Workplace Wellbeing

How do you support a virtual office, staffed by remote workers? The Korus Connect virtual office is being well-supported in a myriad of ways.

Being true to our vision and mission, the Executive team has placed ‘people’ first in organisational planning, with positive work culture and wellbeing being paramount to broader strategy.

To discover more on how Korus Connect has optimised staff wellbeing within the new reality of a fully remote working environment.

Staff Check In – regular morning Zoom meetings where staff talk, share, express concerns, be heard, and support one another. The good humour and witty comments contributed by staff have also been a welcome distraction from the persistently negative news about COVID-19 in Victoria and the world.

Executive Support – the collective Executive team and each team manager has played a pivotal role in providing a regular online formal catch up as well as informal meetings, phone calls and email messages, as a means of professional and personal support to colleagues. Managers also organised a staff wellbeing survey to gauge how little or much support staff required during the transition to working from home.

WhatsApp group – this social media app has been adopted as a forum for social connection amongst head office and regional staff. On this online sharing platform, staff have contributed photos of their pets, updates on their footy teams, daggy jokes, comedic memes, beautiful music, inspiring quotes and personal thoughts which reflect the sentiment of this unique chapter in history.

Staff Facebook Group – a closed Facebook group has been set up for our staff and volunteers to share pastoral tips, resources and messages of support for their colleagues. This group has thrived as a forum for networking, resourcing, empowering, equipping and releasing our staff with the best pastoral care tools to serve their communities as they navigate the unchartered waters of a pandemic.

Pastoral encouragement – a daily email is sent to all staff which offers spiritual, social and emotional support. It focuses on a prayer, scripture, reflection, parable or song, which engenders hope, meaning and peace amidst our current backdrop.

Prayer communications – a regular online staff prayer meeting is offered. This is a forum for spiritual support where we pray for our community, our staff, our supporters and broader community. Our bi-monthly Prayer Diary, which is opt-in for all our staff and supporters, continues to offer dedicated prayers to lift each other up and support one another through God’s grace and mercy.

Colleague to colleague support – staff have organically reached out to each other with encouraging phone calls, emails, virtual calls and even surprise gifts sent in the mail (or courier) to cheer one another up.

Celebrations – and birthdays have certainly not gone under the radar during the pandemic. Staff now contribute kind words and affirmations to digital birthday cards to celebrate these special occasions.

Self-care – staff have been encouraged to take time out to participate in fun activities to support their wellbeing. Such activities have included online charades and trivia activities. A Korus Connect staff cookbook has emerged recently and is being added to regularly as a tool to encourage ‘isobaking’ and community sharing of favourite foods and home cooking rituals. Staff footy tipping also continues and a little healthy team rivalry amongst staff has also helped to carry staff through a long winter.

In short, the positive and pastoral work culture established in our former face-to-face work environment has now been transferred online.