Further together
BY NINA CLARKE
In the midst of lockdowns in 2021 , the team at Ray White Corporate made it their mission to bring the team Together .
Eighteen months later and after countless physical and mental health and wellbeing initiatives , the Ray White corporate teams across Australia and New Zealand are feeling more ‘ together ’ than ever .
The pioneer behind the Together initiative , Samantha White , believes that it is only the first step .
“ We immediately began to feel the need to make mental and physical wellbeing a top priority for the group during the pandemic , taking inspiration from brilliant organisations such as R U OK ? and the Black Dog Institute ,” she said .
“ We are a big company but we have always been focused on remaining very much a family business with family values , so we needed our people to know that we genuinely care and have avenues for assistance .”
That is how Together was born . The initiative took a three-pronged approach to wellbeing ; mental , physical and social .
Mental Health First Aid
Samantha completed mental health first aid training herself with Kim Huckerby at MHFA ( Mental Health First Aid ®), which became the catalyst for what would eventually become the Together initiative .
“ We began to roll out the mental health first aid training to our leadership team across the group , and also implemented an Employee Assistance Program ,” she said .
There are now more than 90 Ray White corporate employees who are accredited in mental health first aid , and that number continues to grow as new employees join .
The group has also recently been awarded Mental Health First Aid ® Skilled Workplace Recognition .
The award celebrates organisations across Australia who invest in developing mental health skills in their people and who show strong commitment to embedding the training in their culture through senior leadership support , relevant policies and continuous improvement .
“ Knowing that we couldn ’ t take this responsibility lightly , we had to engage the service of experts who are highly qualified and skilled in mental health training .
“ The goal of the Together initiative has been to protect , support and create a culture that focuses on the wellbeing of our people , particularly in the wake of the pandemic which was an isolating time ,” Samantha said . “ We do this through encouraging team members to take responsibility for their own mental health and wellbeing by providing them with resources to do so . The program , aptly named ‘ Together ’ aims to join our corporate teams across Australia and New Zealand through initiatives aimed at empowering each other and themselves .”
Online and in-person interaction
Another major driver for the initiative was to move away from teams being ‘ siloed ’ and get people interacting across Australia and New Zealand , no matter the job type or location or lockdown status .
The first step was introducing an online platform - a comprehensive resource hub - integrating the various communities , and allowing connection and collaboration for the 300 + Ray White corporate team members . Specific interest groups for employees began to pop up ; those interested in travel , food , fitness , dogs , and even ‘ plant parents ’ all had a place to interact .
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