News

We often try to be efficient by multitasking at work. However, multi-tasking is really a myth: it is actually our attention having to take repeated, rapid changes in direction. It gets our brain fired up on adrenaline, so we feel superficially alert – like the effect of caffeine. This uses up a lot of energy and can leave us feeling drained by the end of the day. This approach to work also undermines our ability to pay attention. This has...

At just half way through STEPtember, Fit For Work had already completed a total number of 7,527,200 steps and counting! We have been busy stepping up and down the country. A group of us recently walked the Mount Somers Track and it was a great day full of sweat, tears and laughter. There were some beautiful views at the end when we reached Woolshed Creek Hut. If you are keen for a fun adventure with the family, this overnight tramp...

If you’ve been paying attention recently, you’re likely to know about mindfulness. It’s the art of taking notice of what is currently happening around you and within you. It may be a thought, a feeling, a physical sensation, another person or things. It’s all about fully experiencing the present moment, rather than planning for tomorrow or thinking about yesterday. “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally,” Jon Kabat-Zinn. While mindfulness has been...

While most people know that getting eight hours of sleep a night is the ideal, many of us still struggle to get to sleep and stay asleep. Fit For Work Occupational Health Physiotherapist Jason Longworth says establishing good sleep habits begins not just before bed but earlier in the day as well. Your sleep quality affects not only your mental and physical health but the general quality of your day-to-day life, whether that be working, socialising, or playing sport. It...

Hi everyone and welcome to the first Fit For Work (FFW) STEPtember blog. I’m your host Rhondda and I’ll will be updating you throughout the month on the trials and tribulations of STEPtember. Over the next month, I’ll be showing off our wonderful FFW teams and how we have been competing (competing? This isn’t a competition is it?) in STEPtember this year. We have 14 amazing teams participating throughout the country, which means more than half of our staff are...

Professional and Clinical Supervision is an integral part of the professional practice of health, education, social services and community sector professionals, and should be a rewarding and inspiring experience for the supervisee and supervisor. Are you keen to strengthen your skills and confidence as a professional supervisor? Would you like some practical skills and frameworks that are easy to apply and will accelerate your skill base when supervising staff and students? Would you like to learn how to create inspiring,...

Highly developed and effective leadership skills form the foundation of a well-functioning organisation and a satisfying professional career. This two day workshop provides detailed knowledge and practical skills in building positive leadership of self and others, as well as the relationship between leadership, workplace culture and achieving effective performance. The latest research in contemporary leadership, neuroscience, neuroplasticity, emotional intelligence will be presented and discussed. Self-leadership, people management, workplace culture and employee engagement guides the training, its application and focus on...

Did you know most people today will change jobs ten to fifteen times during their working life? While some workers may choose to change jobs frequently, for others career changes can be highly unexpected. Events such as a life changing injury or a company restructure can leave people struggling to see what their next step will be. This is where Fit For Work, Vocational Consultants, like Debbie Gray come in. As a Vocational Consultant, Debbie’s job is to help clients...

How to best manage your pain in the workplace Remaining in work, despite persistent pain, is normally a good idea. Satisfying work is important for our wellbeing, whereas, long term absence and unemployment can have negative effects on our health. In addition to the financial benefit, employment challenges us, gives us purpose and offers opportunities to socialise. Fit For Work physiotherapist Geraldine Kelly says chronic pain is usually defined as having pain on most days for at least three months....

A “demographic time bomb” is how former Fit For Work Occupational Medicine Specialist Dr Chris Sharp describes the Western world’s increasingly aging population. The United Nations expects that the number of people aged 60 years and older will more than double by 2050. This will have the biggest repercussions for developed countries. In New Zealand, one in every five people will be aged 65 plus by 2031. For the first time in this country, there will be more people aged...