As of July 1st 2019, the new Aged Care Quality Standards will be in place. The Aged Care Quality Standards will apply to all aged care services including residential care, home care, flexible care and services under the Commonwealth Home Support Program. 

With eight new standards, a stronger consumer focus and clearly articulated care and service expectations, now is the time to familiarise and educate yourself with the new standards. To help you prepare and meet the new standards, Go1 has partnered with Australian training provider Aged Care Learning Solutions (ACLS) to bring you all the online training courses you need to be ACQS compliant. 

To help you prepare for the new standards, ACLS has created the "About Me" series, which contains nine highly engaging 10-15 minute videos introducing the new standards from the consumer perspective. 

The first free introductory video introduces your workforce to the concept of the consumer being at the centre of the new standards. The learner will gain a practical understanding of the Aged Care Quality Standards with scenarios that facilitate the application of their learning. 

You can watch the first video of the ACLS "About Me" series right here:

ACLS | Standards Introduction

Don’t be caught out when the assessment and monitoring against the standards takes effect. Stay tuned on the Go1 blog each week to see our next installments of the "About Me" series, as well as more information around each individual standard. We are ready, are you? 

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Are you ready for the new Aged Care Quality Standards? An introduction to our Aged Care Quality Standards series

New Aged Care Quality Standards at a glance for your workforce

Yes, customer service is crucial and yes, customers do come first. But how do you actually train your teams to provide quality customer service?

This week we are focusing on two courses from our expert providers to give you tools and strategies to create an effective customer service strategy for your organisation. 

Course: Introduction to Quality Customer Service

This course underlines how, irrespective of what industry you are in or what function your team performs, you are in the business of providing a service and this means learning to go above and beyond the call of duty as a matter of course.

They are an Australian-based provider at the forefront of the self-paced learning industry. Since helping pioneer computer-based training more than 30 years ago, Interaction Training has been committed to adopting the latest technologies that have the capability of accelerating the effectiveness of corporate learning. Through their partnership with Go1, more than 80 of Interaction Training’s courses are available to all our users. Their content covers a range of business, compliance, and personal development topics. 

Course: Create a Culture of Great Customer Service

Learn how to get you and your team living and breathing customer service. Without a culture of service within your organisation, good customer service simply will not thrive. Learn how to ingrain the right ideals into your company culture to ensure that they’re heeded each day by all of your team members. 

This course will help you identify the key aspects of optimal customer service so you can teach it and instil it in your teams.

Developing a culture of service toward both your staff and customers.

Creating a mission, core values and vision statement that reflect your commitment to great customer service.

Empowering yourself and your team members to make a positive impact on customers with every action.

Learning about the smallest and easiest things you can do to make a big impact on your customers and clients.

Overcoming fears of interacting with strangers by learning the tools and tricks to good interactions.

Creative Live are a new addition to Go1 Premium and have a breadth of content topics available! They specialise in business and creativity skills, and broadcast live classes to an international audience. They have over 1720 courses joining the Go1 Premium library, and are known for their engaging, high-quality courses. Their courses cover a huge range of topics, and help develop people into more creative, communicative and resilient humans – at work and in life.

 Try out the interaction Training and Creative Live courses and let us know what you think!

From the Search Results page -> use the provider filter to find these providers!

Want more details about customer service?

It's customer service training month at Go1. 

Course of the week: train your team on customer service skills 

Check out Go1 Premium Playlist: June 17th

Check out Go1's latest updates for Go1 global customers. 

Go1 welcomes Charles Bloe (Healthcare - UK focused)

Charles Bloe Training are training experts in: ECG Vaccination, Immunisation, Complex Care, Clinical Skills, Mandatory Training. 

The company's founder has a wealth of experience – both in the NHS and in training development and delivery. He continues to work as a Clinical Manager in NHS Highland (coronary care) and adopts a hands-on approach within the company, personally delivering numerous training courses every year.

Vaccination Programme (with anaphylaxis and basic life support): The learner will gain the theoretical skills and knowledge required to safely administer a vaccine and recognise life threatening complications associated with vaccination.

Influenza: The learner will gain the theoretical skills and knowledge required to recognise the signs and symptoms of Influenza and understand the basis of seasonal vaccination.

Anaphylaxis and Basic Life Support + Basic Life Support (Adult and Paediatric): These courses will provide an overview of anaphylaxis; its causes, symptoms and treatment. It will then describe how to perform adult and paediatric basic life support. The content is based on current guidelines from the Resuscitation Council (UK).

Target Audience : Nurses, Pharmacists, Healthcare professionals that vaccinate.

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): The learner will gain the theoretical skills and knowledge required to recognise the signs and symptoms of Influenza and understand the basis of seasonal vaccination.

Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Interpretation: At the end of this course learners will understand the mechanisms of acid base balance and have a reliable process for interpreting ABG's.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and Embolic Stroke Prevention 

The 12-lead ECG in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)

Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) - Diagnosis and Management

Go1 welcomes Cerebral Palsy Alliance (Disability sector learning)

Cerebral Palsy Alliance is a registered training organisation (RTO) committed to providing high quality, evidence based training for individuals and organisations in the disability and community sector. 

Via Go1, you can access 14 specialist courses that relate to managing different pars of disability services in an organisation: 

 Disability Aware: An awareness and inclusion program

Disability Aware is an engaging, interactive and extremely informative online course, packed with highly-relevant, up-to-the-minute information specifically developed by disability professionals. The program covers a wide range of essential topics designed to build skills, understanding, and confidence with the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Nutrition care process for dietitians working in disability

The learning in the course includes:  Nutrition and disability, including nutrition risks and the nutrition care process that may differ when working with a person with disability

This course covers a range of information about the aspects of diversity and will enable participants to reflect on own perspectives to diversity and develop an appreciation of diversity, inclusiveness and their benefits.

This online theory course provides learners with the essential knowledge required to safely and effectively assist clients with medications and manage medication contingencies in the workplace.

As well as courses including: responding to suspected abuse, good working relations, infection, prevention and control.

Go1 welcomes Bullyology (Workplace management)

Bullyology® works with change makers in leadership, to empower their organisation to break the silence of bullying. 

Bullyology® is a professional anti-bullying methodology derived from personal experiences and meticulous research, dedicated to breaking the silence on bullying while striving to promote healthy relationships in workplaces. 

Managing Workplace Bullying - Managers & Supervisors

This  is a comprehensive course designed to give managers the skills, strategies and information they need to prevent bullying in work environments, understand its causes and effects, and efficiently deal with it when it occurs.

Divided into 5 parts, this course will help managers & Supervisors:  

Understand the definitions of workplace bullying, harassment and discrimination and also recognise what does not constitute bullying in the workplace.

Be familiar with the two main types of typical bullying behaviours: direct (personal attacks) and indirect (task-related behaviours). 

Recognise the types of high-risk leadership, management and communication styles that might lead to an increase in workplace bullying.

Respond to employee bullying/harassment complaints quickly, assertively, and with an appropriate level of support.

Go1 welcomes Bloom Learning (New Zealand workplace management)

Learners will be able to engage in business with New Zealanders successfully, supported by a broad understanding of its social and cultural norms.

This course is ideal for new migrants or visitors to New Zealand who are interested in doing business in the country.

This course gives learners a thorough understanding of the employment process in New Zealand and provides opportunities for them to practice and develop model answers.

This week, we welcome some exciting new providers in the healthcare, disability, and workplace management sectors!

This partnership will see Go1's customer base now able to access Kognent's Chain of Responsibility training.

The reforms to the Heavy Vehicle National Legislation (HVNL) and Chain of Responsibility (CoR) are now in effect, and Kognent has a range of courses to meet compliance in HVNL. 

Under this new legislation, all parties have a primary duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety for their transport related activities. The aim of CoR is to make sure everyone in the supply chain shares responsibility for ensuring breaches of the HVNL do not occur. This means that if you are named as a party in the chain and you exercise or have the capability of exercising control or influence over any transport task, you have a responsibility to ensure the HVNL is complied with. Take the next step and enrol in Kognent's training on Go1 today!

Via Go1, Kognent has Chain of Responsibility (CoR) training  for every aspect of a business.

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) requires individuals to understand their unique responsibilities under CoR laws. Unlike other CoR training, Kognent's Role-Specific CoR courses are separated and designed specifically for each role named under the Chain of Responsibility.

Go1 has 11 Role-Specific Courses available in Global Premium. From Packers to Employers, Kognent offers individual online Chain of Responsibility training courses for each role.

Introductory Courses: to the concepts of CoR and why road safety responsibilities have expanded to off-road parties.

Through these courses you can understand the purpose of the Chain of Responsibility and the core principles of the Chain of Responsibility.

Managerial Courses: To educate staff on CoR legislation, their responsibilities, and safety systems required by law.

These courses are for Operators, Employers, Executive Officers, Loading Managers, Prime Contractors, Schedulers

Frontline-staff courses: These courses help train staff on their individual responsibilities under the HVNL.

These courses are for Drivers, Packers, Consignees, Consignors, Loaders/Unloaders

Go1 is very excited to be working closely with Kognent and building a great relationship. 

Contact Go1 if you have any questions, or want to access Kognent's Chain of Responsibility content via a Go1 Premium subscription.

Kognent's Chain of Responsibility Learning Solutions are now available in association with Go1.

We have all been there - a deadline for a long report or project is looming. Although you have known about it for months and have a week left to complete it, somehow any distraction seems preferable to making a start.  The sheer scale of the task at hand is overwhelming, and the thought of working on it induces panic. 

Procrastination, when left unchecked, can become a chronic problem. When we don’t feel like completing a task in the moment, we are unable to see the impact of avoiding it long term, or how failing to do the work will stop us from reaching our goals. This can create a negative downward spiral, which becomes difficult to get out of and reset.  

While delaying work is seen as a net negative, historically, the ancient Romans and Greeks valued thinking over doing. When looking at procrastination from this perspective, it could be viewed as an opportunity for a big idea to come to the fore. Yet, for those focused on a productive working life in the modern world, it is definitely seen as the enemy.  

So, where does procrastination come from?  And how can we learn to recognise and manage it?  

Human beings have a long evolutionary history of procrastination, and the proliferation of technology in our world today has made overcoming it all the more difficult. 

Initially thought to stem from a lack of self-control, latest research reveals that procrastination it is more an issue of emotional regulation. In other words, we hesitate to avoid negative feelings associated with a task, such as fear, and opt instead for the momentary relief other activities can offer.

On the flip side of this, Wait But Why author, Tim Urban, explains that while some people claim to be procrastinators and others do not, those who claim to never procrastinate simply have a better control over their impulses.  A key factor in the process is what he calls the ‘instant gratification monkey’, who is secretly trying to sabotage all of us when we need to be getting on with something important, but perhaps a little scary.  Of course, there are many things we would much rather be doing than work, and our brains are very good at tempting us into doing these first,  like catching up on Instagram or grabbing a coffee.  

Another piece of the procrastination puzzle is motivation.  Not every activity or task we do is naturally enjoyable or rewarding, and whether or not a task is enjoyable will depend on individual preferences. When we are intrinsically motivated to complete a task, we want to do the work because we naturally enjoy it or find it satisfying.  

When a task does not motivate you in this way, it can be helpful to find a way to extrinsically motivate yourself to do it.  This simply means building in a reward for completing the task, or a section of it. The reward then becomes the motivation, and you have created your own incentive for getting the work done. 

Cast your mind back to the school classroom, and you will likely remember many ways you were extrinsically motivated by your teacher to do things you didn’t enjoy much.  Stickers, prizes, praise - you name it. Your teacher would have tried everything.  As human beings, we are hard-wired to seek out rewards and can use this psychology to our advantage. 

If procrastination is impacting negatively on your life, we have a few simple tricks to help you get around it. The goal is to trick your brain into getting some momentum without the psychological battle. Remember, starting the task is usually the biggest hurdle.  Once you are over this, you may well find that the work is not quite as challenging as it originally seemed. 

Getting started: Making a start on a task, however small, is always beneficial.  This will begin a positive feedback loop in your brain, and give you the all-important momentum you need to see the work to its completion. As with exercise, putting your runners on is usually the hardest part of the workout!


The ‘Pomodoro Technique’: This is a time management trick developed by Francesco Cirilllo in the late 1980s. The idea is to tackle a piece of work you need to get done in 25 minute intervals, followed by a short break.  Why does it work?  This comes back to our reward systems.  If we promise ourselves a reward at the end of completing a section of work, we are extrinsically motivated to complete the task.  This can be very helpful for getting started, particularly with tasks you are not intrinsically motivated to do.


Break the work down: Thinking about the enormity of a task before starting it can also trigger procrastination and anxiety. A great way around this is to think about how you could break the task down into smaller chunks.  For example, if you have to write a report, aim to write the first 100 words, and then have a short break.  It might also be helpful to plan out the task first, with headings and bullet points to guide you through each step. 


Take breaks regularly: This is a must for beating procrastination.  Going for a quick walk or a coffee when your attention begins to wane can re-energise you to continue. While it may seem as though you’re wasting time, you will come back to your desk more focused, and less likely to be tempted by other activities.


Switch up your tasks: If you find that your productivity on a task has reduced (or you find yourself meandering to other, less productive tabs open on your laptop!), switching to a different task can help to keep your mind fresh and improve concentration levels.  You might only need to break from your original task for 15 minutes or so, and find that you come back to it rejuvenated and ready to complete the next goal you have set yourself. 

The ultimate guide to beating procrastination

It's customer service training month at Go1. This month, we're focusing on all things customer service training - so keep an eye on the blog over the next few weeks to read more about Go1’s relevant training content!

FISH! content takes a unique approach to its eLearning content, by teaching its philosophy with energy, passion and hint of FISH! fun.

FISH! is known for their philosophy, to improve organisational culture through four key elements. Filmmaker John Christensen was in Seattle when he discovered a business that pulsed with enthusiasm and commitment. It was the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market, where large crowds come to watch the fishmongers work—and buy lots of fish. 

“Every company could benefit from that kind of passion,” John thought. So he made a film about the fishmongers. It’s called FISH! and it explores four simple practices anyone can use to be successful. These practices, known as The FISH! Philosophy, are the foundation of our training solutions. Read more here. 

Go1 has FISH! on board as a Go1 Premium content partner, with three courses available in your subscription. The courses are about customer service - fitting for this month's focus. 

In Go1 Premium, you can find a US and AU version of the course: Improve your Customer Service Culture with FISH! This course will take approximately 60 minutes to complete and will include video, situational activities, workplace and personal assessments, and action planning. 

Use this course to solve the problem of uninspired and robotic customer service within your team. Great customer service is more than a “technique.” It comes from the heart. FISH! content puts forward tools for your staff, so they can develop a new mindset to see opportunities to make the customer’s day that they have never seen before.

There are four modules in the course and at the end of the course you will have generated your personalised action plan:

Learn how to be there when people need you - this is the first element of the philosophy. No one wants to work in a place where everyone is out for themselves. Be There starts with being present—emotionally and physically—for the people who need you.

Turn routine interactions into Make Their Day moments - You can’t always fall back on money to make the day of your employees. But you can let them know how much you value them. Simple gestures go a long way.

Be accountable for your attitudes - You can’t control everything life throws in your path. But you do get to choose how you deal with it.

Increase enjoyment and creativity: It’s important for everyone on the team to be clear about what the team is trying to achieve. Once you know what your “playing field” is, give people freedom to play within those boundaries in a way that boosts energy and enthusiasm.

Try out FISH! training and let us know what you think!

From the Search Results page -> use the provider filter to find FISH! Philosophy courses

Want to access FISH! courses but don't have Go1 Premium? Enquire here!

The spotlight this week is on Go1's customer service training provider: Fish! 

June customer service: spotlight provider 

Think about an average day in your working life.  Your work might be diverse and include a variety of activities, but, no matter how spontaneous you are, there are some things you will do every day without fail.  Some of us enjoy getting a coffee from the same place every morning, while others always like to wake up with a shower. 

Whatever your day looks like, rituals are proven to help shape your day and provide structure. You can also use them to improve your productivity or even make you feel more relaxed (1). When you know what to expect and when to expect it, your brain expends less energy and becomes more efficient, leaving more time for problem solving and creativity.

So, why is it that rituals benefit us, and how can we use them to our advantage?  

In human civilisation, the use of rituals can be found across history and continents. Many religions recognise the importance of ritual and structure to organise daily life, and to mark important occasions. Athletes are also known for their interesting, repetitive quirks; Rafael Nadal brings two drink bottles with him to every tennis match, and places each of them in the same, specific position to help find his competitive mindset.

Rituals differ slightly from routines in that they have a meaningful intention behind them. When you need to complete something quickly or you have a goal to achieve without too much thinking, you are completing a routine task with little awareness behind it. You might be on autopilot and strive to get it done as quickly as possible. 

When you are completing a ritual, you will likely be more aware of the intention behind it, feel internally motivated to complete the task and focus on how you are performing. Of course, we don’t need to pay this level of attention to everything we do, but awareness can help to make tasks more enjoyable and easier to complete. 

Legendary tidying expert, Marie Kondo, brings ‘the magic of tidying up’ to our screens on Netflix, and the rituals she follows (such as thanking her home before beginning to tidy it) are rooted in the Shinto beliefs she was exposed to growing up. Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan and built upon ritual-based practices to create a connection between the Japan of today and its ancient past.

Creating rituals, particularly to help with the boring but essential tasks you would rather not do, can also reduce stress and anxiety levels. How often do you find yourself thinking about the mountain of emails you need to reply to? If you have a ritual in place for when you look over them and keep in mind why you are doing it, you save time and energy for crafting responses. 

A great place to begin when establishing rituals for yourself is to target aspects of daily life which you find more challenging. Once you have picked an area to focus on, choose a time in your schedule to work on it.  Like dealing with the ever-growing mass of unread emails, if you say to yourself when you are going to work on a task, and then allocate the time to do so, you are much more likely to succeed. 

The next step is to make sure you include an intention behind completing the ritual.  An intention could be to reduce your stress levels, or to ensure you are doing your job to the best of your ability.  Understanding the purpose of a task is key, as you will then be able to see why it is beneficial for you, another colleague or your team, and you will naturally be more motivated to do it. 

It is also good to make sure you include a reward for yourself once you complete the task, especially if you don’t enjoy doing it much.  Your brain will then learn that completing this task results in an activity you enjoy afterwards, which will give you an incentive to tackle it in the first place.

When you are trying out new rituals, it is important not to overload yourself or to take it too far at the beginning.  You want each ritual to become a habit, and once it becomes ingrained you will hardly have to think about it, which is the desired effect! However, if you try to do too much at the start, you are unlikely to keep your rituals going and lose interest altogether quite quickly. Aim to try out one new ritual each week, and see how you go from there. 

A particularly good ritual to start your day with is to ensure you have a tidy workspace. Having a clean desk makes us work more productively and ready to tackle the other tasks ahead. Most of us wouldn’t consider allocating time for this every day, yet it can significantly reduce stress levels knowing that the space around you is organised. Minimising stress means more mental energy for unexpected problems or difficulties which might come your way during the course of the day.

It is important to mention that there is a spectrum of personality types, and, although there are those who prefer to plan their lives out a little more, and those who love to go with the flow, rituals can help everybody to flourish. 

If you are more spontaneous, you can use rituals to facilitate your more creative and adventurous moments - it doesn’t need to be stifling. If you love order and like things organised, the chances are you’re already way ahead of us, but you might need help connecting with tasks on a more meaningful level. 

In the week ahead, think about a new ritual you could include to make your time flow that little bit easier. 

Hobson NM, Bonk D, Inzlicht M. 2017. Rituals decrease the neural response to performance failure. PeerJ 5:e3363 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3363

How rituals at work can help us perform better

Whether they are known as your customer support, success or service team, they are your employees that interact with and manage customers. Customer service teams directly communicate with customers, problem solve for them and these are often the interactions that leave the lasting impression in your consumers mind. We've dedicated the month of June to look at how Go1's Premium training for your frontline staff can drive sales and give businesses a strong competitive advantage. 

With the evolution of customer service towards tech, it only makes sense to take your customer service training online as well. Generally customer service training is the training employees undergo to improve the soft skills most used during customer interactions and learn the tools needed to better support customers and their satisfaction. Any employee that interacts and deals with customers needs customer service training. 

Taking your customer service training online can strengthen your team's skills.

Through training, employees improve their customer service skills, knowledge and competencies whilst acquiring new ones. Training gives customers a more consistent and professional experience - which greatly increases customer satisfaction and leave your customers feeling respected. Of course, no training is as cost-effective as eLearning. Online training is easy to deliver to employees no matter where they are based. 

Where to begin with your customer service training?

Let's start with your understanding of customer service, and how it can influence you workplaces customer service strategy. This week we've suggest two Go1 courses created by experts in customer training. 

Introduction to quality customer service - by Interaction Training. 

This course underlines how, irrespective of what industry you are in or what function your team performs, you are in the business of providing a service and this means learning to go above and beyond the call of duty as a matter of course. This is a great introductory course for managers and training coordinators to understand how to approach customer service training. 

Create a Culture of Great Customer Service - by Creative Live. 

This is also useful for managers to help you identify the key aspects of optimal customer service so you can teach it and instill it in your teams. This course emphasises how customers should come first, and how you can learn how to ingrain those ideals into your company culture to ensure that they’re heeded each day by all of your team members.

Want to learn about more Go1 courses to support your customer service training? Come back to the blog next week!

Find out how Go1's Premium training for your frontline staff can drive sales and give businesses a strong competitive advantage. 

Course category of the month - June: customer service

Australia's CEO Challenge (ACEOC) is an organisation that provides domestic and family violence (DFV) training for companies all across Australia. Their aim is to make sure workplaces are aware and responsive to domestic violence, and have in place a strategy to raise awareness and support their staff who may be living with violence, abuse and control at home. 

The organisation's Workplace Prevention Program empowers and educates businesses to recognise the signs of domestic violence, respond appropriately and refer employees affected to professionals who can help. By recognising that business and industry have a role in social change, we can create responsive workplaces and become part of a ‘whole of community’ solution.

We recently sat down with ACEOC's Chief Executive Officer, Jacque Lachmund, to talk about the importance of DFV training and how the organisation is working with Go1 to deliver a Workplace Domestic and Family Violence Training Package.

Case Study: CEO Challenge

Your workplace partner against domestic violence

Australia's CEO Challenge is a recognised, award-winning non-profit organisation that supports the business sector to help break the silence surrounding domestic violence. They work with businesses – of all sizes and from all sectors – to become more aware and responsive to DFV, ensuring greater support for staff directly impacted. Through quality education, policy development, expert training and partnerships, they provide organisations with the tools they need to better respond to DFV in their workplaces. 

Workplaces can play a critical role in responding to DFV. These days, the reality is that many of us spend more time with our co-workers than with family and friends. These are the people who see us day in, day out, five days a week. So, it’s often our managers or workmates who will notice the first warning signs of DFV or get a sense that something is not quite right.

ACEOC's Workplace Domestic and Family Violence Training Package helps to ensure that organisations get a succinct message, and a succinct way on how to respond to colleagues and to others.

The very first touch point of ACEOC's engagement with Go1 was when the Queensland Government made a commitment to work with workplaces, starting with their own, to address DVF. 

As Jacque explains, "they were doing face-to-face training and realised that other training options were needed," and so a natural partnership was formed to roll-out across government - ACEOC's eLearning. 

"The challenges we faced and the journey we went on was fantastic. The team behind the scenes worked with us with each agency to ensure that we got it right. We didn’t always get it right- some of our agencies in government had different learning management platforms we had to work around. But at each point, Go1 provided us with a solution-based focus which helped us jump those hurdles." 

Since partnering with Go1, ACEOC's clients in the private sector have also jumped on board with their eLearning solution, providing "a whole organisational response to DFV." 

At Go1, we love working with companies who are all about positive impact – so we are very happy to be working together with Australia's CEO Challenge. 

And as Jacque said, she is pleased with the level of support ACEOC has received from the Go1 team and looks forward to continuing the journey.

"We couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with. An organisation who’s professional, who is engaging and who have delivered on our commitment and contract with government and our organisations that we work with each and every day.

We are thankful that we have an organisation that gets it. That is socially responsible. That wants to give back and has partnered with a not-for-profit organisation. It's fantastic and we look forward to continuing the journey."

We thank Jacque for sharing her time and thoughts with us and encourage you to check out the Workplace Domestic and Family Violence Training Package from Australia's CEO Challenge, available in Go1 Premium now. 

You might like to also read our earlier article on our partnership with ACEOC, which includes some helpful advice from ACEOC on how managers can respond to Domestic and Family Violence in the workplace including specific responses you can use to someone who is confiding in you.

Note: Freecall 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) is a 24-hour counselling line available to all Australians who have experienced, or are at risk of, DFV. 

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Australia's CEO Challenge - providing domestic and family violence (DFV) training for companies all across Australia

You have an important report due at the end of the day and have blocked out the entire day to focus on it. Your morning routine was relaxing; the journey to work went without a hitch.  After reading through your emails and having a chat with your colleagues, you feel ready to make a start. Suddenly, out of nowhere, your boss asks you if you have time to help with another urgent task due by lunchtime, which has come in unexpectedly.  Do you say ‘no’? Or do you offer up your time, knowing you will be hard pushed to get your report done in an afternoon? 

Setting boundaries, particularly saying ‘no’ to your boss, can be a difficult thing to do. We are empathetic creatures, and our survival as a species has depended on helping each other. We are biologically wired to work together in order to achieve more than we could individually. This means traits such as selflessness and compassion are valued highly in our society, and focusing on our own needs can feel unnatural or have a stigma attached to it. 

In a work context, setting boundaries is essentially making sure you can negotiate for yourself and ensuring you have plenty of energy to get on with your daily tasks. Although this might sound obvious, when you are juggling the competing demands of customers, team members or clients, as well as your own needs, it can become difficult to find time for everything. It is important to give both yourself and those around you the appropriate amount of attention, and even more important to ensure you feel energised yourself first. 

Although occasionally taking on more work than you can manage won’t do a lot of harm in the short-term, over time this will increase your stress levels and take its toll on your body.  Whereas a little stress is necessary for getting things done, excessive stress can lead to poor physical health, difficulty relating to colleagues and underperformance.  Striking a balance is crucial, and carefully setting boundaries is one way to work towards this. 

In recent years, there has been a huge shift in work culture, with ‘work-life balance’ becoming the phrase of the moment. Although it initially appeared to be a trend bad managers could pay lip service to, millennials are now demanding opportunities for balance from their roles, and employers have had to step up.  Many companies now go beyond empty reminders that employees need to take care of themselves, and offer structures to facilitate self-care and mental health.  

There has never been a better time for taking care of yourself in the workplace, and setting boundaries more frequently is an effective way to begin. 

If you have difficulty setting boundaries with your colleagues, particularly around your available time, these are our top tips to help you navigate each situation and communicate with others appropriately.

Time management: Blocking out your time carefully can be hugely helpful for setting clear boundaries for yourself and with others.  You might prefer to organise your time weekly or daily, but whichever approach you choose, having a visual of the amount of time you have available can be helpful. If somebody asks you for help with a project, you can quickly say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on how much time you can allocate. 

Communication: Letting your team members know how you are feeling or whether you need support is crucial.  If you are stressed or feel like you have reached your limit, communicating this well and offering an alternative path forward can help to take the pressure off. If you need to reset, make your colleagues aware of this.  If you are a leader and have a tendency to take on work that others could be doing, don’t be afraid to delegate, especially if you are under the pump trying to complete a task that requires your level of skill and experience. 

Regularly checking in: Mindfulness is now a widely respected and hugely popular tool for managing stress at work. While there are many apps out there to guide you through practice, this approach isn’t for everybody. Mindfulness can simply be tuning in to where you are and how you are feeling in a given moment.  Our thoughts are constantly on the go, and regular practice, however you choose to do it, can be beneficial for keeping our active brains in check. If you feel like your thoughts are racing, take a break and go for a walk.  Focus on your breathing while you do this for extra benefits.  Finding a moment of calm during the day can be rejuvenating.

Focus on the task at hand: On the Go1 Blog, we recently discussed the best ways to maintain your focus at work. Your ability to concentrate can be an indication of whether you have taken on too much, or set yourself too much to do that day. If your mind is darting around to the other activities you need to complete, it might help to review your scheduled activities and make adjustments. Over-committing yourself can be a huge source of stress and it is important to be realistic about what you can achieve. 

Be wary of traditional ‘to-do lists’: Recording everything you need to do in a long, never-ending list may offer you temporary relief from racing thoughts, but it could leave you open to feeling unsatisfied and frustrated with your work when you are unable to check off every item you have recorded. You also run the risk of accepting more work without considering the amount of time you can spare.  

Remember, setting boundaries is a constant balancing act, not something anybody can perfect. It can also feel as though you are letting others down by saying ‘no’, but ultimately they will be more grateful if the quality of your work isn’t impacted by lack of time or stress. By making it a priority in your life to set limits, you can realise when you need to reset or look after yourself. If you can do this, you will be well on the way to feeling healthier and happier in your work and daily life. 

Why setting boundaries at work is essential for mental wellbeing

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