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October is National Safe Work Month, a time to emphasise the significance of safety in all workplaces. The health and safety of Australian workplaces remains a top priority for employers.

Safe Work Australia is again encouraging workplaces to take part and commit to prioritising health and safety at work during National Safe Work Month – a chance to encourage awareness of health and safety in the workplace.

The theme for National Safe Work Month this year is think safe. work safe. be safe.

• Think safe— prioritising preventing injuries by considering work health and safety, planning, improving and maintaining a safe workplace.

• Work safe— walking the talk, leaders executing workplace health and safety procedures to avoid workplace incidents. Everyone has the right to be safe at work. Regardless of what your role is, everyone can all contribute to developing safe and healthy workplaces.

• Be safe— ensuring a safe workplace is a perpetual undertaking, by managing and monitoring work health and safety we can ensure the workplace continues to remain safe.

Being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm. No workplace should be unsafe and no death or injury is acceptable. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone.

In 2021, there continue to be extensive health and safety impacts on Australian employers and workers due to the COVID pandemic. The subsequent uncertainty of COVID in our workplaces has resulted in over-stretching our usual coping strategies. Most workplaces have evolved and adapted to new methods and processes in order to lessen the risks of COVID and to manage the physical and psychological effects of the pandemic on workers through interventions such as employee wellness programs.

Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility… together we can create safe workplaces for all!

Happiness at work should be a top priority for all organisations. When employees are happy at work, they are better parents, friends, neighbours – they are more likely to give to charity and do volunteering work. It’s also been shown that happy employees are more productive, flexible, resilient, and creative at work.

Happiness at work is a shared responsibility. Australians spend a whopping third of their life at work. Struggling with workplace relationships, or looking for small changes to keep improving as a colleague? We’ve compiled a list of proven ways to build positive relationships – and increase happiness – at work.

#1. Communicate, communicate, communicate. 

Like any relationship, communication is key.

Bringing an open and transparent attitude to work shows people you’re trustworthy and a valuable member of the team. As technology is part of the majority of workplaces, clear communication should exist across:

– Texts
– Emails
– Face-to-face chats
-Instant messaging software (e.g. Slack)
– Project management software (e.g. Asana, Trello)

Clear communication comes from clear expectations. Once you know what you need from someone, be clear and direct with your language to avoid miscommunication. The better you communicate, the stronger your workplace relationships will be.

Are you struggling with workplace-related mental health challenges? Find out how to talk to your boss about your mental health.

#2 Schedule a time to build relationships

There’s no rule that says you can’t speed up the process of building relationships. While relationships take time and grow organically, you can do your part by creating time specifically for team building.

This time could be scheduled during lunch, in the first 10 minutes of a meeting, or before you all head home at the end of the day. Time together is a crucial ingredient for positive relationships, with after work events and activities a common way to bond people and create quality time outside of normal duties.

#3 Stay Positive

Positivity is contagious.

Think about your own relationships in life, do the people you enjoy spending time with make you feel happy and uplifted? You can evoke these same feelings in your colleagues by coming to work happy and optimistic.

Whether it’s starting the day with a smile, encouraging a colleague with a mood-boosting compliment about their latest project, or motivating the team throughout the day – positivity adds energy to the workplace that’s impossible to ignore.

Click here to read the complete list of recommendations.