R U OK? Day is an important reminder to check in with the people around us. But I think the bigger challenge is making sure we notice people, talk with them and make time to listen on all the other days of the year too.
At VERTO, our people work with individuals and families who are often going through difficult periods in their lives. Unemployment, financial stress, disability, housing insecurity and uncertainty about the future can all take their toll.
It’s incredibly rewarding work, but the reality is that it can be tough too. Our people spend their days helping others, so we need to make sure we are looking after them.
Connection matters
We talk a lot at VERTO about stronger communities and I believe that starts with creating a strong community within our own organisation. With our people spread across 130 locations, from Western Sydney and Canberra to regional centres like Bathurst and Toowoomba, and further afield to communities like Lightning Ridge, staying connected doesn’t happen by accident.
I spend a lot of time travelling around Australia visiting our teams. One of my favourite things to do is our Lunch with the CEO sessions, where I sit down with people from across the business and we talk.
I hear what is happening in their part of VERTO, what they are seeing in their communities, what is working and what is challenging them. They ask me questions too. I learn a lot from those conversations.
As CEO, I think it's important that people know who I am and feel they can talk to me. But I also think there is something much more basic at play.
People need to be seen, heard and valued.
And you can't achieve that through an annual survey or a wellbeing policy alone. You have to talk to people. You also have to notice them.
That is one of the ideas we’re focusing on this R U OK? Day. We’re creating a Wall of Positivity on our staff intranet, where people can recognise a colleague, say thank you, acknowledge someone’s contribution or share something they are grateful for.
I really like the idea because it encourages us to stop and pay attention.
In a busy workplace, it’s easy to move from one problem to the next without acknowledging the person who helped solve it. Sometimes a simple “thank you”, “well done” or “I noticed what you did” can mean more than we realise.
Our teams will also wear yellow on the day, bring a plate to share, and upload photos of their offices coming together, with five locations winning a funded morning tea.
It’s not complicated. It’s simply an opportunity to stop, share some food and spend some time together.
The people helping sometimes need help too
Through our work, we see some big stories. We meet people who have been out of work for a long time. Young people struggling to find their place. Families under financial pressure. People living with disability or health challenges. People worried about keeping a roof over their heads.
And often, those issues don’t sit neatly in one box. Someone might come to us for employment support, but the real challenge may also involve housing, health, confidence, transport, training or financial stress. Navigating that can mean drawing on a complex web of services and support.
Our staff are the people sitting across the table, listening carefully, asking the right questions and helping work out what comes next.
That takes judgement, empathy, patience and real problem-solving. It also takes teamwork. Our people need to know when to bring in a colleague, an employer, a training provider or another community service so the person in front of them gets the right support, not just the service that happens to sit within one team.
That is demanding work.
We rightly put a lot of thought into how we support the people who come through our doors. We need to put the same thought into supporting the people on the other side of the desk.
Happy, healthy and connected employees matter in every organisation. But when your people spend their working days helping others navigate difficult and often interconnected problems, I think looking after each other becomes even more important.
It doesn't have to be complicated
There are formal wellbeing supports at VERTO and they matter. But as leaders, I don't think we should make the mistake of thinking wellbeing belongs to HR, or that another policy or program is necessarily the answer. Sometimes it is much simpler.
Know your people. Talk with them. Notice when someone isn't themselves. Recognise good work. Say thank you. Create opportunities for people to connect that aren't another meeting with an agenda attached. And perhaps most importantly, listen.
R U OK? Day gives us a useful reminder to do all of those things. But looking after our people needs to be part of how we work every day, not something we think about once a year.
Because community isn't something we only build for the people we serve. We need to build it around the people doing the serving too.
Ron Maxwell, CEO of VERTO
