Breathe in, breathe out – Hā ki roto, hā ki waho

As public relations leaders and managers it is our role to create an environment that is based on kindness, empathy, trust and creates new ways to work in a COVID world. To do this we need to understand the mental health, resilience and wellbeing of those we work with.

Early this year PRINZ surveyed members about their mental health and wellbeing and the findings were consistent with what we have seen in other countries in the world:

· Burnout is a real risk and many were feeling tired, worn out and emotionally exhausted. Members were also apprehensive to use traditional support channels for fear of prejudice or ‘unintended consequence’.

· The biggest source of stress comes from internal expectations

· Under 30s are physically healthy, but struggle with symptoms of poor mental health.

· Woman feel more stressed as they endeavour to juggle children’s schooling, family life while having to work at home

· Work drains so much energy that it is negatively affecting Members’ personal lives

· Members are more likely to receive support from colleagues than they are from their superiors.

· The COVID 19 environment has been a significant contributor to increased stress levels

· Members trust the information that comes from management and feel management trust them to do their work well. However, there is less certainty around fairness when it relates to conflict resolution and work distribution

Initiatives that are gaining in traction in New Zealand include:

· A task based approach versus hours online or ‘working’ – staff having the opportunity to determine how they best deliver on their work programme

· More focussed and shorter online meetings to reduce online fatigue

· Empowering staff to take time out when they need it

· Looking at different ways to build mental resilience

· Wellbeing training where all team members are encouraged to attend and can include online forums, one on ones, etc

· Sharing the workload

· Finding different ways to stay connected

· Encouraging people to say I’m not ok I need help and making sure it is given

Finally, it is important to centre all we do on our relationships and always remember to take time to breathe in, breathe out – Hā ki roto, hā ki waho!

Fiona Cassidy, APR,LPRINZ

Chair Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ)

Any thoughts or opinions expressed are that of the author and not of Global Alliance.