together has been truly wonderful.”
For Christa Welch, one of the highlights of trip to London for the Global Bupa Awards was visiting the Tower of London.
Summer Reading Reading a good book helps to activate your mind and provides an escape from everyday life. We asked some of the people featured in this issue of Beat what they’ll be grabbing to read over summer.
Alex Malone Lethal White
Nick Green Relentless
Alex Malone, Senior Corporate Counsel, Australia and New Zealand, is going to grab a copy of ‘Lethal White’ written by J K Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. ‘Lethal White’ is the fourth book in an ongoing contemporary crime series set in London about an army veteran, Cormoran Strike, who is now a private detective.
Nick Green, Accredited Practising Dietitian with Health Partnerships and Innovation, confesses that he’s not great at finishing books, and will often ‘put them down once starting them, and not pick them up again for a while!’ But over summer, he’s looking forward to starting, and hopefully finishing, ‘Relentless’, the autobiography of AFL star Sam Mitchell, with Glenn McFarlane.
Stephen Druce No Spin
Jayden Crozier Death on the Nile
Although not normally one to consume sporting memoirs, this summer, Stephen Druce, Head of Transformation and Integration for Bupa Dental Corporation is looking forward to reading ‘No Spin’, by Shane Warne with Mark Nicholas, considering he is such an unique Australian character.
Keisha Nash To Kill a Mockingbird Keisha Nash, intern with the Clinical Governance team, will reach for the Pulitzer Prize winning, American classic, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee this summer. Originally published in 1960, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, arguably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, has sold more than 40 millions copies and according to the New York Times, continues to sell more than one million copies each year.
Jayden Crozier, Paralegal, Bupa Australia and New Zealand, can’t go past a good detective novel and this summer he’ll pick up a classic by Agatha Christie, ‘Death on the Nile’, which as one original reviewer commented: “Hercule Poirot, as usual, digs out a truth so unforeseen that it would be unfair for a reviewer to hint at it”.
Penny Davis The Arsonist Penny Davis, Senior Brand Manager, Marketing, grew up in Gippsland, Victoria, and bushfires were always on her mind during summer. Penny will be grabbing a copy of ‘The Arsonist’, by Chloe Hooper, this summer, a book that examines an overlooked story on Black Saturday where a local Gippsland man was charged with starting a major fire. “It will be a tough read, but an important one, as I have friends who lost their family farm,” explains Penny.
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everyday hero
Our journey of reconciliation continues
Reconciliation Milestones • More than a 100 placements in employment programs (internships and traineeships) of which 70% of interns are studying health and care related degrees • Acknowledgment of country signage at more than 200 Bupa premises • First health and care member of Supply Nation, a body dedicated to growing supply chain diversity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses
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Bupa’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was delivered throughout 2015 to 2017, with the vision of seeing the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes closed. Three years on and Bupa is about to launch its second RAP covering December 2018 to December 2021, with many milestones achieved to date, and as importantly, many lessons learnt.
“One of the strongest learnings we’ve had in delivering our first RAP is the importance of forming the right partnerships to help us on the journey of achieving health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” explains Dr Zoe Wainer, Head of Public Health, Bupa and also Chair of the RAP Health sub committee. “While Bupa has broad skills, experience and size to bring to the table, partnerships are also vital to achieve major and lasting changes.” One of the key partnerships arising out of Bupa’s first RAP was with Career Trackers, a national non-profit organisation that creates internship opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students. This partnership helped drive Bupa’s Reconciliation Employment Strategy, which is designed to close the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage through improving employment opportunities at every stage of Bupa’s employment process. “The Career Tracker’s program has been a key achievement of our RAP and over the past three years has grown rapidly, being embraced and embedded across many parts of Bupa,” says Carol Corzo, Bupa’s Head of Inclusion. “It’s been inspiring to see the strong relationships and respect built between our interns and their managers and teams, with many interns coming back for multiple placements.”
reconciliation Keisha Nash (left) graduated as a Bachelor of Science from Monash University and is now studying a post graduate degree in Medicine, while also undertaking an internship at Bupa. Brooklyn (right), pictured with her nephew, was featured in the ‘Take Heart’ documentary supported by Bupa, which helped raise awareness of RHD in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Photo credit: Take Heart www.takeheart.tv
One such intern is Keisha Nash, who is currently on her third Career Trackers internship placement at Bupa, this time with the Clinical Governance team. “As an intern, you are really made to feel comfortable and part of the team at Bupa,” explains Keisha. “At some of the previous positions I’ve held, not at Bupa, it was like they felt obligated to have you there, but I love how inclusive Bupa is and the fact they have a Reconciliation Action Plan.” Keisha is currently studying a postgraduate degree in medicine at Monash University, having just completed a Bachelor of Science. “I feel like I’m a long way ahead of my fellow students because of the internship and what I’ve learnt at Bupa,” explains Keisha. “As an Indigenous Australian, I have a strong sense of community, family and connection to the land, and I want to use my skills and experience to help not only all people, but especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Being in the Clinical
Governance team is equipping me with the tools to safely and confidently do just that.”
“ As an Indigenous Australian, I have a strong sense of community, family and connection to the land, and I want to use my skills and experience to help not only all people, but especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” To help increase Bupa’s understanding of the existing health and care landscape for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a major part of the first RAP was to develop key partnerships with experts in this area. This included participating in a Health Reconciliation Industry Network Group in partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, as well as building relationships with the
Lowitja Institute, Australia’s National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research. “Our ultimate aim is to successfully partner with a broad range of groups, including government, like-minded corporates and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and community groups to support a total ecosystem designed to achieve the health outcomes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples desire,” explains Dr Zoe Wainer. Jayden Crozier (far left), who is studying a double degree in Arts and Law at Monash University secured a winter Career Trackers internship in 2018 and has since been offered a part time position as a Paralegal in Bupa’s legal department. “Working at Bupa is the first time I’ve been exposed to a corporate environment and I didn’t actually know what to expect,” explains Jayden. “But everyone has been incredibly welcoming and it does feel like one big family.” While Jayden instinctively expected that most big companies would have a reconciliation action plan in place, he was impressed by what he felt was Bupa’s genuine desire to ‘close the health gap’ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “It appears that Government policies have been slow to move the needle in a positive direction towards closing the gap, so I think it’s really important the private sector steps up to do what they can to help.” And Jayden should have somewhat of an understanding of how Government policies can work on a large scale basis having
secured a further internship with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to attend the 37th Human Rights Council in Geneva. “It was such a valuable experience, particularly the insight into the way a state prepares for and operates during the Human Rights Council,” explains Jayden. “But my greatest highlight was speaking before the UN Council on behalf of Australia in relation to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This was as part of the Council’s session on Persons with Disabilities and because of my experience working at Bupa, I was chosen to speak on this issue.” Bupa’s Reconciliation Employment Strategy has since gone on to win a Corporate Plus Award from Career Trackers, the highest recognition an employment partner can receive and Bupa was also the first ‘10x10’ partner, meaning it will host at least 10 interns every year for the next 10 years. Furthermore, Bupa’s work in supporting and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations to prevent and ultimately eradicate Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) has not only been a feature of the first RAP, but will continue to be a focus for Bupa in the future. “The many different partnerships that were formed around the RHD issue, including working with media organisations, is a highly innovative model that could be applied to other areas of public health, such as chronic eye diseases, and this is something we’re actively exploring for the future, ” explains Dr Zoe Wainer. beat | 9
health and wellbeing
Sunglasses. Not just a fashion accessory. A health necessity. Australia and New Zealand experience some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world, with many clear, blue sky days. And being in the Southern Hemisphere means we’re closer to the sun during summertime because of the earth’s orbit. “Sunglasses really are a necessity in Australia and New Zealand,” explains Karen Makin, Optometric Services Manager, Bupa Optical. “But although many people are concerned about UV exposure, less than half of us actually wear sunglasses regularly.” UV exposure, especially over a long period of time, can lead to the development of cataracts, pterygia, macula degeneration, solar keratopathy and even skin cancers of the eyelids and around the eyes. “Even shortterm exposure can give eye pain, light sensitivity, irritation and watering eyes,” says Karen.
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But of course, you still want your sunglasses to look good and complement your style, and the main aspect of your appearance to consider, is the shape of your face. One of the best ways to determine this is to stand in front of a mirror with your hair pulled back and then trace an outline of your face on the mirror using lipstick, a soap bar or whiteboard marker. Use the shape you’ve drawn in the mirror to determine whether you have an oval, round, heart or square shaped face. Oval faces are longer, with the width proportionally narrower to the length. Any style of frames should suit an oval face. Round faces mean the length is similar to the width, with the middle of the face the widest point. Angular and geometric frames suit round faces well or consider oversized frames to create the illusion of a smaller face. Heart shaped faces mean the forehead is broader than the chin, which is narrow in comparison. Rounded sunglasses that curve along the bottom edge suit heart-shaped faces particularly well. Square faces have strong and square jaws that are similar width to the forehead. Rounder and softer frames suit square faces, as geometric frames can make your face look more angular. A good pair of sunglasses may provide you an opportunity to make a statement about your personality, but more importantly, they may help you to stay in control of your eye health and keep your vision better for longer.
Do these look good on me?
Choosing the correct sunglasses 1 Ensure they meet standards All sunglasses sold in Australia and New Zealand must be tested and labeled according to the AS/ NZS 1067:2003 Sunglasses and Fashion Spectacles Standard. Make sure any sunglasses you’re looking to buy have a label indicating they comply with these requirements. 2 Go for category 2 protection or higher Sunglasses vary according to the level of protection they provide from UV radiation and the AS/ NZS standard ranks sunglasses from 0 (very little protection) to 4 (very good protection). Sunglasses labeled category 2 or higher will absorb 95% of UV light. 3 Choose an EPF rating of 9 or 10 Sunglasses that comply with the AS/NZS standard sometimes also have an Eye Protection Factor (EPF) rating from 1 to 10 on the label. Sunglasses with an EPF of 9 or 10 block almost all UV radiation and are a good choice. 4 Consider close fitting and wrap around frames Sunglasses that are close fitting and wrap-around your face reduce the reflected UV radiation and glare that can pass around the edge of sunglasses and bounce off the back of the lenses.
Bupa Optical in Camberwell, Victoria is one of four new stores that opened in October and November of 2018 and represents the latest in optical and fashion retailing. “Our customers are loving the new store. It’s light and open with a timber look as well as the plants and it’s very easy to see the different brands that we stock,” explains Anne Ruggieri (above), Bupa Optical Sales Consultant.
Anne started working full time at Bupa Optical Werribee when it opened in 2015 and then moved to Bupa Camberwell in a part time role, as she is now studying a Bachelor of Fashion and Design. “My course is all about making fashion commercially viable and that’s what I enjoy about working here, because we stock many of the fashion brands that I’m studying.” When it comes to fashion, Anne likes to keep her finger on the pulse to make sure she understands the latest trends to pass on to her customers. “A lot of people who come into the store ask me ‘what’s popular at the moment?’,” explains Anne. “Currently it’s thin, metal sunglasses in the style that John Lennon used to wear, but they don’t suit everyone.” The first question Anne asks new customers is ‘what do they need their sunglasses for’, as this can dictate whether they require polarised lenses. “Many people don’t understand the benefits of polarised lenses so I try and understand the functional needs of their sunglasses first, before helping to find frames that suit their face.” So when asked her thoughts on a pair of sunglasses that just don’t look right on a customer, Anne will very diplomatically suggest ‘they’re not really ideal for the shape of your face, perhaps we can try something else!” beat | 11
F r u it s
health and wellbeing
Follow the seasons for healthier eating With the year round availability of most fruit and vegetables these days, it can be harder to know when produce is actually in season locally. But understanding when fruit and vegetables are at their best locally can have many benefits.
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“Local seasonal produce is harvested at its peak, when it has the most flavour and nutritional content,” says Rosalyn D’Angelo, Bupa Dietitian. “So not only is it good for our bodies, but it also supports our local farmers.” Eating seasonally also ensures we get a variety of different fruit and vegetables throughout the year, offering a wider range of essential vitamins and minerals for our bodies. Take a look at our guide (right) for what to pop on your shopping list this summer.
A p ri co ts Ban an as B la ck b e rr ie s B lu e b e rr ie s C h e rr ie s G ra p e s Le mon s M an g oe s M e lo n s (h on ey de w , ro ck me lo n , w at e rme lo n ) N e ct ar in e s O ra n g e s (Val e n ci a) Pa ss io n fr ui t P in e ap p le s Pe ac h e s P lu m s R as p b e rr ie s R h ub ar b S traw b e rr ie s Tam ar ill o
Ve g e ta b le s
A sparag us B e an s B e e troo t B ro cc ol i C ab b ag e C ap si cu m C ar ro ts C e le ry C or n C uc um b e r E g g p la n t Le e ks Le tt uc e Pe as S n ow p e as S p ri n g on io n s Tom at oe s Z uc ch in i
Summer banana & blueberry ripple fro-yo with grilled peaches Grab these summer fruits at their best to whip up this refreshing, healthy fro-yo. Preparation time: 20 mins + 2 hours freeze time Ingredients • 4 large bananas, peeled, chopped and frozen in a zip lock bag • 100gm low fat Greek yoghurt • 200gm frozen blueberries thawed in a bowl • 4 yellow peaches, halved and stones removed • 2 tbs homemade granola • Fresh mint sprigs
Method 1. In a food processor, add your frozen banana chunks and yoghurt, blend until a smooth soft serve ice cream consistency forms, scraping down the sides as needed, this should take three to four minutes. 2. In a small metal cake tin, dollop your banana mixture in. Then pour in your berries with their juices and fold in with a spatula creating a marbled effect. Re-freeze this mixture for another 30-40 minutes. 3. Meanwhile on a hot BBQ char your peaches until marked but still firm. 4. I n a bowl serve your peaches with a scoop of your ice cream, a sprinkle of granola and a few sprigs of mint, yummo!
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my career at bupa “ Whenever I need to find out exactly what’s going on in the business, I always go and speak with the people dealing directly with the customers...”
How jumping out of your comfort zone only makes it bigger! When it comes to his life and his career, Stephen Druce, Head of Transformation and Integration for Bupa Dental Corporation, doesn’t step outside of his comfort zone... he totally leaps out of it! Having been with Bupa for more than a decade, Stephen returned to Australia early in 2018 from Hong Kong to take on a new role at Bupa Dental Corporation and ensure his growing family is closer to grandparents and relatives.
Stephen’s advice for new starters at Bupa “ Be proactive in exploring different parts of the business, because Bupa is so much more than you can imagine both in Australia and overseas, and back yourself if you want to give something new a go.”
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As Head of Transformation and Integration for Bupa Dental Corporation, Stephen Druce needs to think broadly and strategically about the future shape of the business, but he also has a firm grasp of where true value is created. “Whenever I need to find out exactly what’s going on in the business, I always go and speak with the people dealing directly with the customers, whether that’s the dentists, dental assistants, practice managers or reception team,” says Stephen. “Because in times of transformation and change, you can have as many plans and powerpoint presentations as you like, but if it’s not happening out with the customer-facing team, then it’s not happening at all.” Stephen came to Bupa through the acquisition of the Amity Aged Care Group in 2007, where he had been employed as one of their first marketing managers. “Previously, aged care had been a bit of a cottage industry, where the role of brand wasn’t really top of mind,” explains Stephen. “So when Bupa acquired Amity, and was intent on raising the profile of the industry and taking a leadership position, I thought it was a great opportunity to be part of the Bupa world.” That world started taking a new shape with the introduction of the ‘Market Units’ in 2013, and it was then that Stephen started looking a little further afield for fresh challenges. “Bupa had a small representative office in Beijing, and even though our
first daughter was only 18 months old, my wife and I decided to relocate so I could take on a marketing and strategy role at Bupa in Beijing,” says Stephen. Fortuitously, Stephen had also just enrolled in a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) course at Macquarie University, which provided him with a broader understanding of business beyond marketing. “The work I was involved with in China was less about marketing execution and more around overall market dynamics, so the MBA proved to be very useful,” says Stephen. “And Macquarie University was also running the MBA course out of Hong Kong, so I could travel there to undertake weekend intensive blocks of study and assessment tasks.” Stephen is a big believer in the theory that ‘change is good’, and finds the challenge of new opportunities personally exhilarating. “When we first moved to China, my wife and I were really running on adrenaline, and because it was such a unique and exciting opportunity, that was very motivating in itself,” explains Stephen. “Ultimately, you have to back yourself and sometimes just take that leap. There is only so much learning and listening you can do before you need to start trusting your instincts to help guide you in the right direction.” After one year in Beijing, and with wife Tristen six months pregnant with their second child, Stephen packed up the family and moved to Hong Kong
Stephen, with wife Tristen and their three children, fully embraced their time in Hong Kong, but are delighted to be back in Australia for Stephen’s new role at Bupa Dental Corporation in Sydney.
as the Customer Marketing Director for the International Development Markets. During his four years in Hong Kong, Stephen helped with the global roll out of the Net Promoter Score customer research program as well as staying connected with mainland China helping to develop the customer proposition and design of Bupa’s first outpatient clinic in Guangzhou. “We were fortunate in a sense that it was just us in Hong Kong, so as a family we could do plenty of travelling, sightseeing and exploring of the region,” says Stephen. “And while there are plenty of cultural differences, what I did discover was there are more similarities between markets when in comes to healthcare and the needs of customers, especially around the areas of access and affordability.” After five years, and now with three young children, Stephen and Tristen decided it was time to be closer to family and return to Australia. “It felt like the right time to return home, and I was very fortunate to be offered the new role at Bupa Dental Corporation in Sydney,” explains Stephen. So with the growing family closer to their relatives, and a new challenge in a different area of health services, Stephen is also hoping to spend more time in the gym doing Cross Fit training back in his home town of Sydney. “I’m not built for running, but I love the short, sharp exercises of Cross Fit to help to keep me physically and mentally in shape.” beat | 15
Putting counsellors into classrooms Back in 2017, Bupa was looking for opportunities to contribute more broadly to the mental health landscape overall after hearing what was important to customers. At the same time, one of Australia’s leading support services for children and young people was looking for a corporate partner to help support its early intervention program for primary school students. From those two complementary ambitions, Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing was launched.
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Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing snapshot Connects Kids Helpline counsellors to primary school classrooms in Australia via video conferencing Provides children and the school communities with support on topics such as bullying, anxiety, developing resilience, peer pressure and managing emotions Thanks to Bupa, it’s a free program for schools and available nationally Lets kids know that no matter the problem, or where they are, Kids Helpline is there to listen and support them The very first day Kids Helpline opened its phones back in 1991, offering counselling services for children and young people, more than 3200 young people called within 24 hours. In the 27 years since then, Kids Helpline, Australia’s only free and confidential phone and online counselling service for children and young people aged 5-25, has responded to more than eight million contacts. A young person has tried to contact Kids Helpline every 56 seconds since 1991. “When Kids Helpline started, it was purely phone based and by that it was landline or phone box,” explains Tracy Adams, CEO yourtown (Kids Helpline is a service of yourtown). “Email counselling began in 1999 and in 2000, we initiated a world first through the introduction of real time WebChat counselling. Early intervention has always been at the heart of what we do and expanding the service into activities that would put Kids Helpline right into the heart of school classrooms was the next and very important step.” And so Kids Helpline @ School was born in 2013 as a live video technology service that connects professional counsellors with primary school children in their own classrooms. In 2017, Kids Helpline was looking for a corporate partner to support the wellbeing topics for the program. That’s where Bupa came into play. Around the same time, Bupa created an online research panel, Care Corner, to understand issues
of importance for customers and determine how Bupa could engage more broadly to deliver on its purpose. “We undertook a deep analysis of our customers and found out that mental health is an extremely important topic for them, as is the ability to connect better as families and have positive discussions with children around mental health and wellbeing overall,” explains Penny Davis, Senior Brand Manager, Bupa. “So we then started looking at how we could contribute to the mental health landscape overall, knowing from broader research that early intervention, especially at a young age, is very important.” Then in a joint initiative, Bupa’s Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability and Engagement Marketing teams put out an ‘Expression of Interest’ offer to find a major community partner to help support positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes more broadly. “When Kids Helpline responded to our offer, they really stood out for a number of reasons, but especially because of their early intervention approach delivered directly into schools,” explains Penny. “And when we started having conversations, it became very clear their values and attitudes were closely matched to Bupa’s and it felt like they really wanted us to be part of their team, not just a logo on their website.” Similarly, Kids Helpline, felt a natural fit with Bupa. “Our values are aligned in that we share a primary goal of creating wellbeing in the community,”
says Tracy Adams from yourtown. With Bupa on-board as a corporate partner, Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing was launched in January 2018, covering topics such as bullying, resilience, friendships, mental health and safety. All eight wellbeing topics are aligned with the Australian curriculum and can be tailored to individual class needs.
“ Thousands more children will benefit from the program and we will also be able to create more tools to support teachers about what matters most – the wellbeing of our children.” “Bupa’s support means we can create more opportunities to support and protect primary school children through early education and encourage and normalise help seeking,” says Tracy Adams, CEO yourtown. “Thousands more children will benefit from the program and we will also be able to create more tools to support teachers about what matters most – the wellbeing of our children.” Aaron, a primary school teacher, first used Kids Helpline @ School in 2017, and then decided to offer his students the ‘Developing Resilience’ topic, part of the overall ‘Wellbeing’ offering in early 2018. “My students participation with the Developing Resilience program was more than just asking them what the word resilience meant to them,” explains
Kids Helpline is available 24/7 – visit kidshelpline.com.au
Aaron. “The way in which the counsellor was able to engage students in the lesson content ensured they listened and then he used their ideas, and questions raised, throughout the session. The interactive nature of the video conference, also provided them with the ability to take ownership of the subsequent Health and Physical Education lessons that continue to take place within the classroom.” Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing has more than met its goal to reach 10,000 primary school students this year. Since Bupa began its sponsorship of the program in January through to 31 October, more than 12,000 children and young people have taken part. Tracy Adams is keen to promote the Wellbeing program, funded by Bupa, as broadly as possible. “Any school with video conferencing technology like Skype can access the Kids Helpline @ School program and connect with our counsellors in the classroom. We want Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing to reach every part of Australia from the top of Cape York, to the bottom of Tasmania, supporting children and young people, helping them develop the tools, resilience and knowledge to set them up for a happy and emotionally healthy life.” beat | 17
How the motivators stay motivated Changing unhealthy habits after experiencing a significant heart scare can be challenging for anyone. But it’s all in a day’s work for Bupa’s dietitians running The COACH Program, who themselves have to ensure they stay positive and highly motivated to help Bupa customers make changes for the better.
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Being a health coach sounds like it could be a short-term proposition for many people, especially when it involves helping people who sometimes struggle to take advice in a program that is free to access (so even easier to leave). But in the Bupa COACH Program, the turnover of dietitians providing this level of support is very low. “We’ve been running the program now for more than ten years, with seven full time coaches, and our longest serving team member has been with us for seven of those ten years,” explains Anika Podubinski of Bupa Health Partnerships and Innovation. “Coaches tend to build a strong rapport with their customers, and this can help keep the team motivated, but we also believe strongly in initiatives such as ‘Performance Energy’, professional development and flexibility around shifts and hours.” Heather Ko (right) is one of the newer coaches, having joined Bupa in July 2017 after initially commencing her career as a primary school teacher. “Even though I enjoyed teaching, it really wasn’t my true passion, so I went back to university to study dietetics, which I’ve loved since year 12,” explains Heather. Having been attracted to Bupa because of its reputation and culture,
Heather felt like she’d won the lottery when she was offered a job as a health coach. “I think my background in teaching possibly helps with communication skills and building empathy with people, because you really have to listen properly to understand what will motivate them to stay with the program.” Heather has a few tricks up her sleeve to stay motivated herself. “Once our customers finish the program, they usually find it very valuable and often provide glowing feedback,” explains Heather. “So if I need a bit of a ‘pick me up’, I’ll go back and read the customer feedback forms and that keeps me on the right track for the rest of the day. I’m also a big believer in the Performance Energy program, as we need to walk our own talk and look after ourselves.” Performance Energy is a global initiative that was developed by clinical psychologist Dr Bill Mitchell specifically for Bupa five years ago that aims to keep people in their ‘peak performance zone’ by being mentally, physically and emotionally at their best. “One of the exciting parts of the program is that it’s a global initiative, enabling each Market Unit the freedom to tailor and deliver the program in a way that best meets the needs of its people,” explains Sean
Silvey, Head of Wellbeing, Health and Safety at Bupa Australia and New Zealand. “Performance Energy is a clinically-based program, with principles that are very simple to understand and practice, either as a team, or on a personal level, using the online modules available on Grow.” Heather’s ‘non-negotiable’, a healthy habit promise you can make to yourself to help boost your Performance Energy, is to take a 30 minute walk each lunchtime to the nearby Fitzroy Gardens. “We tell our team members what our ‘non-negotiable’ is and that way, we can keep an eye out and support each other and be accountable to undertake these positive actions everyday.” Nick Green (above), an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, has been with Bupa for nearly seven years as a coach and loves how you can see the direct impact The COACH Program has on people’s lives. “You get to know your customers very well and I think it’s important to keep asking questions and seek constant feedback to help understand what truly motivates them,” explains Nick. “As part of my role, I try to focus on the outcomes of a healthy body and what that will enable my customers to do, whether that’s going for a walk with their partner
“ I think my background in teaching possibly helps with communication skills and building empathy with people, because you really have to listen properly to understand what will motivate them to stay with the program.”
or children, rather than just saying ‘you need to lose ten kilograms’.” Nick’s ‘non-negotiable’ as part of the Performance Energy initiative is to get outside everyday for 15 to 20 minutes to get some fresh air and reinvigorate the mind – rain, hail or shine! And Heather Ko has one last ritual upon finishing a productive day’s work that helps her ‘decompress’ and positively balance ‘work and life’. “Everyday when I leave Bupa, I literally wipe my feet at the door on the way out, and that physical action helps me emotionally wipe away the working day, and prepare for my personal time with a clear mind.”
What customers are saying about The COACH Program “ My coach demonstrated that he truly cared about me by going beyond the call of duty. He is a great credit to Bupa.” “ My coach knew when to provide gentle prods, provide praise and suggest proactive measures to drive the ‘get well’ plan.” “ May I say a special thanks. It’s been absolutely top stuff.”
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everyday hero
“Australia is such a beautiful country and a fantastic place for growing children. You need to be confident and believe in yourself and then everything is available for you, if you knock on the right doors.”
The power of positivity and determination How hope, positivity and determination helped Aida Salihovic, a humanitarian refugee from Bosnia, move from being a Nurses Assistant in 2004 to an Operations Support Manager at Bupa in 2018.
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Aida Salihovic arrived alone in Australia in 2003, as a refugee from Bosnia with not a word of English to her name and only a single plastic bag containing all of her possessions. “My home town of Sarajevo had been through five years of civil war and I was searching for a more peaceful place to call home,” explains Aida. “It was a difficult decision to leave, but I felt it couldn’t be any worse than living through a war and I needed a positive change.” Aida had completed four years of a degree in medicine in Bosnia, and had only 18 months left to graduate when she decided to move to Australia. “Unfortunately my studies weren’t recognised in Australia, and even though one day I might complete the course, I had to start from scratch again when I arrived.” Having learnt to speak German as a young girl, Aida quickly picked up English within six months of arriving in Australia as, in her own words, “it’s easier to pick up a further language if you already
know more than one”. It was while she was living with a host family in Morang, Victoria, that a fortuitous local newspaper landed in the mailbox. “I was thinking that I can’t just sit around waiting for the government to give me money, and was looking through a local newspaper when I saw an advertisement for a Nurses Assistant at a nearby aged care home,” explains Aida. “So I phoned them up, and even though I didn’t speak much English, I explained I was doing an English language course and I was then lucky enough to get the job.” This role formed a turning point in Aida’s new life in Australia, as although terribly homesick, she was able to further develop the emotional skills to start enjoying her new life. “Through my job, I was able to meet quite a few
people whose English language wasn’t that good either, and by befriending them, and then helping each other out, I started to build my self-esteem. I was really missing people, and working in a care home enabled me to become close to all of the residents.” As a big believer in ongoing education, it wasn’t long before Aida was undertaking a Carers Certificate 3 Course, where one of her placements was at the then South Morang Regent Aged Care Home (now Bupa Aged Care South Morang). “I put all my energy into this placement, and I’d like to think of myself as a hard worker,” explains Aida.
Bupa Aged Care BUSINESS AWARDS 2017
EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP Winner AIDA SALIHOVIC
“So when my placement finished, I thought that would be it, but then I received a phone call from the Manager asking me which shift I could work next!”
“ How many companies would let you move from being a cleaner to a manager? It’s not who you know that’s important at Bupa, but who you are, and how hard you’re prepared to work.” Securing a job at South Morang as a Carer, Aida started to receive positive feedback from the residents, and it wasn’t long before she started thinking about further career development. “After about six months in the role, I was looking at all the nurses wondering what school they went to in order to become nurses.” A recommendation for RMIT Bundoora then saw Aida enrolling in a three year Bachelor of Nursing degree. “When I finished
my course in 2009, I applied for the Bupa Graduate Program and was fortunate enough to be accepted and then started working as a Registered Nurse back at Bupa South Morang before then becoming a Care Manager at Bupa Greensborough (below).” In 2014, Aida was then offered the General Manager’s position at Bupa Aged Care Greensborough and is now an Operations Support Manager, Bupa Villages and Aged
Care Australia. “Bupa really is a fantastic company which seems to have an open door for everyone,” explains Aida. “How many companies would let you move from being a cleaner to a manager? It’s not who you know that’s important at Bupa, but who you are, and how hard you’re prepared to work.” Now with two children, Aida has no regrets about making that brave move to the other side of the world more than 15 years ago. “Australia is such a beautiful country and a fantastic place for growing children. You need to be confident and believe in yourself and then everything is available for you if you knock on the right doors,” says Aida. Now mentoring other Care Home General Managers, Aida has some simple words of advice for
success. “I tell my GM’s that we will learn together, and that the most important thing is to be positive and gentle with your people and recognise that everyone has a skill, and we just need to help identify what that skill is and then open their hearts and minds to fully realising that potential.”
Aida’s 3 tips for success Be very positive - but also gentle in how you deal with people Believe in yourself - everything is available to you in Australia if you want it Don’t ignore other people’s opinions - they believe in them for a reason!
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Meet Paul Bates Whether it’s on a pair of skis or riding his bike, Paul Bates, Bupa’s Chief Medical Officer, has a love of sports and keeping fit. With a broad range of experiences behind him, from clinical practice to investment banking, Paul now enjoys being able to help a broader cross section of the population through his role at Bupa.
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I’m listening to I enjoy listening to podcasts while I’m cycling, and current favourites include the ‘Health Report’ by Dr Norman Swan, ‘The Economist’, as well as the ‘Stages’ cycling podcast by Lance Armstrong and a very funny US one called ‘Car Talk’, where the hosts take calls from people and try and solve their car problems. It’s more or less like Roy and HG for car fans.
Why Bupa? I’d been working in the US for ten years and was very keen to come back to my hometown of Sydney. I knew Bupa’s then Chief Medical Officer, Christine Bennett, who told me she was leaving and that I should apply for the position, which I did, and was lucky enough to secure the role. Bupa is a great company, and I feel blessed to work here. I strongly believe we have good intentions and a genuine desire to help people and do the right thing, even if we don’t always get it right. Combining business and medicine After completing my medical degree, I worked for ten years in a number of clinical positions, including Intensive Care, Pediatrics, Emergency, General Practice and Occupational Medicine. I was at the stage in my life where I wanted a big change, so after always having an interest in business and analytics, I decided to study a Master of Business Administration full time at INSEAD Business School. This led on to a stint as a financial analyst, before taking a job with an international health care company. I worked in Germany, Hong Kong and the United States, before joining Bupa in 2011. What I enjoy now about working in a business as a doctor, is that I can be involved in having a positive impact on a much larger part of the population than I could as a single doctor practising medicine. I find that my brain is also more wired as an analyst and strategist, which is why I really like my job.
Staying fit and healthy I’m a keen cyclist, and will ride most weekends with a group of friends, as well as working out on my home trainer two or three times a week, where I can compete ‘virtually’ with riders from around the world who are using the same platform at the same time.
Putting the band back together I learnt to play the guitar when I was in my 20s, and have been involved in a couple of band programs, both here and in the US. Currently I’m involved in a program in Sydney called ‘Greatest Countdown Hits’ and we have to learn many of the songs played on the TV show ‘Countdown’, such as ‘Sounds of Then’ by GANGgajang or ‘I Got You’ by Split Enz, and then perform them live as a band. There’s more ambition than ability, but I enjoy the challenge as well as the comradeship.
Favourite town as an ‘ex pat’ I’ve lived in a number of places overseas, including London, Hong Kong and Germany but my favourite place of all was Park City, Utah. It’s a sports mad town, and being an avid skier, I was lucky enough to be able to leave my home and be on the snowfields in 25 minutes. I also find Americans to be very warm and welcoming and a lot of fun to be around. Role of the Chief Medical Officer Ultimately, we want to make the health system work for all consumers, and ensure they can receive affordable, safe and high quality care. My job is to make sure clinical strategy and programs are aligned to our business strategy and purpose, across all of businesses, and create a culture where we are a learning organisation that continuously improves.
Secret interest I’m not a big reader, but I have a bit of a passion for comic books and I’m currently collecting the ‘Complete Carl Barks Disney Library,’ which are all the Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories written and animated by Carl Barks from the 1940s through to the 1960s. In the kitchen I had to learn to cook at a very young age, because my mother worked full time, and I’d consider myself capable in the kitchen. Give me 30 minutes and I’ll be able to whip up something tasty such as a curry, risotto or stir fry, but give me any longer and unfortunately it won’t taste any better! Typical weekend I’m pretty consistent when it comes to my weekend routine. Saturday morning will be a bike ride with friends, then chill in the afternoon, perhaps practicing the ‘Greatest Countdown Hits’ on guitar, then Saturday night out with friends. Sundays will see me on the indoor bike training, while Sunday evening is family time. If I wasn’t the Chief Medical Officer I’d be a Ski Guide. I started skiing when I was about 16 and have loved it ever since. Working as a resort doctor for a season at Thredbo in New South Wales helped me become a little better on the skis, and then being only 25 minutes from a world-class resort when I lived in Utah was a dream.
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our people
Sisters and best friends Lynda MacKay and Rochelle Moore both live and work in Christchurch, New Zealand managing a Bupa Village each and sharing strong common values from growing up in a much loved and supportive local Canterbury family.
Sisters are doing it for everyone else
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Lynda and Rochelle’s brother, Glenn (below), who coaches the New Zealand Black Ferns women’s rugby team, inspired Lynda to make the move to Christchurch in typical coaching fashion with the words ‘get scared and do it!’.
“ I really love my role, working for and along-side our residents, who have such a wealth of knowledge, and that makes everyday, even the worst ones, such a joy.”
“The way we were brought up, with such kind, caring and supportive parents, it just seemed natural to go into nursing so that we could help others and learn a skill that could be applied anywhere,” says Lynda MacKay, Village Manager, Bupa Parklands of her decision to study nursing. And with Lynda choosing nursing as a career, it just seemed natural for her younger sister, Rochelle Moore, to follow in her footsteps as well! Rochelle has been with Bupa and at the Cashmere View Care Home for seven years, initially working in the Rest Home before moving to the Residential Village (right), which she now manages. “I really love my role, working for and along-side our residents, who have such a wealth of knowledge, and that makes everyday, even the worst ones, such a joy.” says Rochelle. “I also love the Village and I’m really proud of the culture we’ve been able to build here.” One of the benefits of having a sister also managing a Residential Village is that you can bounce ideas off each other and help solve any challenges that might arise. “Lynda and I would speak everyday on the phone, and we have this banter
that only we can really understand,” laughs Rochelle. “It’s great to have that additional support so we can help each other out on a range of different issues.” For Lynda, moving to Christchurch two years ago corresponded with a time in her life when she was looking for a fresh start. Having moved out of nursing for some time to raise her three children and run her own building business, Lynda was looking for new challenges and sought advice from trusted family members. “My mum suggested I go back to do what I’d always loved doing, which was nursing, and then my brother Glenn (top right), who coaches the New Zealand Black
Ferns women’s rugby team, just said to me ‘get scared and do it’ so I decided to make the move to Christchurch,” explains Lynda. Now as the Village Manager for Bupa Parklands (below), Lynda admits that although fate, rather than careful planning, might have brought her to her current role, it does feel like the perfect position. “I’m very privileged to be part of such an amazing village and it does feel like the best job in the world,” says Lynda. “I think my background of nursing, combined with running my own business for some time and a relatively calm personality helps me in my role as Village Manager.
Although I do call on Rochelle at times for advice, as we have such different strengths even though we’re very similar in many other ways.” Not just content to confine their chats and catch ups to work situations, the two sisters do enjoy each others company socially, catching up each Thursday night for dinner, as well going on holidays together at times. “We’re very close and love spending time together outside of work,” explains Rochelle. “And we don’t have much trouble separating work from our personal lives, but if we do, there’s nothing a good mojito won’t fix!” Lynda cites being close to her grandparents as an inspiration for working in aged care, and both her parents, Trevor, 83, and Olwyn, 80, are still going strong. “We’re very close and very family orientated and Mum and Dad are the most humble people you’d ever meet,” says Lynda. “People come first in our family, and even though it sounds like a cliché, I feel the values of Bupa are very similar to the values we were taught by our parents growing up and the values we all still live by today.” beat | 25
day in the life
Day in the life Alex Malon
Alex Malon, Senior Corporate Counsel, Australia and New Zealand, joined Bupa more than four years ago from a top-tier legal firm. With a passion for travelling and being active, Alex also loves listening to true crime podcasts, and watching the latest ‘binge-worthy’ shows on Netflix. Alex is also the Deputy Officer for Bupa’s ‘Speak Up’ initiative in Australia and New Zealand and we join a typical day in her working life.
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7.00am Up for the morning and first off it’s a cup of coffee before Alex prepares breakfast for both herself (Alex is going through a bit of an avocado on toast phase for breakfasts at the moment) and her Instagramstar cat, Freddie Mercury! Freddie has more than fourteen thousand followers on Instagram, and has also been paid to promote certain products online. As a flamboyant British Shorthair, Freddie Mercury seemed a very appropriate name for Alex’s now four-year-old cat!
8.15am Alex walks the 3.5kms from her home to Bupa’s offices in Melbourne’s CBD every morning, and this is one of her ‘non-negotiables’. “It’s a chance to get some exercise and also clear the mind for the day ahead,” explains Alex. As a self confessed ‘podcast fiend’, Alex also listens to true crime podcasts during the 45 minutes it takes to walk into Bupa. 9.00am Alex starts her day checking emails and responding to any urgent issues that need actioning immediately. 9.30am Meeting with members of the People Team to discuss upcoming enterprise agreement negotiations across various parts of the business in Australia and New Zealand. 10.15am Alex takes a call from the General Manager at one of Bupa’s Aged Care Homes who has a difficult issue with a resident and their behaviour towards the team. Alex discusses possible options on the best way to address the situation.
Instagram-star cat, Freddie Mercury has more than fourteen thousand followers on Instagram, and has also been paid to promote certain products online!
10.45am Grab a coffee from one of the nearby cafes, which is also a chance to get some fresh air, before Alex appears at the Fair Work Commission, which is very conveniently located in the same building in Melbourne as Bupa. Alex’s involvement in a Fair Work Commission hearing can include writing submissions through to cross-examining people on behalf of Bupa. 1.00pm Time for lunch and Alex sees if any members of the Legal team are free to grab something from a nearby café and sit and enjoy it in the Treasury Gardens (right) while the sun is shining.
2.00pm Alex runs an internal training workshop for members of the Dental Business on Workplace Behaviours. “I’m really passionate about the proactive side of employment law and ensuring all of our people understand their collective responsibilities up front,” says Alex.
3.30pm As part of her role, Alex is also the Deputy ‘Speak Up’ Officer, and this takes a couple of hours of her time each week responding to issues raised and ensuring any investigations and follow up actions are occurring in a timely manner. “The ‘Speak Up’ initiative is fundamental to having a strong and happy organisation, enabling people to raise any concerns safely and confidentially, and offers that additional safety net on top of the more traditional ways that people have to inform the business of any concerns,” says Alex. 5.30pm Final check of emails, again responding to urgent issues that can’t wait for the morning, then into sports wear for the brisk 45 minute walk home. “Walking home after work really allows me to decompress from the day’s activities and it’s also a good time to plan in my mind where the next holiday might be as well, because I absolutely love travelling,” explains Alex.
6.30pm Time to feed Freddie Mercury, and then Alex heads out for a glass of wine and dinner with friends. “I love trying any new restaurants and really enjoy good food and wine,” says Alex. 9.00pm Back home, and the final relaxation for the day involves ‘binge watching’ anything that might be new on Netflix. Keeping the crime genre going, tonight it’s series two of ‘Making a Murderer’. 10.15pm Quick catch up with younger sister and housemate Stephanie, who works at a large law firm in town. The two sisters can be somewhat ‘ships that pass in the night’, so Alex grabs any time available to catch up with Steph on what’s been happening. 10.30pm Perhaps a quick final post on Freddie Mercury’s instagram page, then it’s lights out and off to sleep for another big day ahead.
We Speak Up When something isn’t right and you feel you can’t talk to your manager or anyone else, call the confidential 24-hour Speak Up hotline. Australia – 1800 479 241 New Zealand – 000-911, at the prompt, dial 855-831-3143 or visit www.bupa.com/speakup
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bupa bites
BupaBites Information and insights from the world of Bupa to keep you up to date on Global, Market and Business Unit news.
Working at Bupa. What do you think? At Bupa, we want to create a place where we all love to work, and to do this we need to know what our people think about working here so we can make the changes that matter most. The People Pulse survey is how we capture the thoughts and feelings of our people at Bupa. This October we engaged a new survey provider, Glint – who has provided Bupa with a genuine step change in how we measure employee engagement. We saw a positive and meaningful 5% increase in participation from the previous 2017 survey rates, resulting in an overall 33% participation rate across Australia and New Zealand. Across A&NZ we received an engagement score of 74 and while this is a positive result, we have benchmarked ourselves against the top 10% of Global companies within the Glint database. We want our people’s experience and engagement at Bupa to be great, not just good, and will be striving to exceed the benchmark of 83. Our A&NZ Executive Team will also be reviewing the results holistically to understand how teams can learn from one another. 28 | beat
From 1 January 2019 all our teams across Bupa will have access to the same parental leave benefit of 12 weeks paid parental leave (primary carer) and 2 weeks (secondary carer).
When you need assistance no matter how big or small We want you to feel safe, valued, supported and confident to take care of yourself and those around you. To do this Bupa offers a range of free confidential support and coaching services to help you navigate through your life. This service is here to support you when you need it, there is nothing too small that can’t be discussed. Sometimes chatting through a problem can be helpful before it becomes a big problem, whether it’s with a family member, a friend or someone at work. If you’re in Australia – call 1300 574 167 If you’re in NZ as part of Bupa Dental Corp call 0800 360 364 If you’re in NZ as part of another Business Unit (including BVAC) – call 0800 327 669 For more information on these services please see Workplace, speak to your manager or a member of the People team.
The Bupa Care Journey in NZ In New Zealand, we have been working on a project to help identify best practice and standardise the way we do things across our Care Homes. We are calling this ‘The Bupa Care Journey’ and this is based on Bupa’s global Person First approach to delivering quality aged care services. With input from our Care Home representatives, we have evolved and adapted the global model to fit our New Zealand context. The Bupa Care Journey will be the foundation for running our Care Homes to improve quality of life and quality of care for our residents. It will help both clinical and support service teams to work together step-by-step to enable our residents to live longer, healthier, happier lives. Residents will be front and centre in every action we take and we will deliver the right care and support, at the right time by the right team and in the right place. We don’t envisage major changes, but rather a gradual implementation of some new practices to help standardise and gain greater efficiency around the way we do things.
Sustainability matters To have healthy people, you need a healthy planet. In 2018, as part of our Healthy Planet Sustainability Plan, Bupa has been walking the walk through a variety of actions across Australia and New Zealand. Highlights from 2018 have included: • From July 2018, we now use 100% electricity for our New Zealand aged care operations as part of our new electricity contract • In our aged care portfolio, expanding our solar power installations and replacing lighting with LED lights that reduce our electricity consumption has resulted in over 540 tonnes of emissions abated • Over 550 units of information services equipment were re-purposed and over 650 units of information services equipment recycled resulting in over 110 tonnes of emissions abated from remanufacture and diversion from landfill • Implementing a liquid food composting trial which has resulted in reduction in food waste and disposal costs at several aged care facilities.
Parental leave at Bupa We want our people to love working here and key to this is supporting our people when it matters most. Parenthood is a special time for many of our people and we want all our people to have access to the same support when it comes to parental leave. From 1 January 2019, all teams across Bupa will have access to the same parental leave benefit of 12 weeks paid parental leave (primary carer) and 2 weeks (secondary carer). Investing in our people continues to be a priority for Bupa and we are committed to continuing to build consistent policies and standards across our teams. More information will available throughout December on People Services and through your local newsletters. beat | 29
Kick off your shoes... stay a while. Acknowledging those very special people who have voted with their feet and made Bupa feel like their second home.
48YEARS
40YEARS
25YEARS
15YEARS
Carol Mitchell
Betty Todoroska Judy Parsons Maria Alati Pauline Porton David Blair
Shafiquddin Kazi Rosanne Manitisa Stella Mathew Heather Murphy Michelle Lyall Roger Thomas Christine Stewart Wan Chung Savitri Gounder Patricia Sundin Judith Howland Soliaiga Patelesio Linda Walsh Catherine Holbutt Taso Katsikaronis Debbie Jankovic Sharon Young Christine Mollenhauer
Silvana Akkari Vilma Belzunce Gloria Ceo Julie Felton Oli Gunn Joy Halepis Lauren Harris Su Jun Jiao Kathy Johnson Reinier Juat Karin Korda Alma Petersen Vincent Puzziello Kathy Rajan Beng Heong Senanayake Nicoletta Simic Fefiloi Taupeamuhu Brenda Turner Leonida Wells Nena Polistina Sherryl McCormack Kristine Christoff Elizabeth Phimister Christine Chen Shila Chand Stephanie Clarkin Brandy Carter Joy Moore Tania Pomana Lynda Hale Robyn Lewis Daphne Barrett Gill Thorp John Sawaya Patricia Colson Kelly Green Karen Gray Rob Ashmore Maureen Kennedy Lisa Eyles Gabriel Chang Kerry Renau Nasrul Nisha Bronwyn Bishop Prue Gibson Leonie Gorrie Judith Hartley
46YEARS Sally Debrowski
45YEARS Phyllis Saccone
Marjo De Rouw Margaret Carroll
44YEARS
30YEARS
Sandra Kohlhagen
Doris Khor Angelian Singh Georgina Van Buuren Kerry Williams Trish Andersen Elizabeth Wesols Christine Payne Metua Hopoi Hien Bui Karen Coulter Tony Cafasso
42YEARS Guy Miller Dianne Young
41YEARS Debbie Thorpe Jo Avenell
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35YEARS
20YEARS Antonia Bonavia Siew Chung Dorothy Howard Robyn Lockyer Merlinda Martinez Debra Savage Eta Woods Roshni Ram Frances Crabb Jane Ayling Alma Favier Ken Court Anna Berlecky Franca Cassaniti Valerie Jones Anita Agafonoff Petina Merriman Teresita Quiniones Sue Smith-Marston Annegret Danneberg Raewyn Steel Susanne Watson Colleen Vincent Peter Davies Jenni Bala
years of service
15YEARS
10YEARS
10YEARS
10YEARS
10YEARS
10YEARS
Tania Poaneki Tracy Tupara Greg Wright Blair O’Donnell Sharon Preston Damian Purcell Debbie Hodgetts Luisa Taiala Aholelei Eva Bodnar Melissa Bullen Anthony Burge Pauline Caslick Alison Hancock Jie He Bayani Hernandez Faye Howard Emanuel Katsilioris Jagjit Kuar Regina Kojo Ursula Kromer Ioana Margina Suzan Elizabeth Maurice Karen McEvoy Indu Pahuja Jennifer Pender-Brookes Lila Ristevska Trudy Steele Sotia Sisaro Irma Cayton Laura Graham Sharon Smitheram Irene Parker Raewyn Gray Paddy Bourke Raveen Yasmin Karen Keen Susan Hillman Jean Faitala Sonia Danielewski Daniel Young Gary Liu Selina Whomes Jennifer Sherwin Fiona Donald Sela Taumoepeau Stephen Walsh Mele Kumar
Kerryn Bailey Angelo Bortollon Malene Bou Kaye Cartwright Amy Colley Augusta Conte Nancye Connolly Kristine Davidson Helen Dawo Primali De Silva Jessielyn Diaz Mellissa Di Carlo Suzanne Dorsa Sandra Dundas Lynne Kemp Meryem Ercetin Rebecca Silvey Pania Imeson Thomaskutty Jacob Krishna Krishna America Linga Cindy Mann Raphel Masiboy Tichapiwa Matenda Rachel McCubbin Narelle Mundy Susie Nand Emma Finau Tina Obani Heidi Olpenda Daxesh Patel Mercy Patawaran Teresa Pinnegar Luisa Porcalla Fraty Teh Owendini Bhoobun Gayle Sherman Anita Shrestha Manpreet Sidhu Victoria Smith Maryanne Taylor Margaret Topia Komalbahen Upadhyay George Wang Lorinda Watkins Rebecca White Violanta Zavaleris Liz Zhang
Wendy Cleary Debra Francis Brian McCabe Etagegn Mulat Rohit Pradhan Narelle Sewell Tania Skeers Deborah Sheedy Molly Gordon Donna Juno Minxie Aleke Venus Gerong Colleen Rooke John Howell Tsigewoine Manyahlihal Shiri Mudaliar Roselyn Reddy Judith Hogan Pamela Strawbridge Sri Puji Rahayu Sheryl Priest Sue Hosking Lisa Doring Fleur Bourchier Hisham El-Ansary Leea Grover Nikki Aland Yvonne Albert Amanda Young Annabelle Stewart Francis Lo Vicki Kelidis Adam Rogan Mandy Payne Paulette Keane Jade Banks Ann Buckley Nileshni Findlay Bj Dakis Tasi Tyrell Liss Balla Sean Fitzgerald Melissa Henderson Julie Harvey Linda Guiraldenq Kathryn Fisher Lang Taing Osk Gunnarsdottir
Anna Jaworski Claudia Wimmer Adrienne Tuart Patricia Tuffs Ikumi Kaneko Kali Konnaris Sunyoung Jung Karabinoata Remon Jarwin Serrano Kiri Te Amo Lesley Percival Janet Ingham-Borrie Asina Begum Holly Deans Bridget Brown Shani Fifita Sharleen Windley Fidel Mercado Mark Krasny Andrew Maratos Brindavan Pandey Ameer Patel Hayden Stewart David Wheatley Sirjana Bastakoti Olga Bondarenko Michelle Browning Robyn Caruso Susie Carter Michelle Chapman Xue Ying Chen Joanne Chiariello Carla Van Der Zwart Tracey Crichton Maria Dela Pena Shyama De Silva Parkash Giri Yvonne Given Fairlee Hill Toni Hodges Gurpinder Kaur Daniela Kostovski Alexander Litvinov Kim Loh Elizabeth Mahmoud Geraldine Marcelino Usantha Prabha Meda Gedara
Karen McCarthy Blandine Mfele Hikolo Helen Nieuwendijk Edward Njore Rose Okuo Devanshu Patel Jacqueline Perrett Veronica Scott Sudha Sharma Bidhya Shrestha Nahar Singh Punam Singh Pornsiree Sukkrairat Katerina Trifunovska William Witts Maria Lolita Xiberras Shao Hong Xie Shao Mei Xie Louise Butler Debra Haywood Kim Sly Charles Van Order Marguerite Barrett Anne Collins Rachael Rodriguez Josephat Kadira Wendy Underwood Aren Leupena Russell Shepherd Gail Shortland Elsie Secong Glenys Steere Lizabeth Falcasantos Ward MacPherson Adina Boncea Mary Montojo Elenita Leria Gillian Anderson Mely Feria Gyan Prasad Lealofi Haunga Momina Edward Shobna Pratap Emily Christensen Deborah Lake Caitlin Bridger Piotr Wacholski Susannah Newman
Heather Williams Stuart Skevington Jade Tame Ricky Bullon Joanne Richardson Chi Nguyen Marnie Stanton Jackie Pooley Arthur Jayasinghe Michael Faretta Bobbie Whitmore Joshua Ellis Gail Bull Wilson Tan Daniella Fiumara Nicola Kapetanakis Grace Origlio Kathleen Sutherland Michelle Fisher Sylvia Cimino Michelle Paterson Jane Goode Andrea Beattie Lauren Collins Emily Albanos Marcia El-Awad Ronda Hewes Vanessa Campbell Alisha Crosby Gem Portman Lauren Noblet Megan Westbury Merran Thorne Zarlasht Nasri Silvana Nesic Tanya Lathouras Daniel Rodgers Danielle Clark Sandra Fowell Leanne Churchill Robyn Clarke Marlene De Asis Rosalind Lineham Emmanuel Delim Barbara Bridge Susan Campbell Folole Esera Freda Amoafo
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20 days paid leave if you need it Family and Domestic Violence Leave Bupa Australia and New Zealand employees can now access 20 days paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave from 1 January 2019. For more information, search ‘Family and Domestic Violence’ on Workplace.