Your second six months of DEI activity for 2026

To support your ongoing DEI activity in 2026, we’ve mapped the last six months of the Ultimate HR Calendar against our range of workshops. These sessions are designed to help you respond meaningfully to key days of note, while building sustainable capability across your organisation. 

Contact us to book a series of workshops, or to talk about other ways we can help you drive successful outcomes in 2026 and beyond. 

August Workshops

Safe to Speak: Cultivating Psychological Safety  
This session introduces three practical approaches to building psychological safety and helps leaders develop a culture of high performance, growth and learning within their teams. 
Aligns with Bullying No Way: National Week of Action (10–14 August) and World Kindness Day (13 November). 

Communication Essentials  
Covering such topics as active listening, how to give and receive feedback and reducing incivility (a precursor to bullying), this 1.5-hour session provides participants practical insights they can use to communicate well. 
Aligns with Bullying No Way: National Week of Action (10–14 August) 

September Workshops

It’s the Best Time in History to Be a Dad 
Delivered by our partner, The Father Hood, this workshop explores how modern fatherhood is evolving, and how dads have the opportunity to define themselves more broadly than previous generations – for the benefit of all genders. 
Aligns with Father’s Day (6 September). 

Why Menopause is Everyone’s Business 
An all-employee session designed to raise awareness and open up conversations about menopause at work, supporting inclusion, understanding and psychological safety. 
Aligns with Women’s Health Week (7–11 September), World Menopause and Work Day (7 September) and World Menopause Day (18 October). 

Setting Life‑Work Boundaries 
This session deep dives the techniques of setting clear boundaries between work and home to create a clear delineation between entities within life to support health and wellbeing. 
Aligns with Women’s Health Week (7–11 September).

Menopause Training for Managers and HR 
Equips leaders and HR professionals with the tools and confidence to support employees through the menopausal transition. 
Aligns with Women’s Health Week (7–11 September), World Menopause and Work Day (7 September) and World Menopause Day (18 October). 

Check-In Culture: How to Ask Someone R U OK? 
Explores how to build a ‘check-in’ culture where peers feel equipped to create safe spaces, regularly check in with one another, and ask R U OK in a meaningful way. 
Aligns with R U OK? Day (10 September). 

Safe to Speak: Cultivating Psychological Safety 
In this interactive workshop, leaders build awareness of the small, often automatic behaviours that shape whether people feel safe to speak up, take risks and learn. 
Aligns with R U OK? Day (10 September). 

October Workshops

Wellbeing Foundations 
This workshop helps creates a shared language around mental health, reduce stigma, and equips participants with simple, evidence‑informed strategies to support themselves and others at work. 
Aligns with Mental Health Month (1–31 October) and World Mental Health Day (10 October). 

Leading with Heart 
Supports leaders to navigate the emotional demands of their role by building skills to have supportive conversations, set healthy boundaries, and care for others without compromising their own wellbeing.
Aligns with Mental Health Month (1–31 October) and World Mental Health Day (10 October). 

The Art and Science of Taking Breaks 
Acknowledging that people work effectively in different ways, this session provides practical strategies to build restorative breaks into everyday rhythms of work. 
Aligns with Mental Health Month (1–31 October) and World Mental Health Day (10 October). 

Leadership Tools for Preventing and Responding to Customer Aggression 
Provides leaders with practical tools and strategies to support their teams to prevent, manage and respond to occupational violence and aggression in the workplace. 
Aligns with Mental Health Month (1–31 October), World Mental Health Day (10 October) and World Kindness Day (13 November). 

Leading Through Ages and Stages 
Moves beyond generational stereotypes to offer inclusive, evidence-based strategies for leading age-diverse teams. 
Aligns with International Day of Older Persons (1 October), Mental Health Month (1–31 October) and World Mental Health Day (10 October). 

Retiring Well 
Supports people to prepare for the psychological transition to retirement, focusing on wellbeing, identity and life beyond work. 
Aligns with International Day of Older Persons (1 October)  

Health Reset 
Explores why wellbeing habits can slip over time and offers practical strategies to reset and sustain healthier ways of working. 
Aligns with Mental Health Month (1–31 October) and World Mental Health Day (10 October). 

Caring for the Carer: Supporting Self in the Carer Role 
Focuses on caring roles across the employee life cycle, and how individuals can navigate the often-competing demands of caring for others while working. 
Aligns with Carer’s Week (October). 

Compassion Fatigue: How to Curb the Cost of Caring 
Provides participants with insights informed by current research and tools focused on understanding compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, what it is, who is at risk and – critically – ways to prevent and manage it. 
Aligns with Carer’s Week (October). 

November Workshops

Emotional Intelligence: Interpreting Your Feelings to Understand Others 
Provides practical tools to build awareness of emotions in ourselves and others, and develop a shared language for discussing them. 
Aligns with World Kindness Day (13 November). 

Family and Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Training  
An introductory session to help leaders recognise the signs of family and domestic violence, understand its workplace impacts, and respond appropriately. 
Aligns with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November). 

December Workshops

Fatigue Antidote: Preventing Burnout 
Supports leaders to understand the cultural drivers of burnout in modern, blended workplaces and adopt practical approaches for sustained wellbeing. 
Aligns with end-of-year trends. 

Job Crafting: Working SMARTer, Not Harder 
Offers teams a structured forum to redesign work in ways that support mental health while still meeting role deliverables. 
Aligns with end-of-year trends. 

Contact us to discuss your 2026 learning and development needs.

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You work a full day, drive the kids to various after school activities, make a mad dash to the supermarket to pick up something for dinner, check emails … and then remember you need a gift for Aunty June’s birthday tomorrow.

Sound familiar?

Our new research shows the “mental load” of managing a household on daily basis falls disproportionately to mothers. This means all the remembering, planning, anticipating and organising that keeps family life running “sticks” to mothers in partnered, heterosexual couples even when they work full-time, earn high incomes, or are the family breadwinner.

While mothers who earn and work more do less of the physical domestic tasks, the mental load remains unmovable. This reveals a less recognised or seen – but nonetheless enduring – barrier to gender equality at home that persists across different work and income patterns.

What is the domestic mental load?

The domestic mental load is the essential emotional thinking work that keeps family life functioning. We measured it by 21 distinct tasks, ranging from keeping track of when children’s nails need clipping, to ensuring the fridge is stocked for the next meal. We asked more than 2,000 US-based parents living in a heterosexual couple which partner is mostly responsible for each task.

On average, mothers report being mainly responsible for 67% more household management than fathers. As the figure below shows, we observed the largest gaps for “core”, routine tasks that often crop up daily, including family scheduling, managing the cleaning, organising childcare, managing social relationships, and taking care of the food.

While fathers report greater responsibility for cognitive tasks related to household maintenance and finances, these gender gaps are comparatively small. These are also tasks that are typically less urgent and done less frequently.

So, while fathers are contributing to mental labour tasks, they are much less likely to say they are primarily responsible for them. This is an important distinction because primary responsibility means accountability – it’s who gets blamed when things go wrong or are forgotten.

But cognitive labour is only one piece. We also found that, on average, mothers are doing 85% more of the physical childcare and housework, too. These patterns are not just a US parent phenomenon – our interviews with Australian parents demonstrate a similar pattern. Mothers are carrying heavier domestic loads both in their physical labour and in their minds.

Mothers’ ‘sticky’ situation

We know from decades of research and the results from our own survey that mothers who work longer hours spend less time in housework and childcare on average. Earning more money is also a key bargaining tool for mothers to reduce their domestic contributions.

Crucially, though, we do not see these same patterns when it comes to the mental load. Instead, mothers who work and earn more still do significantly more than their fair share of the mental load, even as their physical workloads lighten.

We call this “gendered cognitive stickiness”: once the mental load is socially assigned to mothers – and, given gender expectations of mothers’ role as primary caregivers, it almost always is – it tends to “stick” to them regardless of their employment status or how much they earn.

This reflects how different the mental load is from physical childcare and housework. Cognitive domestic labour is not seen, acknowledged, or discussed in the same way as physical chores. This is precisely because it happens inside our heads — anywhere, anytime — and is usually only visible when something goes wrong, such as a forgotten appointment or a key ingredient missing from the cupboard.

The fact mothers do so much more of this cognitive labour than fathers even as employment and earnings increase reflects how much harder the mental load is to outsource, offload, or devolve to others than physical chores.

Because of this, no amount of money or career success frees mothers from the unseen and constant need to remind, anticipate, and coordinate everything that needs doing for the family.

We do find that when fathers earn more, they take on more of this thinking work. For example, fathers earning more than $100,000 reported 17% more involvement in “core” mental tasks, such as arranging extracurricular activities. We suspect this reflects new norms that expect fathers to be more involved in the primary care of children as well as the flexibility more common in high-paying jobs.

However, fathers’ increased contributions do not offset mothers’ overall burden. Mothers are still shouldering the bulk of the mental load.

These findings indicate a plateau in progress towards gender equality. While women have achieved high rates of education and workforce participation, men’s participation in household work – especially the mental load – has not kept pace.

The enduring domestic mental load helps explain why mothers, including those working and earning healthy incomes, feel stretched thin, stressed, and short on time. They are holding down paid jobs and keeping on top of all the household needs in their heads. This has negative implications for women’s wellbeing, careers, and families.

Equalising the mental load is not just about fairness. It is also about ensuring that families can thrive and that progress toward gender equality continues rather than stalls.

Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne; Ana Catalano Weeks, Associate professor in comparative politics, University of Bath, and Helen Kowalewska, Lecturer in Social Policy, University of Bath

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Your first six months of DEI activity for 2026

To help support your DEI activity in 2026, we’ve mapped out the first six months of the Ultimate HR Calendar against our range of workshops. Contact us to book a series of 2026 workshops, or talk about other ways we can help you drive successful outcomes in 2026 and beyond.

February Workshops

Crisis and Career Shocks
Practical strategies to support leaders in helping team members through personal or career crises.
Aligns with: World Cancer Day (4 Feb)

March Workshops

Leading Through Ages and Stages
Move beyond generational stereotypes with inclusive, evidence-based strategies for age-diverse teams.
Aligns with: Zero Discrimination Day (1 Mar)

Harnessing Neurodivergence in the Workplace
Introductory session for all employees on embracing neurodivergent thinking to boost team outcomes.
Aligns with: Zero Discrimination Day (1 Mar), Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17–23 Mar)

Leading Neurodiverse Teams
Advanced workshop for leaders to build capability and apply practical strategies to support neurodivergent employees.
Aligns with: Zero Discrimination Day (1 Mar), Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17–23 Mar)

Building a Neuro-inclusive Workplace
For HR and executives: explore how to create environments where neurodivergent talent can thrive.
Aligns with: Zero Discrimination Day (1 Mar), Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17–23 Mar)

Why Menopause is Everyone’s Business
All-employee session to raise awareness and open up conversations around menopause at work.
Aligns with: International Women’s Day (8 Mar)

Menopause Training for Managers and HR
Equips leaders with tools to support employees through the menopausal transition.
Aligns with: International Women’s Day (8 Mar)

April Workshops

Health Reset
Explore why wellbeing slips and learn strategies to reset health habits.
Aligns with: World Health Day (7 Apr)

Building Confidence: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Understand and reframe limiting beliefs to build self-confidence.
Aligns with: International Imposter Syndrome Day (13 Apr)

Leading Psychosocial Safety
Support leaders to identify and manage psychological risks to create healthier workplaces.
Aligns with: World Day for Safety & Health at Work (28 Apr)

May Workshops

Family and Domestic Violence
Introductory session to help employees recognise and respond to FDV in the workplace.
Aligns with: Family Violence Prevention Month (May)

Supporting Working Parents
Best practice strategies for leaders to support employees through the parental leave journey.
Aligns with: International Bereaved Mother’s Day (3 May)

Supporting the Ongoing Seasons of Parenthood
Supports leaders to manage psychosocial risks and support working parents through evolving challenges.
Aligns with: Family Equality Day (3 May), Day of Families (15 May), Global Day of Parents (1 Jun)

Preparing for Parental Leave
Practical tips for employees transitioning into parenthood.
Aligns with: Maternal Mental Health Day (6 May)

Returning from Parental Leave
Support returning parents with tools for a confident re-entry to work.
Aligns with: Maternal Mental Health Day (6 May)

June Workshops

It’s the Best Time in History to Be a Dad
Explore the evolving role of fathers and how it benefits all genders.
Aligns with: International Father’s Mental Health Day (22 Jun)

Contact us to discuss your 2026 learning and development needs.

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How Workplace Mental Health Coaching Transformed a Small Law Firm

Workplace Mental Health Coaching helps businesses create a psychologically healthy workplace and align to their obligations under NSW Work Health and Safety legislation.

When sharing her experience of Workplace Mental Health Coaching, Michelle Oates – founder and Principal Lawyer at Connect Family, a small family law firm – says, “If you’re thinking you don’t have the time [for coaching], you desperately need it.”

For Michelle, the catalyst for coaching was the recognition that she wanted to create a mentally healthy workplace for her employees, while also doing what she needed to do to look after herself as a founder, lawyer and business owner. “If you can’t put on your own oxygen mask, then you’re no good to anyone,” she says.

Before she attended her first session, Michelle acknowledges she was considering selling her business. Now, she says, “Why would I sell this? We are doing something phenomenal here. It was a big, powerful thing for me.”

‘It’s me, hi, I’m the problem’

Michelle laughs, quoting Taylor Swift when asked what surprised her about Workplace Mental Health Coaching.

“I didn’t realise how much of an obstacle I’d become in my own business,” she says. “Not through malintent, but just because the whole business was relying on me. Because that’s how I set it up.”

“I was trying to operate the business as if everything depended on me and I was doing that for them,” Michelle notes. “But as a result, I was not always the nicest person to be around.”

“[Coach] Anna said to me, ‘If your team don’t know where you’re going, how do they know whether they want to follow?”

“Michelle quickly became more aware that because something was clear to her, it didn’t mean it was clear for others,” Anna says.

Playing to strengths

One of the biggest psychosocial risks that Michelle worked through was poor job design – effective work design should be used to eliminate and minimise psychosocial hazards and risks in your workplace.

“Anna said to me, ‘I want you to go ask all the staff, what do they love doing? What’s their why? Why do they get up in the morning?’”

It was this process that led to a discussion with a staff member who was – at that point – looking for other opportunities outside the business. Michelle quickly realised that this team member had a skillset she wanted to retain to support the growth of her organisation.

“She’s now my business development manager, and it’s been amazing,” Michelle says. “It’s a huge shift, and it was just redesigning a role. We didn’t lose her, and she’s never been happier.”

Michelle acknowledges that the conversations around role design would not have happened without coaching.

Coaching can teach effective techniques to open up meaningful conversations with your workers through thoughtful consultation. This approach can help businesses uncover valuable insights and identify solutions that create mutual benefits –potentially enhancing business performance and employee satisfaction.

Consulting and cooperating are an essential part of managing work health and safety risks in your workplace. It’s also a legal requirement under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Coach Anna Kijowska notes that in addition to staff consultation, Michelle was encouraged to reflect on her own role.

“I hate processes and procedures,” Michelle says, acknowledging that she continually stretched herself to work across areas that were, in her own words, “not for her”.

This process led to the employment of a chief operator officer, which has allowed Michelle to focus on her role as Principal Lawyer, and delegate more.

“So instead of everything coming to me, it’s going to the person whose day job it is, and they bloody love it!” she says.

Bringing it all together

Michelle notes that coaching gave her the opportunity to build scaffolding in her workplace and identify blind spots.

“They’re not weaknesses,” she says. “They’re blind spots. And having someone to talk through those who’s not your mum, dad, husband or wife, who always take your side … but someone to hold you to account and say, ‘actually, let’s unpack this some more’ … that’s so important.”

Michelle notes that Anna regularly challenged her to think differently about why she was looking at a particular policy, reviewing a particular practice, communicating a particular way. She adds that Anna helped her see that being vulnerable was OK.

“The flow-on effect is we’ve got really great, open communication within the firm,” she says.

Coach Anna speaks about Michelle’s journey with a great deal of pride, calling her a ‘dream client’.

“In between our last two sessions Michelle did the consultation with the staff, the risk register, put everything in place. She was really able to leverage everything they already had and introduce some new roles and processes, which is really positive too.”

“For me, I got a lot of value from the flow-on effects of coaching,” Michelle says. “I’ve got a lot of value out of understanding who I am as a leader.”

Learn more about Workplace Mental Health Coaching here.

Resources for NSW businesses

Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work – practical guidance on the process persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) could use to identify and to manage psychosocial hazards at work.

Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risks – information about how work designs can be used to eliminate and minimise psychosocial hazards and risks in your workplace.

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How Workplace Mental Health Coaching gave one organisation a competitive edge

When asked what led construction company Ryan Wilks to take up free Workplace Mental Health Coaching delivered by Transitioning Well, and funded by the NSW Government, Construction Manager Oliver Crome says four words: “The Code of Practice.”

Crome explains that while employee wellbeing had long been a priority and the company consistently valued the mental health of its team, the introduction of the Code of Practice provided an opportunity to strengthen and formalise their approach.

It enabled Ryan Wilks to align its existing initiatives with recognised best practice, supporting internal wellbeing efforts while also enhancing compliance for tender submissions and reinforcing client confidence in the company’s adherence to the Code.

“A few of our clients in the Telco industry started to use the terms that we’re now familiar with, such as psychosocial hazards and wellbeing, and asking to see policies around that,” Crome says.

Crome also acknowledges that the output from coaching has helped the business to retain existing clients by demonstrating better practice in psychosocial health and safety. “Clients see that we are not only accredited in our field, but that we are also doing a better job to create a more mentally healthy workplace.”

The benefits of professional support

Crome speaks positively about coach Anna Kijowska, and how she delivered the service.

“The depth of knowledge and support provided by our coach, Anna, along with the access to practical resources, was outstanding,” he says.

At the time when Crome began coaching, the Code of Practice for Managing psychosocial hazards at work was relatively new. “Anna’s ability to translate complex psychosocial concepts into clear, actionable steps tailored to our business was invaluable and exceeded our expectations.”

Crome acknowledges that while his organisation had few visible challenges relating to mental health and wellbeing, the coaching process revealed that managing psychosocial hazards required a new level of awareness and a tailored strategic approach beyond general WHS compliance.

“It’s a new way of thinking,” Crome says. “It’s different to managing physical safety on site, so we needed professional help. Anna gave us confidence in what we were doing.”

Anna’s guidance was tailored to suit the business operations and has been particularly valuable in helping the business with managing psychosocial hazards.

Embedding learnings

Two years into coaching and Crome lists all that the organisation has done while acknowledging, “The big picture has only just started for us”. While being guided by Anna the organisation has:

• Consulted with their people via the People at Work Survey, and gained feedback for implementation
• Embedded a structured, proactive psychosocial risk assessment process
• Introduced dedicated Toolbox Talks focused on psychological safety
• Updated key policies, such as Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Psychological Hazards in the Workplace Policy
• Effectively rolled out health and safety wellbeing processes.

Finally, Crome highlights how coaching helped create a dialogue about mental health and wellbeing internally.

“We’re actually talking about people’s wellbeing and how that affects them, their home life and everyone around them,” he says. “I think that’s very positive, especially in the construction industry, where you tend not to talk about your feelings too much.”

“The more we have these talks, the more we’ll bond, the more we’ll respect each other, the more we’ll respectfully treat each other.”

Crome shares that the organisation is still building morale and motivation after a period of uncertainty during COVID. “These kinds of talks help with that too,” he says. “They bring everyone together.”

Learn more about Workplace Mental Health Coaching here.

Oliver’s four key takeaways:

1. Take the time to genuinely engage your team, the process is more impactful when everyone is involved.
2. Don’t underestimate the value of external guidance, it helps uncover blind spots.
3. Mental health and wellbeing strategies are essential to strong safety culture and business performance.
4. The structured approach made implementation straightforward and sustainable.

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Navigating late career 

The transition into late career (and later, retirement) can be one of life’s most challenging and disorienting periods.

For those experiencing this ‘moment of truth’, you might be craving a change, experiencing redundancy or disruption, taking on more caring responsibilities, or simply finding it difficult to figure out your next step.

Before we delve further into late career, it’s important to look at the context. Late career wasn’t a thing in your grandparents or possibly even your parents’ lives. Retirement as a concept didn’t really take hold until the Industrial Revolution. Previously, it was thought that older workers on farms and in factories would slow production, so private pensions were introduced as a means to move those aged 60 and over out of the labour force.

A 60-year-old today has a 50% chance of living to 90 or more.

Although Australia has had an old-age pension since 1909 (and, until superannuation was legislated in 1991), the general gist was you’d work until you physically couldn’t, then enjoy a few golden years before death. Retirement wasn’t a goal, but a short phase of not working. Today, of course, things are different. Now people are consciously choosing to reevaluate their careers later in life so they can be financially secure, support their family, and do the things that really matter to them in their second act.

What is late career?

Late career traditionally refers to the life-stage when we adjust to the prospect of retirement, typically defined as 55-70 years of age. However, two significant social changes are extending this late career stage considerably. Firstly, as we live longer and healthier lives, individuals can continue working well past any previous retirement age. Secondly, not everyone is financially able to spend these extra years of healthy living without an income.

With Australians aged 55 and over expected to make up 40 per cent of the adult population by 2050 and 71 per cent of workers now viewing work as part of their retirement journey, the traditional model of retirement at 65 is becoming less and less common.  

What can individuals in late career do?

Uncertainty in late career can emerge gradually or hit suddenly. Whether dealing with job loss, health challenges, family needs, or feeling ready for change, it’s OK to feel uncertain about your career direction.

Four key factors—work, wealth, home, health—are integral to our ability and motivation to keep working, and our feelings about retirement. In planning our late career, some useful questions to ask include:

1. Work: Is work (paid or unpaid) meeting your needs?
2. Wealth: What is your financial situation?
3. Home: What could your home life look like in late career?
4. Health: How happy are you with your physical and mental health?

Redefining career identity, navigating age bias, or adapting to new arrangements generates significant stress. Research shows that those facing late career transitions experience uncertainty, identity confusion, and career anxiety, with effects continuing long after initial adjustments.

Seek support from trusted colleagues and mentors, combined with skills development, networking and self-reflection. Access external help when needed, such as transition support, professional development programs, or Employee Assistance Programs.

The portfolio approach

Late career success increasingly depends on diversification, not just of investments, but of activities and identity. The most resilient late-career professionals engage in multiple activities rather than staying in one job. This might include consulting work, board positions, mentoring, volunteering, creative pursuits, family involvement, and community leadership. This portfolio approach is both an opportunity and a protective factor for mental health. When change occurs in one area, you have other meaningful activities to lean on.

Professional late career coaching provides structured support to navigate these complex transitions successfully, helping individuals clarify their vision, navigate ageism, design portfolio careers, manage financial transitions, and build resilience. 

With 5.57 million Australians aged over 45 currently in the workforce, and older Australians already contributing $39 billion per year in unpaid caring and voluntary work (rising to $74.5 billion including those aged 55-64), there’s now an emerging need for support and transition coaching for both organisations and individuals approaching late career.

How can organisations support workers in the late career phase?

First, like all transitions, an individual approach is key. Put aside assumptions about older workers and engage with each person about their specific circumstances. Late career transitions don’t follow set timelines – needs can change or emerge gradually as individuals face redundancy, caring responsibilities, health changes, or shifting priorities.

Organisationally, for someone struggling in the late career phase, this can present as increased absenteeism and lead to reduced innovation, knowledge transfer impacts, and accelerated talent loss.

Allow employees to make decisions about their career path. Someone facing redundancy may want reskilling, while someone seeking purpose may prefer mentoring opportunities. Consider flexible working arrangements, retraining programs, and phased retirement options.

Our resources

Partner transitioning coaching support

Whether you are retiring completely, switching to contract consultancy work, or wanting to ramp down sooner than later – you need a plan. Encompassing 6.5 hours of individual coaching around specific needs, our Partner Retirement Transitioning Coaching program provides the tools and resources to maximise transition success for partners in professional service firms. 

Learn more. 

Late Career and Retirement Management Capability Training (for Managers and HR)

Comprised of a suite of modules, and complemented by e-learning and online conversation simulations, this comprehensive training will equip your managers with the tools and skills they need to manage an ageing workforce, and assist in managing the transition to retirement.

Learn more. 

Workshops to support late career and retirement

Moving beyond the traditional financial and physical health considerations, our practical workshops unpack the common challenges or concerns that can come during the late career stage, and looks at the tools and resources we can use to navigate these, so that we can plan our late career in a way that is sustainable, and adaptable for our future selves.

Contact us to learn more. 

Maturity of Practice Index (MPI)

Transitioning Well’s MPI offers a unique mix of psychological, legal and business-focused perspectives to help build effective policies and procedures that support ageing and age-diverse workforces.

Learn more about how we can help you navigate late career transitions. 

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Working after the loss of a loved one

The loss of a loved one can be one of life’s most heartbreaking and derailing moments.

While the significance of loss varies between individuals, recent Australian data reveals over 1.6 million Australians experience grief annually, with around 1 in 10 experiencing grief-related mental health challenges (Griefline, 2025). This represents a significant workplace mental health issue that many organisations are still learning to address effectively.

Legal Requirements Under the Fair Work Act 2009

While the Fair Work Act 2009 only stipulates compassionate leave in certain circumstances*, we know that all losses have the potential to affect us. The loss of a close friend, a colleague, or a beloved pet can all potentially bring on what’s known as ‘career shock’ yet current legislation doesn’t recognise these relationships.

Under current Australian law, compassionate leave applies when:

• a member of their immediate family or household dies, or contracts or develops a life-threatening illness or injury; 
• a baby in their immediate family or household is stillborn; 
• they have a miscarriage; or their current spouse or de facto partner has a miscarriage. 

So, while legally workplace bereavement policies do not have to extend outside one’s immediate family or household, it’s important to be mindful of the individual and the very real impacts. That might not necessarily mean widening the scope of your bereavement leave policies (though we would encourage considering this in the context of supporting your people), it means leading with compassion and empathy, and recognising that each individual manages grief in their own unique way. What’s important, is how we support them.  

Loss and career shock

The unexpected loss of a loved one is one of the most common traumatic experiences and is associated with the development of mental health issues and, in a workplace context, can lead to low performance or even premature resignation.  

Our Crises and Career Shocks Transition Guide states: “Those who face loss can experience a great sense of burden, shock, confusion and grief, and the effects of loss and grief may continue after people return to work. Those who experience major loss also tend to take increased sick leave, reduce work hours, show increased redundancy rates, and have an increased likelihood of changing jobs.”  

At an organisational level, when individuals are feeling the effects of loss, it may present in the form of increased absenteeism, increased presenteeism, impacts to the wider team culture and even high turnover.  

So, what should employers do to best support people through this time?

First, like all transitions, an individual approach is key. That means putting aside your own feelings and assumptions, and talking with the individual.  

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and effects can emerge months after the initial loss. Regular check-ins demonstrate ongoing support and help identify when additional assistance might be needed.

• Allow employees to make decisions about their support
• Don’t assume what they need (they may not want work removed from their plate)
• Recognise that each individual requires different levels of support

Consider flexible working arrangements

Forward-thinking organisations are expanding beyond minimum legal requirements, with 2025 trends showing; extended leave durations of 2-4 weeks (up from traditional 2-3 days), broader family definitions including chosen family, friends, and pets, integration of “grief days” for ongoing support beyond initial bereavement, and more cultural sensitivity for diverse communities.

More options to consider:

• Extended compassionate leave for complex grief situations
• Personal leave integration for ongoing mental health support
• Purchased leave arrangements for additional time off
• Flexible return-to-work programs with reduced hours or responsibilities

Manager training

With nearly 58 per cent of managers reported experiencing burnout (AIM, 2023), managers are dealing with a lot. In order for them to lead well, organisations can support them by increasing manager capability.

Examples of manager capabilities include:

• Recognising signs of grief-related distress
• Having supportive conversations
• Understanding available support resources
• Knowing when to connect people to HR or EAP services
• Managing team dynamics when a colleague is grieving

At a whole-of-organisation preventative level you can develop and promote policies so your people know they can get the support they need during times of loss. That can also mean training your managers so they know how to support individuals through these rocky times. A strong foundation of support can help mitigate some of the negative effects that can present during this transition.  

What should individuals impacted by loss do?

It’s important to note that even in the most supportive workplace culture, it’s not always easy to recognise when someone is struggling.  

Grief can come at you from all angles. Sometimes it can shock you months after the loss.  

It’s important for individuals to keep communicating with their employer. Remember, it’s OK to struggle. Most organisations will want to do all they can to support you through your loss. The important thing is to speak up when you’re struggling, and ask for any workplace adjustments you need during this time.  

You might also want to seek support from your valued colleagues at this time. Social connections can be really important during times of distress, combined with routine, structure and self-care. 

In addition, make sure you seek external help if you need it. That could mean a conversation with your GP, or accessing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through your organisation if it is available. Beyond Blue also has a great resource that may be helpful – Grief and loss – Beyond Blue.  

External support options

• GP consultation for mental health care plans
• Beyond Blue grief and loss resources
• Griefline Australia 1300 845 745

The loss of a loved one is a huge transition. Like all transitions, there’s opportunity for growth, both at an organisational and individual level. It all starts with having an individual, tailored approach to support. Loss is never an easy thing to deal with, but with the right supports in place we can navigate this transition well together.  

Learn more about how we can help you navigate crisis and career shock transitions. 

Last updated: June 2025

*Under the Fair Work Act, compassionate leave can only be taken if: a member of their immediate family or household dies, or contracts or develops a life-threatening illness or injury; a baby in their immediate family or household is stillborn; they have a miscarriage; or their current spouse or de facto partner has a miscarriage. An employee’s immediate family includes their spouse or former spouse, de facto partner or former de facto partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling. Immediate family also includes the immediate family of the employee’s spouse or de facto partner (or former spouse or de facto partner), step-relations or adoptive relations. Employees can take compassionate leave for other relatives (for example, cousins, aunts and uncles) if they are a member of the employee’s household or if their employer agrees.

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Why this ‘confronting but nourishing’ coaching may be just what you need

“Confronting but nourishing” is how Paul Pincini, General Manager of Sapphire Coast Buslines characterises his Workplace Mental Health Coaching experience.

Employed in a family-owned business of more than 90 employees, Paul and HR Officer Tanja Hoogenboom registered for coaching to better understand how they could promote a mentally healthy workplace culture and reduce the risk of psychological injuries.

While there are policies and procedures in place to manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace, Paul acknowledges that drivers can (still be) be exposed to incidences of trauma, aggression, physical injury and other psychosocial risks on the job.

“We want to make sure they are alright, because they do tend to bottle things up or shrug things off.”

Coaching, Paul says, further emphasised the importance of staff check-ins as well as follow ups.

“People really appreciate it. When you text someone on a Sunday, saying something like, ‘Just checking up on how your weekend’s going. You had a tough day on Thursday’. On Monday, they come in and say, ‘Oh, thanks so much for that, it meant a lot to me’.

“Often,” Paul continues, “It’s just the little things that can make a big difference.”

“They were able to engage people and provide pathways for meaningful relationships at work,” coach Anna Kijowska notes.

“It’s one thing to listen,” Paul says. “But then it’s about actually acting on the issues.”

Paul and Tanja also wanted to understand how to better address the factors impacting workers’ mental health.

Coach Anna notes that when coaching commenced, the organisation was in the process of rolling out new systems. “Knowing that a lot of their drivers found systems to be difficult to engage with, they knew they had a challenge.”

“When you’re in the moment and you’re the one trying to roll things out, you think everyone’s on the same journey,” Paul acknowledges. “But they’re not … you can leave people behind.”

“It is important to provide reasonable opportunities for workers to be involved in the change management process,” Anna says.

According to regulations , businesses have a duty to consult workers in the change management process to – when embedded into day-to-day work – support mental wellbeing, strengthen collaboration, and drive meaningful, lasting change.

An additional benefit to this is thatworkers often have the solutions to solve stubborn challenges in new and innovative ways, ultimately maximising job control and individual contributions to the organisation.

Coaching helped the team at Sapphire Coast Buslines recognise consultation as a powerful lever in the workplace. “Slowing down meant that they had a lot more opportunity to manage that change better and grow a sense of peer support,” Anna says.

Since receiving coaching, Paul notes, he’s also prioritising ‘me time’ for himself, and to role model for the team.

“For the first time in my life, I’ll go down the beach with my dogs every morning, take them for a walk. Then I have a swim,” Paul says, while admitting that previously he would have used that time to go to the office early.

“My outputs have increased from it,” he notes with a smile. “I can see the difference myself.”

Anna says she encouraged Paul and Tanja to make small adjustments to work schedules to help minimise the effects of work-related stressors on worker mental health.

Paul and Tanja share how they plan on driving initiatives to help employees both keep each other accountable for carving out ‘me time’, and to continue to build positive workplace relationships.

As a result of Paul and Tanja increasing their understanding of ways to improve their approach to mental health, changes they’ve made have seen an improvement in workplace culture, productivity and retention.

Learn more about Workplace Mental Health Coaching here.

Advice for others considering coaching:

• Prepare for some truth bombs – “Be prepared to listen and acknowledge your personal and your organisation’s downfalls … take it on board,” Paul says.
  
• Buy-in is important – “It’s one thing for us to implement something, but you’ve got to have buy-in from the top down, and vice versa,” says Tanja.
  
• Be prepared to be proactive – “Anna didn’t give us the solutions, but she made us look for the solutions and I think that was a really positive thing to do.”

And some reassurance from your coaches: “Generally, our clients already have good practices in place,” says Anna. “Our job is to suggest ways you can make your investment make a big difference to you and the mental health of your team.”

The post This ‘confronting but nourishing’ coaching may be just what you need appeared first on Transitioning Well.

By Dr. Sarah Cotton  

If life and work feel increasingly chaotic and unpredictable, as if the rug is constantly being pulled out from under you — you’re not imagining it. From AI and cyber-attacks to climate-related disasters, geopolitical tensions and market crashes, the pace of change has accelerated, and there’s no sign of it slowing.  

Australian workplaces are now operating in an era of continual disruption. In addition to adapting to external changes, many workplaces are also undergoing digital transformations and navigating flexible work arrangements.  

However, the problem many of the methods workplaces use to navigate change assume that major change is an occasional event, not a constant state. This lack of clear guidance on how workplaces can adapt to the new normal of constant change (i.e., change on steroids), means that Australian workers and business outcomes may be at risk. 

The cost of continual disruption 

Poorly managed change or disruption has been identified as a “psychosocial hazard”  – an aspect of the work environment that can cause a stress response that can lead to psychological or physical harm.  

Research consistently links unmanaged or poorly executed organisational change with outcomes like chronic stress, burnout, disengagement, and increased turnover. Worse, people negatively impacted by one round of disruption often become less resilient to the next. In a world where technological, environmental, and social disruptions are compounding, it can become a vicious cycle, eroding wellbeing, productivity and workplace culture. 

Put simply, unmanaged disruption isn’t just an operational risk — it’s a mental health one too. Furthermore, as workplaces in many jurisdictions are legally obligated to identify and manage psychosocial hazards, failing to effectively manage change could create exposure to duty holders.  

Outdated models, inadequate responses 

Traditional change management frameworks are no longer fit for purpose. They assume a structured journey from point A to point B that can be planned, communicated and carefully managed.  

However, in reality, today’s disruptions often arrive unannounced, overlap unpredictably, and ripple through organisations in unforeseen ways. 

Existing guidance for managing disruption often focuses on vague leadership principles such as “communication” and “trust”. Although important, this principles-based approach can be hard to translate into specific actions leaders can take when facing real-time crises. 

There’s also a gap in responsibility. Managing disruption isn’t just a task for senior leadership or the People and Culture team. Instead, it requires coordinated action across all levels of the business – with everyone equipped to respond in ways that protect both people and performance. 

What good looks like 

Some progressive organisations are already adapting to create their own methods for managing disruption. They’re embedding psychosocial risk management into everyday practices, not just when a crisis strikes. And crucially, they’re fostering collaboration between change management, mental health, and workplace safety and wellbeing experts to develop more resilient systems. 

This kind of forward-looking, disruption-resilient approach will soon be the benchmark, not the exception. 

Australia can lead the way 

 With legal obligations to manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace now firmly in place, Australia is well positioned to lead on this issue. What’s needed now are clear, actionable frameworks for managing continual disruption in ways that support mental health, retention, and long-term organisational resilience. 

Because if disruption is here to stay — and all evidence suggests it is — our workplaces need to be far better prepared. 

Supporting your team to manage disruption

We are proud to offer a range of workshops and webinars to support your employees and leaders to build mental health capability, literacy and confidence to act – including managing change and disruption. We pride ourselves on packing our workshops with practical strategies you and your team can apply immediately upon leaving the workshop.  Find out more.

Managing change and disruption series

We partnered with the National Mental Health Commission on a practical guide to help organisations better understand the impact of disruption and how to plan and undertake change management to support people in the workplace.

Read it here.

The post Disruption is the new normal — and Australian workplaces aren’t ready  appeared first on Transitioning Well.

Feeling stressed? Why workplace mental health coaching could be just what you need 

When Colin Boswarva, a director at JCA Lift Consultants, first received the call about workplace mental health coaching his NSW-based lift consultancy was operating amid a period of large workloads and high stress levels.  

“We’re running a fairly successful business,” says Colin. “And the workload is very heavy.” 

Workplace mental health coaching, which, among other things, helps business leaders effectively manage psychosocial risks such as high workloads and stress levels resonated with Colin straight away.  

“We work in a very high-stress environment. Everything is a deadline,” he says.  

In addition, Colin says, he manages a team with many different dynamics. “They’re all very different,” he says. “I’ve got some people who come from sales backgrounds, others who have come from very technical backgrounds. And now we’re all trying to work together.” 

Through coaching, Colin says he was able to identify small things to help him effectively manage the psychosocial risks in his organisation.  

“While the workload is still heavy, and the business is expanding, I feel more in control,” Colin says. “I don’t feel the stress or overload like I did before.” 

“A good example of this,” Colin says, “was when one of my guys needed help with something. [My coach] Anna said to me, ‘Well, what are you going to do?’ and I said, ‘Well, I’m going to show him how to do it’. She said, ‘No, no, no.’ She cut me off straight away,” Colin laughs. “She said, ‘Sit with him, take that extra time. Guide him to do it. Stop being Superman.’” 

“It’s such a small thing,” Colin says, “But ultimately, I’d taught all my team to come to me every time they had a problem.”  

Now, Colin says, he takes more time to help his team take ownership, and be more self-sufficient, which is saving him time in the longer term, and addressing the risk of low job control.  

Colin’s coach Anna adds, “So often, individuals in leadership positions feel alone in shouldering the full burden of everything that needs to be done in small business, even though they surround themselves with highly motivated and skilled people.” 

“The skill of ‘creating room for others’ can be difficult, and unfamiliar,” she says. However, it’s an acquired skill that has really set Colin up to thrive.  

“It’s probably why I can handle more now,” he acknowledges. “I’m not nearly as stressed as I was a year ago.” 

“It’s funny, it’s only a slight tweak in approach on how to handle things and it’s made a huge difference.” 

Moreover, Colin acknowledges, his team have noticed the difference that coaching has made, with their own stress levels coming down.  

“Employees really benefit from understanding what matters to their boss,” says Anna. “It allows them to celebrate their efforts, and maximise their sense of achievement, and that can bring in a sense of achievement for everyone involved.” 

Again, Colin acknowledges that it’s just been about making small tweaks. He acknowledges that in the past where he would have said, “You’ve just got to get the job done” he’s now taking time to consider his approach, provide ongoing support and communicate more with his team as needed.  

“A happy team goes a long way to making your business successful without focusing on the financials,” Colin says.  

Coach Anna recognises that Colin’s willingness to share his experiences and perspectives really helped him get the most out of coaching.  

“He was willing to try ‘something different’,” Anna says. “And that allowed us to better understand his team and calibrate our approach to craft solutions that worked with their unique needs, hazards, risks and constraints.” 

“For many small businesses, it’s hard to find time to think and reflect,” Anna says. “Having a document like the psychosocial code of practice, to refer to as a starting point, allows them to identify their own unconscious strengths as well as some potential blind spots.” 

Recognising the benefits of having open conversations about mental health and wellbeing, Colin shared his experience with his team at their annual conference in June. “We actually had a brief open forum about mental health,” Colin says. “We hadn’t done it before.” 

Colin says that the open forum allowed people the space to talk about mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. And, while Colin acknowledges that the forum won’t have resonated with every staff member, he was pleased to receive positive feedback from others. “One of the younger guys said, ‘It’s amazing. Ten years ago, we would never have been in a room like this talking about this.’” 

And for Colin, that forum extends to the way he interacts with his team. “I was always there for them,” he said. “But now I’m more open to say, ‘if you need me, if we need to go and have a cup of coffee, we can do that’. I feel much more supportive of them now,” he says.  

Learn more about Workplace Mental Health Coaching here.

3 key takeaways on workplace mental health coaching

1. “Just do it” – “Workplace coaching isn’t something I would ever have thought about doing,” says Colin. “But now after I’ve done it, I want to keep doing it … because it’s made such a big difference to our business.”  

2. It makes you a better leader – “Coaching has made me a better leader as well as a supportive leader,” Colin says. “I’ve found my mind slows down a bit more now, and I’m able to assess things in a calmer manner.”  

3. It’s about more than mental health and wellbeing – “It wasn’t just about mental health,” Colin says. “Anna’s knowledge of senior level management was exceptional … I felt a connection straight away. She would talk about the tasks and things like that with an understanding of what you have to deal with. I came out of it with fantastic ideas and different ways to handle situations within the business as well.” 

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