Quiip takes action on mental health with the launch of the Resilience Training Package

In response to high rates of overwork and burnout, Australian social media and online community management specialist Quiip has developed a training package to teach resilience and coping skills to individuals and workplaces involved in moderating and managing online spaces.

The 2019 Australian community manager survey found that 77% of community managers work more than eight hours a day and 32% report overwork and burnout.

Alison Michalk (left), CEO of Quiip, says the package is long overdue: “Online moderation can, at times, be stressful, disturbing and relentless. For our industry to thrive we need to start taking mental health seriously.”

The Resilience Training Pack was developed in consultation with psychologist and rehabilitation counsellor Ceara Rickard (right). It is based on research, which shows that being resilient can help people adapt and cope with difficult situations.

Contrary to popular belief, resilience is not a static quality that people have or lack. The ability to bounce back after adversity is a quality that can be supported and developed.

Rickard believes that ensuring workplaces have the knowledge they need to develop a culture of resilience is critical: “Employers to have both an obligation and a wonderful opportunity to develop resilient workplaces in which teams are supported and cared for in a way that enhances their resilience, both as individuals and as a community. It is not enough to suggest to individual staff that they must be resilient, because resilience is as much about communities as individuals.

“The Resilience Training pack helps course participants gain a greater understanding of their mental health and that of their colleagues, and to develop a custom toolkit of healthy mindsets and behaviours they can use to combat workplace stress.

“When people don’t have the tools to deal with workplace stress, they can turn to unhealthy habits like alcohol and drug abuse or lashing out at others, which in turn leads to a decline in workplace performance and absenteeism.”

Some simple things that every organisation can do to support mental health include:
– Making mental health a priority and leading from the top down
– Encouraging employees to take lunch breaks and work regular hours
– Offer shorter shifts for work which is distressing (i.e. moderating toxic comments and hate speech)
– Providing access to an Employee Assistance Program

While the program was originally developed for online community and social media managers, it can be adjusted to suit other sections of the media industry on request.

For more information on Resilience Training for your workplace contact Quiip for a free consultation: https://quiip.com.au/contact/.