Cap Rouge

Vickie Magic rides her electric bike conversion

WHY AN electric bike?

When it comes to wellness, exercise is pretty important. An electric bike is a great way to start.

What is an electric bike? Generally speaking, e-bikes are bicycles with a battery-powered assist that comes via pedaling and, in some cases, a throttle. When you push the pedals on a pedal-assist e-bike, a small motor engages and gives you a boost, so you can zip up hills and cruise over tough terrain without wearing yourself out. The first thing you should know about e-bikes is that they’re here to stay. Electric bike sales jumped by an incredible 145 percent in the last few years and there’s no sign of a slowdown. Here are a few reasons why the electric bike is taking off more than ever before.

• It’s a speedy way to get up to speed! When you ride a bike in traffic, one of the biggest sources of anxiety is stopping and starting, going from a complete stop (like a red light) to the speed of traffic. This can take a lot of energy, especially if you’re a little out of shape. The motor is a great assistant, getting you from zero to the speed of the surrounding traffic quickly, meaning you don’t need to worry about holding up the people behind you. • Hills? No problem! A steep incline can be a nightmare to cyclists. However, on an electric bicycle, hills are no problem at all. In fact, one of the biggest selling points for electric bikes are their hill-climbing capabilities. • They are great for when you’re tired! Sometimes you just feel so tired, even when usually cycling isn’t a particularly tiresome activity. There’s just something about it that drains you. Well, fear no more. The battery is great because you’re still pedalling, and therefore still doing physical activity, but you don’t have to put nearly as much effort into it. • It’s great motivation to exercise! I’ve seen people make the joke that electric bikes are the “lazy man’s bike”. Ironically, an electric bicycle is actually great motivation for people to work out. If you’re riding a bike for exercise, you probably plan your route, and most people likely won’t stray too far from home for fear that if they get too tired, they’re screwed. After all, if you’re too physically exhausted to keep riding, but you’re 30 minutes from home, you’re going to have a bad time. But an electric bike takes care of that problem. • An electric bike is the extra little kick when you need it. It’s a get-out-of-jail-free card for when you feel tired. It’s not that you need one, it just makes a really good back up for all those just in case situations. Once you have one, I can guarantee you’ll be using it more than you thought you would. Ben Lynn and the team from Cap Rouge in Mooloolaba are passionate about electric bikes. From replacing the battery on an e-bike to converting a favourite bike by adding an electric motor and battery, the family run business combines their electric bike building experience and mentoring from a family who have been 40+ years in the battery business. Ben and the team at Cap Rouge pride themselves on providing the best products at the lowest prices so everyone can enjoy the electric movement. They feel great about helping more people go green by commuting clean! As well as working with their clients personally, Cap Rouge also work with bike shops and retailers all over Australia. They love local shops. Customer service is their priority and they work hard to provide the good old fashioned customer service that we all love and need. If you are seeking a replacement battery for your electric bike or looking to electrify your existing bike, contact Ben and the team to get started. They are ready to answer any questions you have and you’ll be surprised at their fantastic prices and sensational service. a 1300 809 840 // www.caprouge.com.au

WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS: the good, the bad and the ugly

WITH GREGORY LAMEY // THE FORENSIX GROUP

Most organisations face staff integrity issues at some point and effectively dealing with complaints can be challenging. Navigating legalities, interpreting policy, procedural fairness, and psychological impacts on staff can be complex and, frankly, confusing. Dealing with issues of inappropriate workplace behaviour, like sexual harassment, bullying, criminality (fraud and appropriation), breaches of codes of conduct or whistleblowing often require different approaches and specialist skills. Do you engage an independent consultant or tackle the complaint yourself? Workplace investigations can range from informal enquiries (outcome-focused) to formal, evidence-based investigations. They can involve matters concerning operational staff to senior executive level and may involve union representatives or bodies like the Fair Work Commission, Industrial Relations Commission or the CCC. But there are options when a complaint is received. Not everything requires a formal, often highly stressful, lengthy (and expensive) investigative process. Training team leaders and supervisors to factually investigate, provide guidance to get outcomes, or even mediate can save a lot of heartache. Of course, more serious matters require investigative expertise, and often independence. The consequences of getting this wrong can not only adversely impact staff culture and confidence, but reputation. Conducting a procedurally fair, transparent and timely investigation of a complaint is best practice and will save you and save your organisation time and money. Anyone undertaking investigations should have a high level of professional empathy, patience, knowledge of procedural fairness, expert investigative interviewing skills and adaptable and consistent communication. Looking after the good and the bad will prevent the ugly later. Focus on people. ca 1300 138 467 // www.forensix.com.au

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gregory is a specialist investigator with a passion for helping government and private organisations address integrity and governance related matters. With 30 years law enforcement and corporate experience, he is sought after in the areas of HR integrity matters, sexual harassment, bullying and misconduct.

Welcome home.

Building your beautiful home

Go to www.greenearthhomes.com.au to download your free copy of ‘7 Things You Must Know BEFORE Designing a New Home’ and ‘Discover the Secrets to Building Your Perfect Home.’ Phone Grace on 07 5476 6468

TELSTRA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY CENTRE Meet your local team...

Pascal Stussi Karl Brockman

I am a 42-year-old dual citizen from Switzerland who has lived on the Sunshine Coast for over 15 years. I enjoy exploring the amazing outdoors with my family or hitting the breathtaking Mountain Bike trails on the Coast. Other than that, I am either volunteering at Alex Surf Club as a Surf Life Saver or talking to our business customers about the possibilities our local Telstra Business Centre can offer. The last two years have been very challenging for all of us, and therefore it is more important than ever that businesses explore and invest into the endless possibilities technology can offer. Adapting to the new ways of operating a business can be complicated and a confusing experience, especially when it comes down to technology and IT. However, it is the most rewarding part of my job to witness my customers increasing their performance and their profitability afterwards, or simply to offer the company the ability to work from home at any time #lockdowns!

I am Sunisitha Rajapakse, but everyone calls me Suni. Originally from Sri Lanka, I started working with Telstra retail in Darwin. I moved to the Sunshine Coast a year ago and joined Telstra Business Technology Centre. One of my ongoing projects involves helping a local small business with around 15 employees to migrate from a traditional PABX phone system to a cloud-based Microsoft Teams calling solution. I have already completed the first steps of migrating their e-mails and data from Google Suite to the Microsoft

Suni Rajapakse

environment and set them up with all they need in the process. This will help their business grow, by creating a smoother communication experience for the employees as well as their customers. In what I can only call a sacrilege to the Aussie lifestyle and my island roots, I am not an outdoorsy person. I am a DJ. I love spinning some tracks when I can, though my tunes aren’t your everyday ear worms as I play a range of otherworldly genres! I’ve played numerous times for crowds in Darwin and am keen to pursue it on the Coast as well. I am a Sunny Coast bloke who loves his footy (AFL) and exploring beautiful Australia. I’ve been working with ENTAG and the Telstra Business Team for almost a year now with almost eight years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed meeting and working with business owners and leaders in business. It’s great when I’m able to support and evolve how a business operates through the evolution of technology. We’ve all faced great adversity over the last two years and the way we work and service our clients has changed. Where it’s been tough for all, some businesses have reveled in this uncertainty and have proactively created avenues in their businesses. They have utilised technology to adapt and move with the adverse climate and continue to provide great service, products and solutions to their clients. For me, I love to build a relationship with my clients, understand their business and work with them to explore, solve and deliver solutions that will support efficiency, advocacy and profitability long term while minimising risk. Here we have a team of extremely intelligent and IT savvy people who allow me to be confident that we recommend the best way to move forward for a business and that solution is delivered well.

Breanna Lucas

I am Sunshine Coast born and raised. I spend most weekends adventuring with my partner and our Australian Shepperd. We are lucky that we live in beautiful Queensland and get to spend our spare time exploring new places. I have recently transitioned into an account manager role with the Telstra Business Technology Centre for a new challenge. Having a background in complex delivery roles, I really understand the importance of a streamlined delivery process. As account managers, we get to be the centralised point of contact for our business clients for all things technology. We are able to translate technical jargon into real life language and make tech simple. It doesn’t need to be confusing and that is what we’re here for. Consider us your technology translators.

The biggest reward in the industry is hearing and seeing the real-life impact technology changes have on local businesses.

Pratik Pokharel

I am Pratik ‘Pat’’ Pokharel and I have been working on Telstra Business Technology Centre on the Sunshine Coast since September 2020. I have been in the Telco industry for almost nine years and have customer service experience of more than 11 years. I am a proud Nepalese born Australian who loves to travel and cook. Since covid restricted my travelling aspirations and have been keeping myself busy with experimenting in the kitchen. Currently I am liaising with two of the apartment hotels in Mooloolaba to overhaul their entire networking infrastructures so that they can provide their tenants and visitors high speed internet. This will help the building management to attract new customers while retaining their current ones as internet and data are necessity in today’s unpredictable world. Furthermore, I have been working with a mining company to help with their ongoing projects in rural Queensland and their Brisbane-based office. We have provided them with highspeed internet and cloud-based telephony so that they can rely on secure and reliable network to conduct their day-to-day business. At the Telstra Business Technology Centre in Sunshine Coast we proudly work with our small business customer as well as assist our large clientele from Brisbane to Rockhampton.

Hayden Saunders

My name is Hayden Saunders and I have been a Sunshine Coast local my whole life. After I finished school, I was fortunate enough to dive straight into an industry that I am extremely passionate about. I am proud to be part of a strong team who are a focal point in developing the foundations of which we communicate and do business in the future. I love being involved in endto-end solution building to transition businesses into the next stage of technology and develop their digital strategy. I am their first point of contact when they need to identify and explore new opportunities within their business, which can range from marketing, management, security, and collaboration. The Telstra Business Technology Centre Sunshine Coast have offerings to support all industries and business types. So don’t hesitate to reach out and see what we can do for you.

Matt Storer

I have been in the Telstra channel for 20 years now, originally working in the retail stores moving to the Business Technology center five years ago. I have lived on the Sunshine Coast for the past 18 years working across six Telstra locations throughout the coast. During this time, I have worked with countless businesses to help improve communications, processes, and productivity through the vast range of products and services Telstra offer. Currently one customer that stands out is a local finance company that struggled with the volume of calls they were receiving on their mobile phone. The solution that we opted for was a migration to Microsoft 365 email, Teams calling, and the next step will be to migrate all internal files to One drive and Share point. This has allowed the management of calls across the whole team, working remotely, increased security and more productivity across the whole team.