There’s no denying that we all have a responsibility to take care of our own health and wellbeing. However, we spend a significant amount of our time at work, and organisations have a valuable role (and wonderful opportunity) in not only the prevention of mental health conditions but also in reducing stigma, raising awareness, encouraging early intervention and providing support throughout a recovery process.

Importantly, as an organisation we also have a legislative obligation to prevent harm (including psychological harm) to our people.

What is psychological safety at work?

Psychological safety is present in a work environment when people feel safe and comfortable being themselves and can openly speak up without any fear of judgment.

It’s an environment that facilitates trust and respect amongst team members and their leaders.

These qualities allow people to feel comfortable to reach out for help, which can prevent issues from occurring or escalating, or admitting if a mistake has been made. This gives an employer the opportunity to rectify errors as quickly as possible and gives our people the opportunity to learn and grow.

Life can present us with many unexpected challenges. At Bupa we work to ensure our people feel valued for who they are, supported for their unique needs, and safe because Bupa has the right systems in place to protect them.

What can workplaces do to actively create a psychologically safe working environment?

It’s important to remember that we all have a role to play in creating a psychologically safe working environment.

There are a number of ways that workplaces can create psychologically safe environments:

• Make information and resources easily accessible to help employees better understand mental health, how it may impact someone, and the workplace support available.

• Arrange and participate in activities which raise awareness of mental health to reduce stigma surrounding mental ill-health.

• Encourage employees to share their own experiences of mental health with others as another way of reducing stigma surrounding mental ill-health.

• Encourage employees to do their own research and upskill their own mental health literacy. This can support people to understand what someone who is struggling with their mental health may be experiencing.

• Encourage employees to speak up when something isn’t feeling right or if there is a better way that a workplace may be able to support them.

Leaders can effectively foster psychologically safe environments through a number of simple practices:

• Know team members as individuals with unique needs. Everyone’s experiences of mental health are different and knowing what someone’s ‘normal’ looks like (i.e., their usual behaviour within the workplace), can help us to quickly identify when something has changed. These changes are often an indication that someone may not be coping, and recognising changes gives us an opportunity to open a conversation and offer support early.

• Talk openly and respectfully about mental health. Talking openly as a leader can demonstrate that you are confident and comfortable to discuss the topic and increases the chance of team members speaking openly in future.

• Provide role clarity and purpose to ensure team members experience minimal stress and team conflict and are feeling satisfied in the contribution they are making within their role.

• Set a standard of acceptable behaviours. Behaving appropriately within a workplace contributes to a positive workplace culture and environment.

• Recognise and celebrate achievements, to improve morale, feelings of being valued and job satisfaction. A lack of recognition is a risk factor for psychological distress at work.

• Be a positive role model. Engage in practices and activities that support overall health and wellbeing and encourage team members to do the same.

• Be open when times are tough. Acknowledging the reality of challenging times within a workplace ensures team members feel confident that as a leader, you have a clear grasp on not only the situation but what they as team members may be needing in response. This acknowledgement may provide people with an opportunity to feel safe to speak up.

• Offer support at every appropriate opportunity. Take time to regularly check in with team members, to maintain an open communication channel. Extending offers of support, even if it’s as simple as having a caring conversation can support people regardless of their mental health.

   

What's Bupa doing to help create a psychologically safe worplace?

Over a number of years, we have worked to ensure that there are a variety of initiatives to support and enhance mental health and psychological safety.

• We have made a broad range of information and resources available to our people on various mental health topics, so that they have opportunities to enhance their understanding, take care of themselves and understand the signs of someone who is not coping. This has also included endorsing avenues of appropriate support, both inside and outside of Bupa.

• Bupa raises awareness of R U OK Day each year to reduce the stigma surrounding mental ill-health and encourage people to be brave and have open, caring conversations.

• Bupa recognises Mental Health Month each year in October, where we interview some of our employees to share their experiences and encourage others who may be struggling to speak up and access support. We also run a number of internal competitions encouraging blogging on our intranet about personal experiences of health and wellbeing. We have an employee health and wellbeing program called Smile, which really focuses on our people’s holistic health and wellbeing.

• We have designed and delivered a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing leadership capability to support mental health and psychological safety, including a “Supporting Mental Health Guide for Managers”, numerous online learning modules, training programs and certifications such as Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training.

• We have also developed fun, practical and simple resources for teams and individuals to understand how important it is to take care of themselves both inside and outside of work. We have created resources increasing education around reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, as well as increasing education around bullying and its impact on mental health and wellbeing.

   

What is Bupa doing for R U OK Day?

This is the third year we have jumped on board the R U OK Day campaign. Following the success of previous years, we have created ‘activation packs’ for individuals wishing to raise awareness within their local working environment and teams. The packs include a variety of R U OK merchandise to create visibility of the important campaign, information on available support at Bupa, and some key messages to share on the day. Importantly, those raising awareness will be provided with guidance on what to do if someone is not okay, including internal avenues of support.

How teams raise awareness on the day is up to them, many choose to hold a morning/afternoon tea, a team lunch or a walk outside the workplace to meaningfully connect.

We are also expecting to see lots of photos, stories and experiences shared on our intranet throughout the day!

If you reach out to someone on R U OK Day, and you realise they’re not OK, what should you do?

The R U OK Day steps are both simple and effective. Firstly:

• Prepare yourself to ask the question (make sure you’re in a good headspace, have time to listen and be prepared that they may not be okay).
• Have the conversation in a place that’s private and informal where you can listen without judgment (give the person time to think and take what they say seriously).

In a case where you find a person isn’t okay, the next best step is to encourage action. Asking questions like, “What would be a good first step we can take?” or “How can I help you with this?” can prompt someone to identify what they may be needing.

Other good avenues for support may include talking to trusted family or friends, a GP, or an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through their work, if this is available.

If someone is needing more urgent support, that is, if they mention that they are thinking about taking their own life, encourage them to call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

Importantly, remember to check in on the person in a few days’ time, to see if they have accessed any support or found ways to better manage their situation.

If life is ever in imminent danger, contact 000.

Tell me a bit about your role and your purpose at Bupa?

I’m a Psychological Health and Safety Specialist within Bupa’s Wellbeing, Health and Safety Team. As a team, our approach to wellbeing, health and safety is underpinned by Bupa’s purpose; to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives.

Bupa is a global health and care business and our people are our greatest asset. We are all responsible for doing everything we can to protect our customers, patients, residents and each other from harm, and to promote wellbeing.

The Psychological Health and Safety Team works to increase Bupa’s capability to prevent and manage psychological risks through leadership practices, people processes and policies. My role involves designing and managing mental health initiatives to support the mental health of our people, as well as the provision of psychological advisory to the business both proactively, to support positive mental health outcomes and reactively, to mitigate the impact of activities that threaten to cause psychological harm to our people. We work to ensure that our people feel safe, valued, and supported for their unique needs.

Asking R U OK is a simple question, that has such a powerful impact to someone who might be needing to connect and talk through their worries or concerns. Be brave and ask the question, not only on RUOK Day, but every day.

Also, remember to check in with yourself throughout the process of supporting others, practising self-care enables us to be the best version of ourselves and helps us to support those around us even better.

Read more from people working at Bupa

These may look like humble life ambitions, but what makes them so remarkable is that Marwa lives with a moderate intellectual disability.

She has been working at the home for five months and was employed through JobSupport which specialises in helping young people with an intellectual disability to find employment.

“Working in aged care is greater than I thought it would be. I really enjoy saying hello and good morning to people and seeing them smile,” Marwa said.

“I think this is way better than school and I like caring for people. Everyone here has been so nice to me,” she said.

One in five Australians are living with a disability but only 53 percent of them are employed.

“The team at Bupa and JobSupport have been so supportive. When I first started here, I didn’t know how to unload the washing machine but the girl I work with (Teresa) told me to take my time with things,” Marwa said.

The home’s Acting General Manager, Barbara Chipere said Marwa has been a great addition to the team.

“We have worked with Marwa’s case manager to develop a training program which highlights what works well and what challenges we need to overcome so we can ensure Marwa has a long career with us.

“I know for a fact that the staff, residents and their relatives who have met Marwa have really taken a liking to her. She handles tasks with grace and fits like a glove into our tight knit team,” she said.

JobSupport Manager, Melissa Clark said people with disability spend much of their lives overcoming barriers and one that’s often out of their hands is finding a job.

“We aim to remove the visible and invisible barriers that prevent people with disability from finding work. We are grateful that companies like Bupa have welcomed Marwa into a job with open arms and provided the necessary support for her to thrive at work,” Ms Clark said.

“We support employers like Bupa in helping employees fit into their role and in the process are helping to change perceptions of what people with a disability can achieve in the workplace.”

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Plastic isn’t inherently bad; however, every piece of plastic produced remains in our environment for thousands of years.

The problem comes from our behaviours and the throw away mentality that many of us have. Plastic Free July is about rethinking those behaviours.

We can each make a difference by avoiding single-use plastics as much as possible, or reusing and recycling anything we cannot avoid. It can take a little forward thinking to remember shopping bags, but collectively that difference can have a real impact.

If you’re still not convinced, traces of a plastic container you threw away last year may be in the next pint of beer you drink.. We’re seeing the formation of gyres, large patches of garbage, forming in the oceans. As these ‘trash vortexes’ degrade into the ecosystem they’re consumed by wildlife, causing traces of plastic to make their way into our food chain.

That’s not just uncomfortable to think about, it can lead to serious health issues for both humans and wildlife.

Is it possible to completely remove single-use plastics from our lives?

Many people don’t realise we’ve only been mass producing plastic for the past 70 years or so. Our lives have become much busier, and so we have adapted to the convenience of plastic.

In some cases, plastics enable people to lead more independent lives, particularly those living with disabilities, who rely on pre-packaged foods or straws to feed themselves with minimal assistance.

It’s not realistic to completely remove single-use plastics from our lives, but we do need to look for sustainable options, and particularly those that can be reused.

It’s quite exciting to see new biodegradable materials being produced, but ultimately it will require behavioural change from all of us to adopt those options.

What role does Bupa have to play in reducing the negative impacts on our environment?

Like any business, Bupa has a responsibility to its customers to remain commercially sustainable, but we also have a responsibility to think and act in environmentally sustainable ways.

The digital revolution is exciting and brings countless opportunities to innovate. At the same time, we’re learning that the systems we have created and inherited are significantly changing the environment.

Bupa is aiming to future-proof health and care by reducing our environmental footprint and taking a sustainable approach to growth and development.

In Australia, we recently made digital cards available to many of our health insurance customers. While this change was initially made to improve the claiming experience for our customers, it also carried a side benefit – removing around 5,000kg of plastic from the environment annually. The great news is our customers are getting on board, and the number of claims processed digitally is growing each week.

Similarly, our aged care homes make up 83% of our greenhouse gas emissions footprint, but as one of the largest private rooftop solar owners in Australia we’re able to produce 12 per cent of our electricity sustainably, and by installing over 36,000 LED lights we’re making that power work harder for us.

How can businesses ensure they’re making meaningful change, rather than just ‘greenwashing’?

There are many reasons for businesses to act sustainably whether it’s cutting down operational costs, getting some positive publicity, or simply being motivated to do the right thing.

However, if your sustainability claims are unsubstantiated or misleading you might be criticised for greenwashing, and rightly so.

To avoid this, it’s important to first create a culture within your organisation that is resilient to change and invested in sustainability as a strategy.

The reality is, social media brings greater transparency. A business that markets itself as green while producing goods in a country that has more relaxed environmental regulations can be exposed by anyone with a smart phone within minutes. In this landscape, a proactive and genuine approach will always be rewarded.

There is no plan(et) b, as they say.

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Today while sitting in my office at Bupa’s Mt Gambier store, I could hear lots of laughter coming from out the front. A regular customer and his wife were just passing by and stopped for a chat. These customers have been with us since they married and, now both aged 83, they’ve each had their own cancer journeys and health issues.

Last year Mrs K was unwell and in hospital after being diagnosed with bowel cancer, waiting to be transferred to Adelaide by air ambulance for treatment. Her husband was understandably lost, and unsure what he needed to do, his first thought was to make the trip to our store.

He just needed to talk. We listened and then helped him find accommodation in Adelaide close to the hospital, so he could be near his wife.

It’s so wonderful that he knew he could come to us and we would be able to help. As a manager I couldn’t be prouder of my team and the relationships they build in the local community. The K’s have no family here; all their children have moved away with their own families so it’s nice to know we could be there in some way.

We have travelled the cancer journey with them, helping with providers and aids, helping with forms and just being a listening ear.

We are truly lucky to be able to get to know our customers, pick up the conversation from their last visit and check in, add their partners and new born babies to their policies and watch them grow.

We also get the privilege of crying with them when a loved one has passed away and holding their hand.

There are times like today, when Mr and Mrs K come in to have a laugh and catch up. Other times they’re upset, it's a difficult journey they’re on. In those moments we have this opportunity to sit down with them face to face and just talk. Or help them navigate through whatever they are concerned about. It’s an amazing part of the job that we get to have this opportunity to connect in this way with our customers.

More recently, May 17 has become a day of celebration for the LGBTIQ+ community, acknowledging progress towards equality.

Bupa’s Pride Network marked IDAHOBIT this year by celebrating the allies who continue to support the LGBTIQ+ community and play an important role in building acceptance.

“An ally is anyone who actively supports those who might not have much of a voice in our community. It saddens me that people feel like they can’t be themselves and I want to make sure I’m standing up for those people,” said Sarah Chand, a member of the Pride Network.

For many LGBTIQ+ people, the decision to be out in the workplace is a difficult one. Recent research by the Diversity Council of Australia found that 74% of LGBTIQ+ people surveyed felt being out at work was important, however only 32% were out to their colleagues.

When Andrea started working at Bupa she was happily engaged to her partner. Unsure how this would be received by her new team, she chose not to disclose her sexuality.

“People often assumed my partner was man, and because I’m quite shy I wouldn’t correct them. I really like my team, so it felt uncomfortable to lie to them,” said Andrea.

At a work event she was introduced to a member of the Pride Network and finally found someone to confide in. The two hatched a plan and with her new-found ally by her side Andrea was finally able to come out to her team. Her worst fears unfounded, a celebratory morning tea was organised where Andrea shared her wedding photos with her team.

“It was an amazing experience. I’ve learned that just telling people you support them is enough to change a life,” said Andrea.

Bupa’s Pride Network formed in 2017, when a group of LGBTIQ+ employees and allies were looking for ways to support each other and took positive steps to create a network to benefit those across the organisation.

“The wellbeing of our people and the community is integral to Bupa’s purpose. When we set out to form a Pride Network we knew that creating a safe and inclusive workplace for our people would be the focus,” said Carol Corzo, Head of Inclusion.

The group has made some serious strides since its inception; growing from a small group of committed people to a wide-reaching active network with representation and support across the Bupa organisation.

Members are trained on self-care and on LGBTIQ+ mental health, with many receiving a Mental Health First Aid qualification. A Transgender and Gender Diverse toolkit has been developed to support employees who are transitioning, and key systems are being updated with inclusive gender options.

The group also provides invaluable opportunities for networking both in formal and informal settings; developing communities of support around those who need it most, demonstrating that Bupa is a workplace where everyone is welcome to be themselves.

One of our Pride Champions, Ray Pastoors, has blogged about what IDAHOBIT means to him.

Read more about working at Bupa

Friday 17 May is when we celebrate IDAHOBIT. It may sound like a trilogy or a long acronym, but it stands for something so great that’s it’s worth sharing.

Ever since I was a young boy I have enjoyed activities that were culturally and socially considered ‘not masculine enough’. For my parents’ generation, it wasn’t considered ‘right’ that I wanted a Barbie car for my birthday or to listen to the latest album of Delta Goodrem. My mother and father didn't treat me any differently though. They loved me. But sadly, other parts of society vilified and shunned me.

When I was at high school there were days when I cried. There were days when I was kicked, shoved, called names and continually told I was someone I shouldn’t be. I recall a day such words were even marked all over my school bag in textas and I was pushed to the point where I had had enough. It was the same day those people threw my books in a giant puddle. The day they tried to peg bocce balls at me. All because I was different.

At the time I was too scared to speak up or be proud of who I am. I let them win. There was no one else in sight.

That may sound like a surreal experience but for most of early high school life, that was the case.

After I changed schools and moved states I began to find new ways to hide the true me. I pretended to be the person society pushed me to be based on historical stereotypes. I forced myself to do things considered ‘the norm’. To not listen to that pop CD, to not mention I was disinterested in cars or manly things as others proclaimed was the only way. It wasn’t something that I enjoyed. I was hiding my true identity.

The difference was that I was gay. It was a word I was labelled with and teased with and because of that, I hid away from it.

But after a while, I realised I was not alone. I discovered the stories of other people who went through greater challenges. Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office in the USA. A person who was harassed, beaten up and in the end killed for standing up for their and others identity and equal rights. And Audre Lorde, the warrior poet who used their words to inspire people to challenge society norms, to ensure the rights of women, the LGBTI+ community and people of colour. Without these people, these fighters - we’d not be here today.

It was only on 17 May 1990 that the World Health Organisation stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder. This label would have been hurtful to many people including Harvey and Audre. But that did not stop them. They knew that equal rights were important, and that justice was key. That love over hate would triumph.

That’s exactly what IDAHOBIT is all about.

I’ve trekked 100km over muddy terrain, but the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was to not be true to myself. To hide my identity. To not be who I am.

Post continues after video

As courageous as writing this might be, I know for many young people and older Australians out there, that being open about their sexual orientation or identity is something they fear.

I was once in their shoes and I can still be, depending on the situation I’m in.

However, I cannot stand idle and let what happened to me happen to others who are different. I cannot say to myself, honestly, that if I keep quiet the world will change. If we are to make any difference to someone’s life, we must speak up and we must be heard.

There are some that may argue that LGBTI+ awareness isn’t important, or pride is an agenda. But what I say to these people is, all anyone wants in this world, is to belong, to feel loved and to be supported.

When you look up and see that rainbow flag peering through a restaurant window or a badge showcasing support, you know you will belong, get fair treatment and that you do have an ally out there who will stand up against bullying or discrimination.

It’s startling enough to know that nearly half of all LGBTI+ people in Australia hide their sexual identity in the workplace and that 6 in 10 will experience verbal abuse. We also know from research that those who are open about their sexuality at work, see productivity soar. After all, who wants to live a dual life?

This week at Bupa we held IDAHOBIT events across our organisation as part of our Pride Network. We do this to celebrate diversity, but we also do this so that our people know that we do value them and want them to bring their true selves to work. To find out more about what the Pride Network has been up to, click here.

IDAHOBIT stands for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia. It’s a day to reflect on where we are today, celebrate all things diversity and a chance to demonstrate how we can make a difference to others who feel different, no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation or religion.

Next time you hear or see something that’s not right, let it be known where you stand. Showcase your love and support where you can. It’s the little things that can make a difference to someone’s life. Because that’s what being an ally is all about.

Read more from people who work at Bupa

But not for Megan Bouchier.

Whenever she's online, Megan will routinely dive straight under the hood to see if websites are making themselves accessible to all users.

"One in five Australians have a disability and that is a substantial statistic," she says.

"Independence is extremely important for everyone and having access to information and services online is critical in supporting this." Megan is a front-end developer with the Digital Team and joined Bupa in 2016 to help create the new myBupa online 'self-service' platform for members.

"Before my job interview, I checked out the existing Bupa website to see if the functionality was accessible," says Megan. 

Megan first understood the importance of online accessibility in 2012, when working for a small digital agency. They were tasked with building a new festival program website for Arts Access Victoria (the state's leading arts and disability organisation), that had to achieve a 'AA' level of compliance as a minimum.

"We were really thrown into the deep end, as we were all brand new to the standards, but I loved the challenge from the outset," says Megan.

"When it was finished, we saw the impact of inclusion first hand, and it was just so inspiring to see the value of building features that cater to all needs."

With a desire to work on bigger projects that could positively impact more people, Megan decided she needed to move from the small digital agency to a larger corporate environment. Bupa felt like a natural fit, being a health and care company whose values aligned with Megan's as well as matching the careers of her wider family, with her mum working in aged care and a sister as an Occupational Therapist.

So, starting with a clean slate to 're-platform' Bupa's web applications onto a modern platform, Megan and her colleagues took the opportunity to put accessibility at the heart of myBupa's coding and design.

MyBupa is Bupa's member self service area, helping health insurance customers easily manage and understand their health cover.

At the very beginning, the team put the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the global standards for websites to follow, at the heart of the development process and aimed for 'AA' level compliance.

"I was concerned that the WCAG guidelines wouldn't support the complex requirements of myBupa," says Megan. "But I'm delighted to say they did, and that shows how great they are. Most find the WCAG guidelines quite dry, but I love them!"

As the project progressed, the team constantly performed manual testing, including using only the keyboard for all actions rather than a mouse, and using a 'screen reader', to hear how the content sounded when it was read out aloud.

"We kept asking ourselves, 'does the tab order make sense?' or 'if I open a pop up, will my keyboard focus move to the opened content allowing me to continue seamlessly?' or 'do I even know I've opened a pop up on the screen if I can't see it?'."

When the project was at certain level of functionality, with a variety of features ready for further testing, the development team called in the experts.

"At a fairly early stage of the development process, to ensure we hadn't gone too far, we reached out to Vision Australia for further support," explains Megan.

With myBupa now up and running, and closely following the guidelines set out for Level AA, the team are kept busy building new features and enhancements, all designed with accessibility at the heart of the process. And as a further point of validation, further areas of Bupa, not necessarily associated with the digital team, are reaching out for support and advice on accessibility.

"The interest and traction we are getting from the broader business to address initiatives around accessibility is really exciting, giving us opportunities to keep developing new and diverse ideas and broaden the scope much further throughout all of Bupa," says Megan.

Megan's work has helped us realise this Newsroom needs improvement too when it comes to digital accessibility - and we know exactly who to turn to for help.

Learn more about working at Bupa

The list, compiled by Pro Bono Australia recognises the 25 most influential Australians working in the social sector.

Dr Georgousakis founded Franklin Women in 2014 to support women in health and medical research to build stronger networks and professional opportunities, to address the gender equity challenges she saw during her decade long career in the sector.

While many industries have professional networks for women, Dr Georgousakis saw a gap in the health and medical research sector and set out to do something on a grassroots level. And so, Franklin Women was born, its namesake a female scientist who challenged the status quo.

“I wanted a name that was meaningful and Rosalind Franklin’s story is very inspiring. She was the first to discover the double helix structure of DNA, and she did it at a time when women weren’t encouraged to study, let alone work in science. Sadly, hers is the story of a talented female scientist who never got recognition in her time,” said Dr Georgousakis. 

Taking inspiration from the women that came before her, Dr Georgousakis now hopes to inspire the next generation of scientists through Franklin Women’s mentorship program, events, scholarships and outreach to health research organisations.

Dr Georgousakis knew from a young age that she wanted to study science and is now a passionate advocate for alternative career paths in the field, having followed one herself. She cut her teeth in the lab developing new vaccines before moving into public health.

More recently, she has lent her expertise to the Bupa Health Foundation. In her role as Research and Policy Manager she is focused on investing across the research sector in projects that will provide a net benefit for the health of the community.

“I truly believe a passion for science can take you anywhere, and while research is important we need scientists in roles across every sector. It’s a privilege to work in a team that is so passionate about public health and to support innovative research outside the typical sources,” said Melina.

To stay up to date with the latest from Franklin Women follow them on Twitter. 

Discover more about careers at Bupa

Jenna has been dancing since she was four, but the 1960’s dance craze holds a special place in her heart.

Through her GoGo performances, Jenna has gained more confidence and an outlet for fun and self-expression, something she now focuses on bringing into her work life as well.

“There is an opportunity in the corporate world to make sure that our people are engaged and having fun, and able to share what they love. I know that I perform better when I can be myself."

Being herself has led Jenna to some unexpected places. Eleven years ago, she took a customer service role at Bupa thinking it would be temporary while she worked towards a career in visual merchandising.

“The people at Bupa were so supportive and dedicated to helping me to learn and grow that I really enjoyed what I was doing and stuck around. I’ve always been people and customer focussed and now in my current role I get to take verbatim what the customer is telling us and bring it to life for the business,” said Jenna.

In 2018, Jenna participated in Gender Agenda, a personal and professional development program for women at Bupa. As part of the program, participants develop a project to better the lives of women at Bupa and in the broader community.

After identifying that many women they knew faced uncertainty in retirement, Jenna’s cohort decided to focus on financial wellbeing.

“Elderly women are one of the fastest growing homeless populations. Because so many women have spent their time dedicated to the household and the family, if something does happen, they often don’t have financial security.”

The Bupa Workplace Health, Safety and Wellbeing team has since implemented financial wellbeing seminars for employees following the success of the project.

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Read her story in The Macleay Argus newspaper here.

The General Manager at Bupa Bankstown drew on her experiences of climbing the ladder across a number of industries and giving back globally during times of need.

“I’ve been a cleaner, farmer, carer, nurse and now General Manager. It didn’t matter what I did because my success has always been based on being accountable and reliable,” Mrs Kc said.

“I remember when I came to Australia from Nepal, it was during the recession, so it was difficult to find work. I worked as a cleaner in Rockdale and was being severely underpaid, then worked on a farm in Melbourne’s Swan Hill.

“I was a nurse back home and wanted to get back into caring for people so I started in Aged Care while studying towards my nursing degree at Wollongong University."

For anyone just starting out, it’s humbling to know inspirational leaders like Sirjana weren’t born into a life of privilage.

“I started with Bupa as registered nurse, then went onto be a clinical care manager, and I am now the General Manager at our Bankstown home. When I look back, I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”

She said a combination of drive, determination and work ethic has always been paramount in her day to day ethos.

The devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015 hit close to home for Sirjana who raced to her home country alongside other aid workers, medical specialists and engineers from Australia to lend a hand.

“I remember taking a lady's blood pressure and looking at the queue of people waiting to see me and thinking, 'how am I going to help this many people?' But I just kept going with it.

“Everywhere you looked, there were injured people and homes destroyed. It’s hard for people who weren’t there to see the impact in Nepal, but the closest for Aussies to relate to is the Black Saturday bushfires."

The aid efforts were not helped by the battered roads that led many struggling to process support to where it was needed most.

“I remember being there when the aftershock hit, it was 7.3 on the Richter scale and you could see walls of buildings coming down before your eyes. We did what we could with the skills we had. There were people who were already traumatised but we gave as much as possible from our own pockets,” she said.

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Jason McGregor has given his all to customers at Bupa Optical Hobart for more than 10 years. 

"About 25 years ago, I bought a set of outrageous specs from a lady and I thought to myself 'I'd be brilliant at this'," he says.

"Working in front line service has given me the ability to interact with so many different kinds of humans. A lot of the time, people just want someone to listen to them."

The store manager was recently nominated by his colleague Elise Wilson for an Everyday Hero Award, a staff recognition program run by Bupa.

"Jase has an incredible memory - he can remember almost every customer’s first and second name from years back. Due to Jase’s amazing memory everybody always feels like family," she said.

"Walking around Hobart with Jase is like walking around town with a celebrity. Jase has built an incredibly strong rapport with customers, so much so that they return just to see him and seek his opinion, often stopping him on the street. Jason makes everyone from all walks of life feel comfortable and accepted.

"Jason is passionate about providing high quality care and delivering the best results possible at Bupa Optical Hobart. He always looks after his staff members and deeply cares for our overall wellbeing. He makes sure that staff are well-fed and often brings in homemade goodies, and if one member is unwell Jase may even make them chicken soup.

"Jason is truly the living embodiment of all of the Bupa values. He is incredibly caring and puts others before himself time and time again in his professional and personal life. I really hope that Jason can be recognised as the Everyday hero because he is an everyday hero to many people."

#BeYouAtBupa is a series of stories and inspiration from within Bupa Health Insurance, Bupa Aged Care, Bupa Dental, Bupa Optical and Bupa Therapy.

Read more from the #BeYouAtBupa series here. You'll also find our stories on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Discover more about careers at Bupa.

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#BeYouAtBupa is a series of stories and inspiration from within Bupa Health Insurance, Bupa Aged Care, Bupa Dental, Bupa Optical and Bupa Therapy.

Read more from the #BeYouAtBupa series here. You'll also find our stories on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Working at the United Nations Human Rights Council was a life-changing experience where I learnt about the paramount importance of human rights, and the challenges the international community face in protecting them.

My mentors and colleagues at the Australian government mission showed me what a career in international relations looks like, whether that be in Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or a non-governmental organisation, and demonstrated the skills and diplomacy required to successfully fight for those most in need.

While attending council, I witnessed evidence of many human rights abuses and saw the UN’s response to unfolding humanitarian crises. Early in the sessions, we witnessed reports regarding Myanmar, where ethnic cleansing in the Rakhine State had decimated the Rohingya population. The images were sobering, but they highlighted the need for the United Nations, and Non-Government Organisations, to intervene on behalf of the Rohingya people’s human rights.

One issue that particularly interested me was the abolition of capital punishment. I was inspired to see the progress the international community has made in this regard, to the point that Africa was heralded as the ‘next abolitionist continent’. Nonetheless, public executions are still used in many states, not for justice, but to create fear in the population and thereby consolidate authority. It continues to be a prevailing issue around the world; however, I felt proud seeing the Human Rights Council stand up for its abolition.

As part of the internship, I played a role in drafting resolutions that took took shape through meeting various state delegations, where we would workshop draft resolutions paragraph-by-paragraph, ensuring that they satisfied all states wishing to see them adopted. While some of these meetings could be quite laborious, it could get more intense depending on the issue being discussed. All the hard work paid off, as Australia’s resolutions were passed by the council.

Australia was commended for its policies for people with disabilities by the Special Rapporteur, and so I was able to thank the Special Rapporteur for their positive words and share Australia’s initiatives with the world.

Another issue I care deeply about is the rights of Indigenous peoples. The Council examined various issues facing Indigenous people globally, including dispossession of tribes in South America, neglected poverty in United States and Canada, and the universal struggle for respect and recognition in the face of cultural erasure. Hearing the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, give an acknowledgement of country at the very start of the council, before this global stage, made me grateful for the steps Australia has taken to recognise Indigenous Australia, but also mindful of the further work that needs to be done.

Throughout my time in the Human Rights Council, I became aware of the various challenges in protecting human rights. Certain issues seem at times too overwhelming for the international community to handle, such as climate change, or the many millions of displaced people. Ideological, religious and political differences complicate how human rights are framed. For certain governments, it will always be in their geopolitical interest to ignore human rights (which is why it is critical to have multilateral institutions such as the UN holding them to account).

Nonetheless, I remain firmly convinced that the world’s major humanitarian issues can be resolved if we listen and cooperate with one another, and I am inspired by all the Council was able to accomplish while I was there. I appreciate the skills and knowledge that I gained while over in Geneva and look forward to applying them in my work at Bupa and in life more generally.

Jayden is currently working as a paralegal at Bupa and started in 2017 as a CareerTrackers intern.

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"Working nights in the restaurants were hard and getting the opportunity to work during the day, spend time with residents, and talk with them is really nice. People are so sweet to you."

"Residents ask for different foods and we will happily do it. Everyone is like a family at Bupa Parkstone."

Shafa says she loves being a chef in aged care for the excitement and challenges it brings her each day.

She recently took on her next challenge, competing with the country’s best chefs in aged care at the Senior Lifestyle Cuisine National Culinary Competition on Sunday.

"I enjoy the extra challenge. It gets you out of your normal routine and allows you to create something exciting and test your limits," Shafa said.

After weeks of training, Shafa says she had her sights set on the top prize after placing bronze in last year’s competition.

Despite not taking home the gold, Shafa said it was a great experience competing in the competition again.

"Last year was my first time at the competition and it was nerve-wracking. This year I had an advantage," she says.

Find out more about Bupa Parkstone Care Home.

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I had been working as an OT in Singapore for six years, and moved to Australia four years ago.

If that’s what you’re thinking right now, don’t worry, my parents still don’t fully understand. They still think I am a physiotherapist - one things for sure, I can tell you that we’re neither recruiters nor masseurs.

So, what’s the answer to this million-dollar question? To answer this, one should understand the definition of occupation in the OT world.

According to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, occupations refer to the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life. Occupations include things people need to, want to and are expected to do. These occupations can range from simple tasks like brushing your teeth and showering, to complex tasks such as maintaining social participation and engagement through work or school.

My own personal OT journey

To be honest, I never thought I was going to be an OT. When I was 18, having finished my “A” levels in Singapore, I had to decide what course to pursue in University. Having pretty average grades, all the posh courses like law, medicine, engineering and physiotherapy were beyond my reach. So, I did what an 18-year-old would do, I casually listed the top three courses that my grades entitled me to (that included occupational therapy, nursing and dental therapy. I remember showing up the first day of OT school thinking, “I have no idea what OT is and what I will be doing. If this does not work out in the next few months, I’m going to sign up for the navy.”

Over the first two months, I started to have a better understanding of what an OT is and what they do. I started to understand the concept that occupations are a fundamental part of everyone’s life and how its close integration with the environment (physical and social) can lead to occupational performance. I could see myself working as an OT, helping to reintegrate occupations into someone’s life and helping them return to meaningful lives. I decided to stay and finish the course.

Since then, I have come to fully appreciate the role OT plays in a person’s life. My career has seen me mostly involved in working alongside adults with neurological or physical conditions. Don’t get me wrong, I do like spending time with my friends’ kids (for a few hours anyway), but to be working with them on daily basis was just not my cup of tea.

I truly enjoy the challenges that comes with working with the adult population, every day is never the same nor dull.

My OT journey has seen me working with people with all walks of life, helping others achieve ordinary things in extraordinary ways and across two different countries. It has been an amazing journey of learning for me, having to adapt to different cultures and work experiences (which is another story on its own!).

Do I regret being an OT? Definitely not!

For further explanation of what OTs do and where we work, visit the Occupational Therapy Australia website.

Or come by Bupa Therapy and have a chat with the team.

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Written by Caitlin Bennett

This year’s theme for Naidoc week is about celebrating the amazing, strong, credible and loving women in our lives today.

With over 40 years of celebration, 2018 will be the first-time commemorating indigenous women with the theme titled "Because of her we can."

I spoke to Carol Corzo, Bupa’s Head of Inclusion last week and I said to myself, how will I even be able to talk about just one amazing woman in my life who inspires me every day? because I have many.

I had a long hard think about these important women in my life.

Sadly, I lost my great grandmother Amelia Rosabell Watego in September 2016 and I really wanted to write this about her. She was a woman that has always aspired me to be proud of who I am, never shy away from my culture, never give up on what I truly believe in, put my education first and always take every opportunity I can. Through all the many hardships she encountered she was always the one to never give up faith no matter the situation.

As I was growing up my great grandmother had lived in Tweed, NSW. The trips down there were always great with the occasional "are we there yet!" When we would show up we would have the "My you've grown" even though it wasn't even too long since we'd seen her last and we hadn't even changed. She would tell us many stories of what her and her family had encountered.

She was of Aboriginal and South Sea Islander decent which made it very tough for her growing up as well as her parents and children. Unlike Australian Indigenous history not many people are aware of the history of Australian South Sea Islander people, South Sea Islanders were forced to move from Melanesian countries such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands to Australia. They were then enslaved and worked on the states cotton and sugar plantations from Bowen down to Tweed. My great grandmother was always passionate about telling us about our ancestors, she would explain that they came over to Australia from Tanna Island Vanuatu and split up all over Queensland but mostly Tweed.

When she would tell me these stories I was always excited to know more. Unfortunately, as the years went on and her memory wasn't the greatest she found it very difficult to continue telling us about our history.

Sadly, at the end of 2005 my Pop (her son) was diagnosed with Cancer and was told that he would only live for 2 more years, from then I would always remember my great grandmother telling me to always have faith. As time went by I would always see her praying, my Pop lived a year longer than doctors had given him and he passed away in 2008.

The reason I chose my great grandmother Amelia is that I would not be able to be telling my story of who I am and where I'm from if it wasn't for her to pass this down to me. Being such a strong advocate for education and religion, her children and even some of their children went on to be pastors and/or teachers. Since she always showed me the importance of education I believe she has paved the way for me to get to where I am now. I am currently in my last year of my bachelor's degree which has helped me gain this internship with Bupa.

My great grandmother lived 89 amazing years, passing only months before she turned 90.

By Caitlin Bennet

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“Education and empowering our young Indigenous women, will ensure they become our leaders of tomorrow," - Dr Jackie Huggins

Indigenous women within Australia have been the backbone of Aboriginal culture and its survival throughout history.

They are our mothers, our elders, our grandmothers, our aunties, our sisters and our daughters.

“Because of her, we can!” is theme for the 2018 NAIDOC week celebrations nationally. It is the first time in over 40 years of celebrating NAIDOC where women have been the central theme. 

In our current political climate, there is need for social change and gender equality within Australia.

One Indigenous female leader, who is leading the way for our people within this space, is Dr Jackie Huggins. Dr Huggins is a proud Bidjara (central Queensland) and Birri-Gubba Juru (North Queensland) woman who has worked tirelessly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs for over thirty years.

More recently Dr Huggins has been the co-chairperson for the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. Dr Huggins delivered an intervention at the United Nations in New York on April 19 during the 17th Session of the United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Dr Huggins believes in the power of education and the places it will take you. She is an Indigenous Australian author, historian and Aboriginal rights activist who for many years has fought for Indigenous rights and to rectify the wrongs of histories past.

She attributes her success to having three key Indigenous mentors who have helped shape and pave the way for her strive for our equality. Her mother, Freedom Rider Charles Perkins and her dear friend, the late Dr Evelyn Scott.

The key characteristics of these three leaders helps guide Dr Huggins to strive for a greater political will to achieve Indigenous success. “Mentors are there the ones who have done the hard yards, unpack their wisdom” Dr Huggins shares with me the importance for our young Indigenous youth to have a mentor figures they look up to.

Dr Evelyn Scott holds a special place not only within Dr Huggins' heart but Bupa’s too, as she spent her final years at our Mt Sheridan Bupa care home.

Dr Huggins describes Dr Scott as, “a gracious woman, with such passion” -the two worked together on the ‘Bringing home report’ back in 2000, in which six recommendations were made.

To this day sadly, only one of those recommendations has been achieved.

To coincided with the theme of this year’s NAIDOC Bupa will be launching a scholarship next month in which I worked on creating earlier this year in the memory of the Late Dr Scott.

A scholarship of $10,000 will be awarded each year to an Indigenous to a female university student who embodies Evelyn’s will and determination for change.

This scholarship will not only help the lucky student who it’s awarded to but also her community who will feel the positive influence of seeing a student kicking goals and most importantly completing a bachelor. Dr Huggins says, “It’s great to see Bupa fostering Indigenous females and being a leader in change, Evelyn would have loved to see it”

Each year around the time of NAIDOC we start to articulate more and more ideas of what we can do not only as individuals but as originations to ‘Close the Gap’?

I asked Dr Huggins how Bupa can improve within this space, as something she addressed to the UN earlier this year was Indigenous Australians are still nearly 10 years behind within there life expectancy compared to non- Indigenous Australians within our country.

“Bupa could look at ways they tackle Indigenous health issues and bring a more vocal approach drawing attention to the areas in which our community needs knowledge on” she also stresses the importance of Bupa working with the health minister to make private health insurance more accessible for our people. This would help lead the way and help bridge the health gap within Indigenous communities.

To go with the theme of this years NAIDOC I also asked Dr Huggins what her key advice for our young who need some inspiration to start their own educational journey “from your heart with integrity and passion and you’ll achieve great things”.Dr Huggins represents the essence of this year’s NAIDOC weeks focus “Because of her, we can”.

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As a child, I had healthy teeth but they didn’t all fit in my mouth in a straight line and I always knew that at some point I would need braces.

I also didn’t get wiggly teeth, the adult teeth would just grow around my baby teeth and so I ended up having most of my baby teeth removed by the dental nurse at school.

When I was 12 years old I went to see my Dad’s dentist who removed my last four baby teeth and four of my adult teeth to create a bit more space in my mouth.

I will never forget being numb and dribbling orange juice all over the carpet!

One week later I had my braces put on.

When I finished high school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in the future. I liked maths and science, but I also really enjoyed my hard materials classes where I got to use tools and be creative. I also really enjoyed being around and talking with people.

I left Christchurch and moved to Dunedin where I studied first year Health Science at the University of Otago and applied to dental school. I was lucky to be offered one of 68 places in my dental school year.

It was cool to realise I could be a dentist and help people to feel confident in their smile- just like I did from my first extraction to having my braces off.

So, to answer the question of why I became a Dentist I think there are probably two reasons; The first because it combines many of the things I enjoy doing; science, using my hands, creativity, learning, problem solving and being around people. The second is I get to try and make peoples happiness and healthiness with their teeth as positive as possible, just like the opportunity I had growing up.

Sally Woods was awarded one of five New Zealand graduate positions with Dental Corporation in 2013 and began working at McKeefry Dental at the start of 2014.

Milking cows, caring for calves and walking greyhounds as she contributed to her parents' efforts to turn around the ailing family farm in Drom, Co Tipperary, gave Evelyn Bourke an early sense of what it takes to run an enterprise.

Read the whole article in the Sunday Independent here.

Discover more about Careers at Bupa

Early in the week I was invited to speak at a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Conference in Sydney on how Bupa has been contributing to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reconciliation in Australia through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The room was filled with professionals leading D&I strategies within their own organisation all keen to learn from what other organisation are doing.

Initially what struck me was that across a full two-day conference (with a line-up of some of the biggest organisations in Australia), there was only one segment on Inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the workplace - Bupa’s segment.

Specifically, I spoke about the work Bupa is doing on improving employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through:

• driving sustainable and scalable change with our Indigenous Employment Strategy
• listening to the voice of our people to empowering Indigenous people in the workforce, and
• developing strong partnerships for high impact talent programs.

This week is National Reconciliation Week (NRW). It's a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

On the back of my research on our strategy and impact, I understand more than ever how each one of us can contribute to reconciliation in Australia.

Across Bupa, we’re deeply committed to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage and to improve employment opportunities throughout every stage of our employment process. As a result, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment strategy was developed as an Australia-wide commitment of our business, our leaders and our people to help support this.

There are two key organisations who we partner with to contribute to our employment strategy. One of them is CareerTrackers – a not-for-profit organisation running an Indigenous Internship Program, creating unique opportunities to help prepare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students for the workplace. Bupa signed an agreement with CareerTrackers committing to the placement of at least 10 interns per year over a 10 year period.

The other is Maxima – a national leader in helping the business community achieve Indigenous employment targets and build a stronger and more diverse workforce – which places students nationally across our Health Insurance Retail Centres.

The impacts of these partnerships go beyond the agreements. Indigenous students in some communities face huge hurdles to finish year 12, let alone getting to university. Closing the gap in employment opportunities is critical to Bupa’s reconciliation employment strategy, as we know that individuals who successfully complete Year 12 studies are more likely to find employment when they leave school. However, only once an Indigenous student finishes their tertiary studies is the employment gap levelled. There is huge vulnerability for students in a traineeship, navigating their studies, work and home lives, where they might not have a role model to help find the right career path.

Through our partnerships with CareerTrackers and Maxima, Bupa is working to support trainees and interns equally through enabling education attainment.

Not only has Bupa supported every trainee who has come through our program to date in completing their studies, we have made a significant impact in creating the right support through the work environment in helping them realise their dreams.

There are so many inspiring stories that had a profound impact on me in preparing for the conference. One of these stories is about Keisha Nash.

Keisha Nash joined us through the CareerTrackers Internship program, after previous placements in other organisations. Keisha had two intern placements at Bupa, in the Medical team, where she delivered high quality projects aligned to Bupa’s purpose and her interest in a future career in Medicine. During this time Keisha was finishing her undergraduate Science Degree at Monash.

In December 2017, Keisha was accepted into postgraduate Medicine at Monash University and will join one of over 260 Indigenous medical professionals when she graduates.

Out of 85,000 medical professionals in Australia, less than 0.3 per cent are Indigenous.

Two days after the conference I was hosting the first internal Gender Agenda networking series of the year with Bupa’s Global Chief Customer and Corporate Affairs Officer, Alex Cole.

Gender Agenda is a pro-active, tailored development program – now in its fourth year – was designed to ignite and support the personal and career opportunities of women across Bupa. The networking element of the program this year is expanded the focus on Bupa A&NZ’s Inclusion Strategy, placing a spotlight on leaders both internally and externally sharing their own stories with a focus on multilayered identities, recognising that there are many elements that make up our identities.

The care and wisdom Alex shared, reflecting on her career journey through her multilayered identity with the 40+ Bupa women in attendance, was not only authentic but genuinely relatable to the diversity of the audience.

That same day I was making final refinements to a proposal on a new leadership immersion program focused on our culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people. A step towards supporting our CALD people through their leadership journey in Australia. Helping them to identify multiple leadership opportunities for them right across Bupa.

Rounding out the week I was moved to tears at the first D&I panel that was hosted by our Head of Inclusion, Carol Corzo, as influences from a variety of roles ranging from Bupa Global Executive team members, A&NZ Directors and General Managers to Alysha Waye, Bupa’s Intern through the Australian Network on Disability, who shared their personal and (inspiring) stories of why inclusion is so important to them. The week really showcased how #caring Bupa is, not only as a place to work but as an organisation that genuinely cares about making a difference to our customers and residents.

Bupa’s holistic view of Inclusion is understanding and responding to the needs of our customers is best accomplished when Bupa represents the diversity of the communities we serve. And that, we engage and empower our people to deliver to our diverse customers.

Written by Stephanie Carman, Head of Change and Capability at Bupa.

Read more about the different careers at Bupa

When I'm worried about something, it's often comforting to know I'm not alone, that what I'm feeling isn't unusual. 

I had a realisation like this recently when our research to identify how we could make a difference to family health and wellbeing found that almost half of all parents were worried they don't spend enough quality time with their kids. That's me!

This thought crosses my mind daily, usually as my head hits the pillow after a full day of meetings, kid taxi-ing, dinner time battles, chores and work calls – the 'functional parenting mode' my wife and I call it. As our kids grow up in what feels like the blink of an eye, I find myself questioning if I'm spending enough quality time with my kids, am I doing a good job, and trying to find the answer to the age-old question, how do we find more time in the day?

Bupa's research also told us parents care most about the emotional wellbeing of their kids. Yep, me again, because the one thing I care most about when it comes to my kids is that they are happy and healthy. Like all parents, I want my children to feel safe, secure and grow up to be resilient and well-adjusted.

Selfishly, I find this research reassuring for the fact I'm obviously not alone in judging my own parenting abilities, and a wealth of insight out there also says we shouldn't put added pressure on ourselves as parents to find more time to plan bigger gestures.

In contrast, we should be making the most of the little everyday moments we already have together as a family to connect, talk and laugh; these are some of the best ways to nurture family connection and wellbeing.

This week, Bupa launched our Little Moments Matter campaign.

Little Moments Matter is an integrated three-year program of work which supports our ambition to make a difference to families by facilitating one million moments of family connection.

In case you're wondering, my favourite little moment that I cherish with my kids is our inventive story time together – we replace story books with a 'choose your own adventure' style story that we create together.

It's amazing to see where their imaginations take them, and it's a great way to see how their minds are developing and the world they are experiencing.

What's your family's favourite little moment?

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“For some, it’s basic things like being able to brush your teeth, get yourself to work, have a meaningful occupation or give back to society.”

When Jacelyn starts her new role as an occupational therapist at Bupa’s new state-of-the-art therapy centre, which opened this week, she’ll be helping people do just that.

“I’ve helped someone walk down the aisle after he had a massive stroke, another person I helped them have their first trip to the zoo after a major car accident. No one day is the same and everyone has different goals, but to have people come up to me at the end of the day and say to me ‘Jace you got me to where I am,’ that is incredibly rewarding.”

Jacelyn says many people don’t understand what occupational therapy involves.

“Occupation doesn’t just mean a job; it means anything you do in your daily life that gives you meaning or gives you a routine,” she says.

“If you have a disability or injury that stops you from doing any occupation, that’s where we come in and analyse what needs to be done and help you get your independence back.

“It’s the small wins that make a big difference to people’s lives and that’s what keeps me going.

“It’s a bit crazy and full on, but I like it. It keeps me on my toes.”

Jacelyn had been working as an OT in Singapore for six years, and moved to Australia four years ago.

She says she can’t help notice the big differences in the two countries’ health systems.

Singapore, she says, has good health literacy but doesn’t have free healthcare. Meanwhile, Australia is now rolling out the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

“I thought it would be a good chance to come over and look at the different systems, and experience the Australian way of life,” she says.

“The NDIS is still in its infancy stage but it’s exciting.

“The whole theory behind the NDIS is at the heart of what I do as an occupational therapist, which is to find meaning in your life and give people control of their health and choice of care.”

Jacelyn is building on her decade’s experience as an OT, and is currently doing her Masters in Clinical Rehabilitation (Neurological Occupational Therapy).

She joins Bupa Therapy’s intradisciplinary team of clinicians alongside speech pathologist Kirsten Toll and physiotherapist Vicky Cook.

“It’s very refreshing that everyone has come into the Bupa Therapy team with the same purpose. We’re focused on the person and helping them achieve their goals,” Jacelyn says.

“I think the whole concept and the amount of work Bupa has put in will make it an amazing service and I’m happy to be part of it.

“I love the fact that we can change lives and make a difference.”

Bupa Therapy is now open, get in touch to book an appointment or a tour here.

Read more about Careers at Bupa

But when Australia’s biggest health reform since Medicare came alive in the middle of last year, we knew we could make a seriously positive difference for people living with disabilities and their often selfless carers.

We knew the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) would more than double the number of Australians receiving funding for their health and care by around 2020. We also knew that many people who didn’t, or will never qualify for NDIS funding, were also demanding better standards of care.

So, if Bupa’s purpose is about helping people live Longer, Healthier, Happier Lives, then this was surely a no brainer.

So started the Bupa Therapy journey.

Hundreds of hours of interviews, more than 5000 information and data points from people with disability, their carers and clinicians and some brilliant advice from our consultants Kristy Trajcevski and Dale Sheppard were critical in developing this new service.

Today, purpose got real and we opened Bupa Therapy. Located in Abbotsford St, West Melbourne, Victoria, it will initially deliver physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology to adults in a co-ordinated manner.

It’s one of the few facilities in Australia to offer this integrated approach under one roof. It’s what people who need this these types of care told us to do. The one-stop therapy experience caters for those with neurophysiological conditions including, but not limited to:

• Acquired brain injury & disorders
• Spinal cord injury
• Stroke
• Multiple sclerosis
• Motor neuron disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Parkinson’s disease

It has a dedicated welcome area, several treatment rooms and a gymnasium for individual and group therapy. It will also cater for carers and other family members, with lounges, wifi, internet terminals, refreshment areas, good old daytime telly and desk space if work needs to be done. Carers need a break too – probably more than anyone else on earth!

So on days where your purpose gets very real, I think it’s OK to feel proud of having a small hand in it.

This article was first published on LinkedIn

Get to know some of Bupa Therapy's experienced clinicians, Physiotherpist Vicky Cook, Occupational Therapist Jacelyn Goh and Speech Pathologist Kirsten Toll.

Up next: Dear Carers, you are not invisible.

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A physiotherapist can be seen helping the young woman at parallel bars: ‘Hold on Katie, bend your knees, let yourself down slowly.’

“I’ll always remember that ad, it resonated with me and I knew then, that was what I was supposed to do with my life,” says Vicky.

“I thought, ‘it’s amazing that you can help someone learn to walk who previously hasn’t been able to walk, I’d love to be able to do that.’”

Vicky is now an experienced physiotherapist, passionately committed to her job. She can’t count how many people she’s since helped learn to walk again.

After 15 years working in neurological physiotherapy, in both hospital and community settings, she’s excited to start a new venture as a senior physiotherapist at Bupa Therapy.

Bupa Therapy is a new state-of-the-art centre opening this month in West Melbourne for people with neurophysiological conditions.

“Working as a physio is sometimes physically exhausting, it’s always mentally exhausting. It’s not glamorous by any standard but I still think I have the best job in the world,” says Vicky.

“I’m used to working in the hospital system where we would learn about the latest technology and equipment at conferences, but we never got to use them in the real world.

"So, I’m really excited to be working at Bupa Therapy with a brand new facility, new equipment and the kind of modern technologies which I’ve always dreamed of having access to.”

http://media.bupa.com.au/who-is-jacelyn-goh/Vicky specialises in neurological physiotherapy, in other words: assessing, diagnosing and treating conditions of the brain and spinal cord. This includes (but isn’t limited to) stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, brain and spinal cord injuries and tumours, and balance and vestibular conditions.

“I always wanted to work in a caring profession,” she says, “so physio felt like a good fit for me because it means I can work with people, in particular people with disability, which has always been a passion of mine.”

On top of her physiotherapy and Masters degrees, she’s also completed advanced training in Bobath (Neurodevelopmental) treatment and vestibular rehabilitation.

Vicky has been published in peer-reviewed journals and has presented at both physiotherapy and rehabilitation conferences. Her research interests include neurological rehabilitation and falls prevention.

She’s also recently become a mum, and says her two-year-old daughter has given her new perspective.

Vicky will never forget one of the first patients she worked with. He was about her age, a young man living with Multiple Sclerosis.

All he wanted was to be able to take part in social activities with his family and friends, up at eye level with everyone else, rather than sitting in a wheelchair. That became their focus and they were able to achieve the goal together.

“One of the most important things is to really listen to the people we’re working with, to understand their goals. Everyone I work with has different goals, but together, we can often find a way to achieve them.

“It might be to stand up, walk to the car or get on a bus, things that many people take for granted. And when these things are achieved, the people are always so grateful, but we’re also grateful to them too because they teach us a lot and that’s what makes work so enjoyable and so rewarding.

“It’s a real two-way relationship and that’s what motivates me on days when I get out of bed and I’m not feeling as energised as I did yesterday, just thinking about seeing those faces and knowing that they’re looking forward to seeing me.”

Meet some of Bupa Therapy's other experienced clinicians, Speech Pathologist Kirsten Toll and Occupational Therapist Jacelyn Goh.

Bupa Therapy is now open, if you’re interested to have a look at the new centre, you can get in touch to request a tour here.

Read more about different careers at Bupa

"Great food is more than good for the body: it brings people together; it is good for the soul. But great food doesn't just belong in fancy restaurants," he says. "I cook for the residents like I would cook for my family."

In fact, the residents are treated to cuisine fancier than many of them ever received at home.

"His passion is inspiring. He's such a gentle, respectful man. He sings songs to the residents and engages with them when he's dishing out the meals," says care home manager Erin McGlynn.

Jerson first came to Bupa Harbourview Care Home in Porirua, Wellington, many years ago as a dishwasher, inspired to earn his chef's whites. He left to hone his skills at a high-end restaurant, gaining an industry standard City and Guildes of London chef qualification along the way.

But despite working in what he'd previously considered a 'dream job', he missed the care home companionship and longed for a deeper and more meaningful relationship with his customers, like the friendships he had while working at Bupa Harbourview.

He was also starting a family, and with a new baby on board he wanted to work more family-friendly hours.

So, he took the plunge and returned to the care home, setting a goal to revolutionise its kitchen and menu.

The results have been outstanding, so much so that Jerson was honoured at the 2017 Global Bupa Awards for his excellent preparation and presentation of residents' food and for sharing his expertise with others.

He was presented with the Nicholas Beazley 'Everyday Hero' award, which acknowledges those who truly embody Bupa's values: passionate, caring, open, accountable, authentic, courageous and extraordinary, in everything they do for customers and residents.

According to recent Bupa surveys, the food satisfaction has increased by 68%, and there's even been a noticable difference in residents' weight.

Many older residents have trouble maintaining a healthy weight, but their new-found excitement for meal times has helped them gain much-needed kilos and strength.

"Since his return to the Care Home in February, I've noticed how well the residents look and how they eagerly look forward to meals. At mealtimes they’re ready and waiting,” Erin says. "We're very lucky to have him. His food looks amazing and tastes amazing, it doesn’t matter what it is – it all tastes good," she says.

"Care home residents deserve to feel like fine diners at every meal," says Jason.

And the residents agree.

"The meals have been much better since Jerson has been here," says one.

Serving good nutritional food, amongst many other things, is important when it comes to delivering quality care.

While taking care of the elderly has it's challenges, Jerson puts the resident’s wellbeing, needs and feelings at the centre of everything he does. We call that a Person First approach to care.

“Whatever Jerson makes is always great,” says Erin. “But there are always a few that don’t like new flavours or tastes, and he caters for them as well, so he keeps everyone happy,” she says.

On behalf of everyone at Bupa, congratulations Jerson!

Read more about careers at Bupa

Her passion for helping people has now inspired her to use poetry to shine a light on dementia and the impact it has on people.

It first started at the end of 2015, when Michelle wrote a poem called “My Life, My Way” as part of a presentation for Bupa Redwood. It was received so warmly, she decided to continue writing, using her knowledge and experience to get people to think about the dementia journey from different perspectives.

Michelle decided to start writing poetry as a way to help people with dementia, families, partners and carers understand the often confusing condition.

Here's an excerpt from the poem "Through my eyes":

When you look into my eyes what do you see?

It has been a rough road especially for me

At first you thought I was merely depressed

Taking until lunch time to even get dressed

In my mind I became somewhat confused

The look on your face was somewhat bemused

I forgot where I was and where I was meant to be

I could be in one place and then want to flee

We would go for a power walk, I’d put you through your paces

And then there were times I struggled with my laces

In my addled mind reality is not today

I can only remember what happened yesterday

My speech became slurred and my words were mumbled

Because in my head my thoughts were so jumbled

The simplest tasks became magnificent feats

Moment by moment my time often repeats

“Most people are aware that dementia involves memory loss but there are many other symptoms too,” Michelle said.

“By respecting who they are and providing the right support for them, it is possible for people to live well with dementia,” she said.

This, Michelle says, is what gets her out of bed every morning. 

“I am passionate about caring for people with dementia and I love getting to know them."

She now has her work published in the book by Bupa NZ called “Poetry from the heart”, with two available in every Bupa NZ site as a tool to help families, whānau, and Bupa employees understand dementia.

Some poems included in the book are “Through my eyes”, “Partnership”, “Through the eyes of a child”, and “Note to Carers”.

Beth McDougall, Bupa NZ’s Dementia Care Advisor, has praised Michelle’s efforts.

“Michelle demonstrates her empathy and understanding of those she cares for not only in day to day actions but through her gift to write from the heart,” she said.

“I’m delighted we could help to share her work, and by doing so helping us understand more about people living with dementia. It’s a great way to help create a more dementia-friendly society.”

Poetry from the Heart is available to download here. 

Bupa is committed to helping to create a dementia-friendly New Zealand. 

Read more about working at Bupa

In Australia, we're fortunate enough to have a robust public health system, but as with any massive, publicly funded system it has its challenges.

That means as a private health insurer, our customer solutions have to be just that: solutions.

We need to be customer-centric otherwise we won’t cut through the noise in the private health insurance marketplace.

At Bupa, we're putting the voice of the customer at the very core of what we do and how we do it.

We subscribe to four customer-led behaviours:

1. Putting ourselves in the shoes of our customers. 
2. Listening and guiding.
3. Working together to enable our customers.
4. Acting on our word.

Those key behaviours also form the backbone of how we reward and recognise our people.

We do that for their customer-focus, transparency, ethical sales and service practises. 

We regularly survey our customers to see how we're doing.

We take the challenge of affordability seriously.

We’re always looking at other ways we can change our business to support more affordable health insurance.

A recent report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to the Australian Senate noted, “the affordability of insurance remains a significant concern for consumers, ... real household expenditure on private health insurance premiums has increased steadily over the past decade.”

The same report also said consumers can still have difficulty understanding policies – which can result in outcomes like bill shock, and unforeseen out of pocket expenses.

Knowing this, we're working to streamline our business so we can pass savings on to our customers.

We're striving to keep communication open with our people and customers to see how we can improve as a company.

Explaining things better

At Bupa, we have introduced a “Customer Friendly Language” program, so health insurance is clear and easy to understand.

We’re also focusing on trying to create a clear online platform that’s easy to use for people short on time.

In our stores, we created a new program called Retail Next. This is focused on new and innovative experiences for both our people and our customers..

Time will tell if we can make it work – but what matters to us, is that we are trying something new to address ongoing customer concerns.

Customers before dollars

In 2017 we addressed the way we reward our people. We believed it should reflect our commitment to our customer culture.

We asked independent advisors to test our internal reward and recognition platform to make sure it stands up to the rigour of ethical customer outcomes, as opposed to other reward platforms that just recognise sales targets.​

Now our consultants are rewarded based on customer feedback about them and other KPIs.

Cultural change takes time. But we know that if we want to be here in years to come, we need to adapt.

The ACCC and ASIC are right to be on the lookout for dodgy sales practises – as consumers we are entitled to protection from predatory product pushing.

Happy customers mean happy staff

The Australian private health insurance marketplace is flooded with products marketed in a way that increases anxiety and encourages impulse purchasing, particularly around the end of the financial year for tax purposes.

It’s hard to compete with a cheap, quick fix.

This financial year we tried something new. We communicated openly with our teams, reiterating our commitment to a culture that celebrates customer-led behaviours and doesn’t push products into the marketplace.

Even though our numbers weren’t where they were a few years ago, our people were happier and more engaged; and a happy workforce is a key ingredient to keeping ourselves customer-centric.

It’s all connected.

We are a health and care company.

We're making sure that health and care remains robust and resolute in a shrinking marketplace where temptation to upsell and oversubscribe is abundant.

As we prepared to welcome our cohort of enthusiastic students ahead of their Winter Internships, the annual CareerTrackers Winter Kick-Off Workshop in Melbourne gave more than 60 interns from across different companies and industries an opportunity to connect with each other.

Sessions focused on setting meaningful goals and a life-mapping exercise to help students appreciate it's important to understand where they are now, before they can reasonably decide what they want in the future.

The group was later joined by Managing Director, Health Insurance, Dwayne Crombie who shared stories of his ancestry, his career in medicine, observations and learnings from throughout his career, and advice for the students as they embark on their own professional journeys.

“Bridging that gap between giving people skills and education is so critical to actually giving people opportunity in the world."

He also spoke about trends in technology, globalisation and the environment and the need to adapt to our ever-changing landscape, adding,

We weclome new interns Tatiana Estrada and Keisha Nash, and welcomed back Jirra Moffat and Samual Fisher to our Melbourne office.

In total, eight winter interns will be joining Bupa nationally, with more set to join us in summer.

As an employer of over 18,000 people across Australia and New Zealand, we want to build a workplace that is diverse and inclusive.

Our CareerTrackers partnership is part of our Reconciliation Employment Strategy and commitment to developing sustainable opportunities in education, employment and business for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – which includes direct and ongoing employment with Bupa.

In 2016, we launched our Reconciliation Employment Strategy as part of our RAP; with a vision to develop career pathways in health & care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and last year Bupa signed a 10-year commitment to Careertrackers and became the first health & care company to join the 10x10 partnership.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan program leads the way in bringing about meaningful social change to workplaces around the country, to help close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

Read more about careers at Bupa