Christmas safety message from MEGT

For many of us, Christmas is a happy, festive time of the year, filled with family, friends, BBQs and time to relax and have fun in the sun.

Christmas can also be a challenging time for those who have experienced a setback in their lives such as the loss of partner or a relative, financial hardship or family/relationship breakups, with Christmas celebrations only highlighting the events of the past year.

As an employer, it can be hard to know the right way to support an employee who may be experiencing hard times during the festive season.

Here are a few ways you can help your team in the lead up to Christmas:

Thank your team

This one is simple yet extremely effective. Acknowledging your team’s performance and thanking them individually for their input during the year can be a big confidence and morale booster and help improve workplace satisfaction and productivity.

Stay safe

It can be tempting to want to rush to get a job finished before Christmas but saving an extra few seconds is never worth the risk of putting your life or someone else’s at risk. Take time to assess each job for safety controls and remember that the roads will be busier so allow extra time to get from one location to another.

Be mindful

Not everyone enjoys this time of year, just as not everyone observes the Christmas holidays or traditions the same way. Or at all! Be respectful of the beliefs of others and be sensitive and support your team through what can be a difficult time by:

• giving them choices during celebrations as to whether they wish to be involved or not
• not making fun of, or shaming people who don’t want to get involved
• limiting alcohol consumption and offering an alternative.

It is also equally important to embrace this time of year and not to dismiss it. Ask your team how they feel about Christmas celebrations, ask them if they wish to be included in any activities and get their input as to how they would like to celebrate. Christmas celebrations are a personal choice, and we can all celebrate the end of a year and beginning of the next with respect and consideration for each other.

MEGT Employee Assistance Program

MEGT Recruitment and Management Services apprentices and trainees are all welcome to utilise the MEGT Employee Assistance Program (EAP). There is no cost to you or the worker, and we encourage you to promote it to your team.

EAP is a confidential resource that offers support to apprentices and trainees who are experiencing challenges in their life, at home or work. It’s free to use and available 24 hours.

EAP Hotline: 1300 360 364
EAP Website: eapdirect.com

Your apprentice or trainee can register as a new user by using the details below:

Organisation Name: MEGT (Australia) Ltd
Organisation Token: megtau
Organisation Password: usrkey