Ray White Corporate go further together

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.

“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.

“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.

“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 in.

“It was important this program was for our people, by our people and so we asked for volunteers who became our ‘Together Champions’ in each state, who worked on implementing initiatives including Mental Health First Aid, charity drives, social and tenure events and physical challenges,” she said.

Various other initiatives included mental health week activities, morning teas, yoga and pilates, remedial massage therapy in the office, a Red Cross blood donation drive, and recognition events.

Fitness challenges

The initiative became not only about mental health, but also about physical and financial wellbeing, as well as the opportunity for our people to give back to the community.

“We engaged the services of a fitness company who run multiple health and fitness challenges and provide nutritional advice for our entire corporate team,” she said.

“Our fitness challenges focus on the personal physical health of our people and it promotes our social connectedness across our six corporate offices, across both countries. With travel restrictions, lockdowns and state lockouts it was paramount to keep our people connected.

“Fit for Floods and Steptember enabled all of us to engage, keep fit and give back to those in need. It’s a ‘triple’ feel good!”

More than 180 corporate team members participated across Fit for Floods and Steptember, and $10,000 was donated to the national flood appeal.

Fitness sessions are now built into all conferences and team offsites; everything from group walks, breathwork sessions to an 80s themed aerobic workout.