Your business is likely suffering and your patience may be fraying. There are new government grants, to come to terms with, as well as unfortunate restrictions and shutdowns to work past.
It’s not all government grants and cashflow though. Managing wellbeing is equally as important.
As human beings, a large part of keeping on top of unprecedented change and emerging intact will come down to how positively we respond and how much we value community wellbeing.
Take care of number one
As a business owner you’ll have a lot riding on your shoulders. Income loss, staff management, government restrictions and ATO reporting concerns are just the start.
You need to ensure you’re taking care of yourself, so that you’re in the best position possible to handle the increased stress and responsibility.
If you don’t take care of number one first, you can’t possibly help anyone else.
Think about your:
- exercise
- diet
- sleep
- planning
These factors need to be addressed before any other thought about wellbeing.
Dealing with business pain
It’s understandable to feel restless and upended during this unprecedented time. Whether you’re a business or clinic owner who employs staff or a sole trader, your business may be facing an uphill battle and it’s normal that you feel anxious.
As a business owner you may feel the weight of these changes more acutely than others.
However insurmountable things may seem, there are techniques and actions you can take as well as thoughts you can meditate on to protect and nurture your mental health.
- Be realistic about what you can achieve.
- Understand what you can and cannot change.
- Keep your hours in check.
- Stay in touch with family and friends, wherever possible.
- Try and find time to switch off from technology.
- Monitor warning signs of poor mental health.
- Reach out to colleagues for support and offer it in return.
- Maintain interests outside work.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Seeking support
If you’re having a tough time, Beyond Blue have partnered with the government to offer COVID-19 related support services.
Long before this pandemic, mental health was a topic of great importance to our community. However, it has become abundantly clear that the effects of job loss, business loss, isolation, illness, uncertainty and restriction of movement have had a sharp impact on our collective wellbeing.
The new service has been created to provide support for those adversely affected by the difficult circumstances we all find ourselves in.
Chair of Beyond Blue and former PM, Julia Gillard, provided clarity around the purpose of this new mental health service:
“We anticipate growing demand for mental health support as this pandemic develops, both from people who are already managing mental health issues and those who have never struggled before.”
You’ll find the Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service here.
Their dedicated phone line, staffed by mental health professionals briefed on the pandemic response, is 1800 512 348.
We are all in this together
We’re all hurting, but we’re all resilient too and together, with mutual support and understanding, we will thrive again.
Please be courteous and patient with your staff, customers, suppliers and colleagues. If you have space to be generous, please be so. If you need help, reach out.
If you can help your customers smile, do so. If you can alleviate stress by providing new services and products, make it happen. If you can use your social media presence and marketing power to spread positive messages, go right ahead.
We need it.
Managing your communication
This is a time of heightened emotions and stress. For many in our community, mental wellbeing may be suffering. Be mindful and respond appropriately.
Some of your customers may be very stressed at times. Emotions could be heightened. This could come across as customers behaving rudely to your team. In order to counter this:
- Train your team to expect and manage stress and heightened emotions. Make sure your staff know how to respond.
- Talk to your team about their wellbeing and how to keep them positive at work. Get your team to consciously increase their own level of friendliness. What they give out will be reflected back.
- The meet and greet is one of the most critical stages in your customer’s experience – ensure they are greeted warmly when they arrive (or on the phone) and are farewelled equally.
At the end of the day, keeping our cool during a crisis may make the difference as to how well we all pull through this period of uncertainty.
Take care everybody.