There is a sense in the business community right now that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. It has been an intense first quarter of 2022.
I suspect that for most of us it has presented more activity, challenge and hopefully success than any of us imagined. War continues to disrupt, with ripples being felt across the globe and petrol prices showing no sign of decline in the short term. COVID-19 continues to impact our day to day lives and the peak is now in full swing with approximately 8,000new cases a day. Boarders are open and international and interstate travel has resumed.
The recently released Federal budget has several aspects that may provide some short term relief to many within our community to buffer the rising costs of living. Petrol costs alone will be adding hundreds of dollars to the monthly family budget. While I’m sure the cash injection will be welcome, the Federal Budget also includes some overdue support for women with over $1.8 billion in funding to provide greater resources and support for a number of health and safety challenges, improvements to economic security, and makes some important policy changes around Parental Payments to support equality.
With the budget just released the media is making a field day of highlighting the winners and losers. While that is surely the case for any budget, only focusing on “what’s in this for me” might be a rather limiting view. There is validity in critical review, however perhaps the opportunity is to look more holistically at how this budget will benefit our region, our country and our global responsibilities?
A Federal Election is also less than two months away. As an apolitical organisation, we will not be making any recommendation on how you should cast your vote. With COVID restrictions in place we will however look for new ways to ensure you get access to the information you need on all candidate’s policies so you can make an informed decision.
This week, I had the pleasure of presenting an award at South Regional TAFE for the South West regions Trainee of the Year. It is such an honour to sponsor these awards each year and see the pride and excitement on the faces of the graduates. As we explored in the recent International Women’s Day panel discussions, when reflecting in 20-30 years, the journey looks very different than when you are just getting started. Some of the advice that our panel offered included:
- Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way,
- Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself and step out onto those skinny branches,
- Find an advocate and mentor who can help guide you,
- When dealing with difficult situations and ingrained bias, find ways to humorously shine a light on it, and
- Support and encourage each other to be courageous – we are all more capable than we give ourselves credit for.
As we head into the next quarter with high levels of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion in our community, I want to leave you with a message around mental health and wellbeing. Building a mentally healthy workplace is so important. It shouldn’t be taboo or feared to talk about, and mental health applies as much to business owners themselves as to their teams. Here are some mentally healthy wellness ideas to build into your daily practices:
- Notice the things you do well daily, no matter how small.
- Unplug from technology – give your mind and body a break.
- Avoid procrastination – set deadlines that are achievable and manage your time.
- Make an effort to be positive -Look for and focus on reasons to be happy.
- Be kind to yourself – reassure yourself that what you are doing is enough.
Please be COVID safe, look after one another and be patient, we are all figuring this out together.
