WorldPeacefull – Funny Business Corporate Workshops
Life and work is a Funny Business, you either laugh or cry or suppress what is happening. These workshops are designed to help businesses create and sustain happy, positive environments where people enjoy coming to work. Some call this productivity, I see it as community at work.
Funny business offer a range of stimulating and fun workshops with sound research to identify conflict in the workplace. The workshops facilitate skills to deal with conflict and promote a culture of good-humoured communication, trust, empathy and empowerment to enhance teamwork within the workplace.
Funny business trains people to OWN their empowerment in harmony and conflict and is dedicated to creating positive business environments through the delivery of quality training workshops to staff and management. Funny business focuses on workplace bullying and in particular: conflict prevention, identification of potential and actual conflict and transformation for positive wellbeing in environments. Moreover, harmony workshops are available to empower staff to take responsibility for detecting, dealing with and resolving conflict to ensure the workplace is a positive place to work. Sometimes we take ourselves seriously, thus, the training programs all have a positive/humorous component to make learning and exploring ourselves interesting and fun. All problems are challenges and with a willingness for harmony there are no problems are a intractable.
Susan Carew is a Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Scholar and expert in Peace Studies, and a market analyst for 10 years. Susan aka Peacefull/fool clown is a World Peace Clown (refer The Presenter for more information). Susan Carew connects humour, conflict resolution and wellbeing to foster harmonious and productive environments.
Be prepared to laugh in our workshops
On a more serious note
Workplaces mirror society and we are experiencing a society that is losing its sense of values, this has implications for team working and trust.
The issue of workplace bullying is an emerging issue of concern in the business community and the general community (schools). A Griffith University study estimated that workplace bullying costs Australian industry between 6 and 36 billion. The costs included estimates for hidden costs. Furthermore, it was estimated that between 350,000 to 1.5 million people were bullied. it can cost a company approximately $20,000 per employee as a result of bullying. The issue is also considerable in schools which reflects that it is a societal problem.
The government has attempted to address this form of violence through including bullying under the Occupational Health and Safety Legislation. According to WorkSafe in WA each year an average of 600 workers compensation claims are lodged for time off arising from workplace violence and bullying. If unreasonable or inappropriate behaviour exists, or the potential for such behaviour is identified, there is a high risk of psychological and/or physical harm.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 requires employers to ensure so far as is practicable a working environment in which employees are not exposed to hazards. Workplace bullying should be treated as any other hazard at the workplace. If unreasonable or inappropriate behaviour, or the potential for such behaviour is identified, there is a high risk of psychological and/or physical harm. Therefore steps should be taken to stop the behaviour.
It is the duty of the employer to so far as is practicable ensure that adequate systems are in place to prevent or stop the bullying behaviour.> (refer WA http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe/content/safety_topics/Bullying/Questions.html)
Bullying is not only in the school yard it is evident in the workplace. This has real implications for productivity and job satisfaction. “People in charge, as well as your fellow workers, may use bullying as a way of exerting their authority or powerlessness. Practical jokes, offensive comments and physical abuse are all common forms of bullying which can have a detrimental effect on your health and frame of mind. You may think that your boss can throw their weight around, but if he or she does this literally, then its against the law. Recent studies have shown that the effects of bullying can be very serious with victims even suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Victims of bullying may suffer from: stress, anxiety, panic attacks, lack of concentration, insomnia and low self-esteem. A bully can be your manager, supervisor or a fellow worker. They can also be male or female with the majority of cases being same sex cases. Employers too, should not ignore bullying. It is their responsibility to provide you with a safe and healthy working environment, so the issue must be addressed. If not, then they could be in breach of Occupational Health and Safety laws“. A.C.T.U. Occupational Health and Safety. |
Many people are feeling overworked and stressed. The growing absenteeism and health issues has real impacts on the economy and society. “Absenteeism is a major cost to Australian business – estimated at more than two billion dollars a year – but the cost is even higher in the Commonwealth public service. Surveys indicate that absenteeism costs Australian business more than $2 billion a year and that an average of two point seven per cent of the Australian workforce was absent on unapproved leave on an average day. Employees have to cope with technical changes, structural change within the organisation, and changes in legislation. Because of this, work performance demands are significant and staff tend to push themselves to a point where they just cannot take it,” she said. |
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