Workplace stress in the spotlight

Following a string of successful community mental-health workshops last year, Healthy Minds Horsham is directing its focus to tackling stress from a business and economic perspective.

The community group is organising two days of mindfulness training, on March 27 and 28, at Horsham’s Centre for Participation.

Healthy Minds Horsham member Rob Walter said the Friday session would involve a group of 12 people who work in professional corporate areas, with the larger Saturday session targeted at the general community.

He said both sessions, however, would have the same focus – managing stress to cut business costs, increase productivity and allow individuals to lead ‘happier and more satisfying lives’.

“Stress is the elephant in the room,” Mr Walter said.

“In May 2019, the World Health Organisation officially recognised burnout as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition, which is the result of ‘chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’.

“Stress adversely effects decision-making at every level of government, administration and business.

“Some common symptoms of unmanaged stress are high staff-turnover and recruitment costs, high absenteeism, reduced productivity levels, increased health and safety issues, litigation, reputational damage and increased training costs.

“They did research last year that showed if

Australians could reduce their stress, we’d save $12-billion a year. It’s extraordinary.”

Mr Walter said two experienced facilitators, Paul Sanders and Anja Tanhane, would lead the workshops.

Rev Sanders is an appointed Zen teacher, with 20 years of experience in contemplative, mindfulness and meditation-practice teaching.

He has been involved in community project management and community service delivery and is also a Uniting Church minister.

Ms Tanhane is a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, MBSR, teacher, Tai Chi instructor, registered music therapist, and has also completed professional training in Buddhism and psychotherapy, two years post-graduate.

As a meditation and Tai Chi practitioner for more than 30 years, she regularly teaches the MBSR course at a range of venues and facilitates weekend mindfulness retreats throughout the year.

Ms Tanhane has provided workplace training in mindfulness and self-care to a wide range of community health and service providers, hospitals and the Federal Court of Australia.

She has also presented her work at national and international conferences and forums, and lectured in mindfulness at the University of Melbourne.

Mr Walter said people could book a place in either of the workshops, at a cost of $150, by calling Gavin Morrow on 0418 504 985 or emailing gavin@morrow.net.au.

Workshops run from 9.30am to 4.30pm and a light lunch, tea and coffee will be provided.