Here at Western Sydney University, we take workplace health and safety very seriously – pre and post-pandemic – and invest extensive resources in this area. As the Dean of the School of Business at Western, I am committed to supporting an active program of professional development, personal development and wellbeing for the benefit of all our staff. To reinforce this commitment, Professional Development and Staff Wellbeing forms one of the five pillars of the School’s strategic plan – along with research, learning and teaching, external engagement and internationalisation.
Personally, mental health and productivity has been a focused area of my research. This research has looked at the consequences of mental illnesses on workers’ general health, safety and productivity. Good mental health enables us to deliver our personal and professional best and I believe the role of a leader is to help nurture and facilitate this for my team.
In relation to our School’s strategic plan goal, the School supports and promotes the authentic partnership between its professional and academic staff and recognizes the importance of this partnership to its culture, and staff happiness and wellbeing. We aim to cultivate a values-led and capability building culture and in terms of wellbeing, we are creating a supportive and distinctive School of Business Culture by investing in the School Wellness Program with opportunities for personal development and exploring wellbeing.
In the past, the School has held in-person wellness days (which we refer to as our “Reboot” program), and wellness has also always formed a part of our regular school planning days. With the on-set of Covid-19 and operations flipping to online mode this year, we are holding a School “Wellness @ Work” week starting on 13th September. There is an activity every day and staff are invited to register for one or all of the sessions. Workshops being delivered over the week are based on feedback from our last School planning day. They will include sessions showcasing tools and strategies to help staff in areas such as stress-management, food & nutrition (and how this affects mood) mixed with some fun and creative workshops. It is important that colleagues have a say in the programs being delivered as this ensures engagement and a sense of ownership in regards to wellness within our School.
As Provost of the Parramatta City Campuses, I also support the provision of a variety of on-campus wellbeing initiatives for students and staff to advance the University’s on-campus experience. In conjunction with the Provost Committee, we deliver programs to enhance the social elements of campus-life; from supporting community dinners for staff and students through to activities to support RUOK? Day.
So it is with pleasure that I accepted the invitation of Niro Muthusamypillai, creator of the FitLego app and postgraduate student with the School of Business, to post on the app’s BLOG. Niro has explained to me that the purpose of the app is to help businesses support the personal development and wellbeing of their staff through a variety of means, including fitness counters and calculators, competitions and group challenges, and tips and advice on wellbeing. The app can encourage individuals as well as promoting and strengthening team relationships. Importantly, it can help to build community.
I congratulate to Niro on this innovative and entrepreneurial approach to his major Business Project, which I am sure will go beyond the successful completion of his studies with Western to become a viable business enterprise.
Professor Amir Mahmood | Dean, School of Business
Western Sydney University
