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Brrrr, winter has arrived in Canberra!Welcome to the fourth edition of the Healthier Work Newsletter. In this edition we'll look atoptions to be healthier at work in the colder months, explain what presenteeism is all about, anddetail the exciting presentations WorkSafe ACT, Healthier Work and some of Canberra's top serviceproviders will be delivering in the coming months.

We will also discuss the outcomes of our Incentives Program, you'll find out about our latestcompetition, how you can share your thoughts and ideas on creating a healthier workplace online,how you can win a $400 Apple Store card and check out what events are on in July.

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Issue no. 004 July 2013

Having a healthier w orkplace inthe colder months

Presenteeism, w hat causes itand w hat a w orkplace can do.

Upcoming Presentations

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how you can win a $400 Apple Store card and check out what events are on in July.

Having a healthier workplace in the colder months

Creating a healthier workplace has challenges, but with HealthierWork’s assistance we can help you navigate and create aworkplace that supports your employees to be healthier. Afterall, we know that by creating a healthier workforce, you’ll also becreating a healthier bottom line. However, when winter hits eventhe most dedicated of us can find it hard to motivate ourselves(and our colleagues!) to go out for a walking meeting or headdown to the local park for a stretch or a game of frisbee.

Here are some options to ensure your workplaceis healthier during the winter months:

• Encourage everyone to bring in a healthy soup or set upa slow cooker with a lovely casserole with lots of veg. Soups and casseroles are perfect in the cooler weather and area great way to get extra veg into our day. After all, 93% of ACTworkers aren’t getting the recommended amount of 5 serves of veg a day!• If your workplace has stairs – promote the use of them! Not only will this get people movingmore, but it will build up everyone’s fitness. Simple approaches like using a toilet on a differentfloor, or if you’re a long way up in a building catching the lift from half way are great strategies to getyour workplace healthier.

• When it’s cold and wet, the temptation to go outside for acigarette can diminish, even for the most dedicatedsmokers. Use this time to offer support to colleagues who maybe interested in quitting or reducing their smoking. Did you

4thoughts

Incentives Program

It's competition time!

Social media

Work Health and Safety Month -October

July events

Congratulations

We're here for you

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know 20% of ACT workers smoke*? Support from colleagues ora formal workplace program could make a difference to someonequitting.• Staying mentally healthy is as important in winter as anyother time. The colder weather could be an ideal time to start aseries of lunchtime guest speakers, have a look at our websiteto discover which service providers may be able to assist. Or ifyour workplace has an Employee Assistance Program havethem come in to discuss their service.

* PricewaterhouseCoopers (2011). ACT Workplace Health Promotion Needs Analysis.

Presenteeism, what causes it and what a workplace can do.

What is presenteeism?

Productivity that is lost when employees come to work but,because of illness or other medical conditions are not fullyproductive. Employees who work when ill are more prone to injury and, ifcontagious, increase the risk of passing on an illness to otheremployees. Presenteeism is harder to identify and quantify thanabsenteeism. However, the cost of presenteeism to businesses

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absenteeism. However, the cost of presenteeism to businessesand the economy is estimated to be greater.The estimated cost of absenteeism to the Australian economy is$7 billion each year, with the cost of presenteeism estimated asbeing nearly five times more at $34.1 billion in 2009-2010.

What causes presenteeism?

Unhealthy lifestyles – a person’s health status can influence the occurrence of a health conditionthat can cause presenteeism. Workers with illnesses going to work – sick workers suffer from lower productivity and canspread infection to colleagues. Allergies and asthma – workers suffering from allergies or asthma can be seriously impaired intheir workplace performance by these diseases.Poor work-life balance and high levels of job-related stress - job dissatisfaction and stress inthe job can cause serious mental problems for individuals and result in higher probabilities of mentalhealth conditions, like burnout syndrome or depression.

Illness has a direct effect on both the quality and quantity of work undertaken byemployees. For example, staff may work more slowly than usual, make more mistakes orneed to repeat tasks. This lower labour productivity translates to increased costs foremployers.

What steps can your workplace take?

Presenteeism represents a substantial opportunity for businessmanagers to improve company performance by investing instrategies that create a more positive work environment forindividuals with health conditions.

Healthier Work, w w w .healthierw ork.act.gov.auP 6207 3000 (Option 1, then 4) E healthierw ork@act.gov.au

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• Awareness. The first step in addressing presenteeism is tobe aware of the problem and the economic impact of healthconditions on business and the Australian economy.• Identification. Get to know particular health issues effectingemployees, so a company can design better programs toimprove their health.• Education. Educate employees to ensure that illnesses arenot going undiagnosed. Also, provide employees with access toinformation on lifestyle management to prevent and manage

illness.

Reducing presenteeism also represents a unique opportunity for businesses to developstrategies to support and improve their employees’ health and wellbeing. ContactHealthier Work for a free workplace visit so we can support you in creating a healthierworkplace, which in turn can create healthier workers.

The above information has been taken from: Medibank Private | Sick at Work | The cost ofpresenteeism to your business and the economy (2011). It can be accessed in its entirety byclicking here.

Upcoming Presentations

Healthier Work is partnering with WorkSafe ACT and some of Canberra's serviceproviders to deliver some presentations over the coming months. Participantswill have the unique opportunity to learn more about creating a healthier

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workplace with a specific focus on nutrition, physical activity, smokingcessation/reduction and social and emotional wellbeing.

Healthy Eating in the Workplace | Nutrition Australia ACT Friday 19 July, 9am - 11.30am | $35 | Garden City Hotel, Narrabundah

Delivered by two of Nutrition Australia's ACT Accredited Practising Dietitians. This session looks athow you and your workplace can become nutritionally healthier with resources for participants thatsupport healthy eating in the workplace.

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour | Heart Foundation ACT Friday 2 August, 9am - 11.30am | $35 | Garden City Hotel, Narrabundah

Learn how to integrate physical activity into your daily routine, tips for committing to a regularexercise program and increasing physical activity levels, including information on Heart Foundationphysical activity programs and resources available to workplaces.

Good Mental Health in the Workplace | OzHelp ACTWednesday 25 September, 9am - 12 noon | $45 | Garden City Hotel, Narrabundah

Learn about the difference between mental health and mental illness, supporting colleagues in theworkplace, information on depression, anxiety and taking responsibility for your own wellbeing.

Smoking and the Workplace | Cancer Council ACTWednesday 13 November, 9am - 11.30am | $35 | Hellenic Club, Woden

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Understanding the addiction of smoking, knowledge of different quitting methods and how a workplacecan support its workers.

Click here to book into a session.

4thoughts

Health and Wellbeing for Business AdvantageTuesday 6 August, 12.30pm - 1.30pm | $20 | Hellenic Club, Woden

WorkSafe ACT presents information seminars for the benefit of local employers,workers and others titled '4thoughts' which are held over lunchtime at theHellenic Club, Woden.

Come along, listen, participate and ask the questions you have been trying toget an answer to. Either way, let us help you to make your workplace a saferand healthier place to be.

By booking your place for the Health and Wellbeing for Business Advantage you can discoverhow a healthier workforce can help make your business an 'employer of choice'. Find out what toolsand resources are available to help you and what types of activities or initiatives you mightconsider.

Click here to go directly to the 4thoughts booking page.

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Incentives Program

Congratulations to everyone who applied for theACT Small Business Healthier Work Incentives Program.

The aim of the Incentives Program was to support smallbusinesses in the ACT to kick start health and wellbeinginitiatives in their workplace or to extend and add value toexisting health and wellbeing programs.

The Assessment Panel were impressed with the range of ideasand enthusiasm of the 71 applications. The total funding pool forthe Incentives Program was $91,000 which resulted in 27workplaces being awarded with funding.

Healthier Work visited each workplace that applied and is looking forward to working with those thatwere not successful in this highly competitive round. A Healthier Work Industry Advisor will contactthese workplace in the near future to discuss and provide assistance to develop a program thatuses a range of low or no cost strategies that will benefit your staff and your organisation.

Healthier Work is looking at other strategies for the future to engage with workplacesacross Canberra – stay tuned to our newsletter for our future funding opportunities.

It's competition time!

Have you seen one of our posters on the back of

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an ACTION bus?

Take a photo (legally!) of one of the inside, or outside HealthierWork advertisements, tweet or put it up on our facebook pageand if you live/work in Canberra we'll give you a cooler bag,frisbee and healthy recipe cookbook!

You will also find Healthier Work's adverts in your local freeweekly magazines - take a picture of the ad at yourworkplace along with something healthy ie. on the stairs, withtap water, veggie sticks, an apple (as pictured) and we'll offeryou the same prize.

There is a limit of one prize per workplace - sostart snapping and uploading!

Social media

Join us on facebook and twitter to receive ‘Healthier Work Tips’,

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read interesting articles and connect with others who areinterested in health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Healthier Work has a specific group on LinkedIn that is designedfor Canberra employers and employees to share tips, offer ideas,advice and network with each other about creating a healthierworkplace.

Twitter @HealthierWork

Facebook Healthier Work ACT

LinkedIn Healthier Work Network

Work Health and Safety Month - October

Work Health and Safety Month is the opportunity fororganisations and their workers to focus on work health andsafety issues of relevance to their workplace.

This year WorkSafe ACT will be holding a number of seminarsand information sessions throughout October. Click here to viewthem.

WorkSafe ACT would also like to encourage employer and worker representative bodies as well asindividual employers to host their own event during this month. These may be in-house seminars or

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information sessions, sessions open to the general public, or training courses for which a fee will becharged. In all cases WorkSafe ACT would like the host organisation to register their event so theycan be added to their overall register of events.

WorkSafe ACT will draw four winners at random from all of the attendees at the conclusion of thisyear's month of events. The four winners will each receive a prize of a $400 gift voucher with theApple Store!

July events

1 July - 31 JulyDry July is an online social community were individuals or awork team can sign up to the challenge of a month longsponsored abstinence from alcohol.

The funds raised from participants' sponsorship directly benefitthe lives of adults living with cancer right across Australia.

Dry July is about clearing your head and making a difference. Get healthy, challenge yourself,encourage positive change and a healthy attitude to responsible alcohol consumption.

7 JulyNAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, cultureand achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not onlyin indigenous communities but by Australians from all walks of life.

The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your localAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

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Local community celebrations during NAIDOC Week are encouraged...what will your workplace do?

14 JulyNational Diabetes Week is about tackling Australia's fastest growingchronic disease - type 2 diabetes.

Around 1.7 million Australians currently live with diabetes and a further275 Australians develop diabetes every day.

By creating a healthier workplace, your organisation will be doing its bit to lessen the chance of yourworkers developing type 2 diabetes.

Click here to access the Healthier Work calendar to see what other eventswill be on in the coming months that your workplace can get involved in.

Congratulations

Finalists have been announced for the inauguralNational Preventive Health Awards.

The Awards promote leadership in the area of preventive healthto celebrate and award excellence in prevention and healthpromotion practice.

Finalists were chosen from more than 80 nominations fromaround the country and are made up of researchers, journalists,

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Medicare Locals, small, medium and large workplacessupporting prevention and better health across Australia.

A big congratulations to Kazar Slaven of the ACT who are finalists for the Healthy WorkplaceAwards for Team Excellence in Workplace Health and Wellbeing – Small Workplace (1-19workers). Kazar Slaven are fantastic ambassadors for workplace health and wellbeing and it’s greatthat they have been recognised for the good work they are doing. As you can see from the abovephoto, Kazar Slaven were spotted by Healthier Work in March at the Big Canberra Bike Ride!

Congratulations as well to Adrian the Manager of HealthierWork and his family. They have just welcomed a new addition totheir family, Oliver. Pictured on the right with his older brotherWilliam.

Adrian will have two children under the age of 2 and is lookingforward to the challenges (and joys!) that this will bring.

Healthier Work would also like to welcome Jeanne Poblete tothe team. Jeanne is our new Industry Advisor, and has hit theground running by assisting us with the wrapping up of theIncentives Program and is looking forward to meeting andhelping workplaces around Canberra to become healthier. Welcome Jeanne!

We're here for you

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Healthier Work is a free service to assist you to create a healthier workplace - contact us for advice,information or an on-site visit.

We would love to hear what you think of our newsletter and what you would like to see in futureeditions. Contact us on healthierwork@act.gov.au

A joint Australian, State and Territory Government initiativeunder the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health

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