Sophie Anderson, owner of Cairns Coaching
Anderson will share her insights into the benefits and techniques of managing energy levels in the workplace to boost performance at the Institute of Public Accountants’ 2024 National Congress in Port Douglas on 29 November. She will demonstrate simple strategies to manage energy levels throughout the working day to boost wellbeing and productivity.
“I was very dissatisfied with the workplace that I was in and I kept thinking that they needed to help us with work/life balance,” she says. “Getting coaching made me realise that I wasn’t looking after myself at all, but also that I had so much more control.”
That epiphany led Anderson to set up her coaching business.
“I was asking for respect from my workplace, but I wasn’t treating myself with respect,” she says.
This revelation led Anderson to establish Cairns Coaching, a corporate wellness consultancy that delivers workshops on life balance, stress reduction, mindfulness, and establishing healthy habits. Her approach challenges traditional corporate wellness programs, which often adopt what she describes as “cookie-cutter” models.
Anderson believes levels of disengagement in the workplace, whether overt or more passive, are widespread. “They come to work, but they don’t work,” she says.
Sense of overwhelm from increased workloads driving disengagement
Anderson says many people suffer from a sense of overwhelm. “People say, ‘I’ve got so much work, and how do you organise what? I just can’t think straight. I can’t even start’,” she says.
The problem is fuelled by increased workloads, particularly where staff departures have left remaining employees shouldering additional responsibilities.
Her coaching methodology begins with a shift in how people approach their daily tasks. She advises picking the main priorities from an over-flowing to-do list. “Pick one – which one is your number one priority?” she says.
This is part of a broader strategy to help employees regain control over their work lives. Anderson’s workshops incorporate practical tools for energy management, patterns and self-regulation.
“You can do an energy inventory,” says Anderson. “List for five to seven days three things that have drained your energy during the day and three things that have given you energy. You start to see a trend.”
Common energy drains include sitting at computers without breaks, poor hydration and ineffective meeting structures.
Financial pressures driving stress levels
Anderson, who works with small businesses and large corporations, believes financial pressures have fuelled stress in the workplace. “People are putting a lot of pressure on themselves to not lose their job,” says Anderson. “We get very narrow focus when we’re stressed, so the survival mode is activated.”
While some progressive companies, particularly in the mining sector, have embraced in-house coaching, others are reluctant given the rising cost of doing business. Anderson advocates for staff rather than just leadership coaching.
“A lot of leadership will get leadership coaching, which is wonderful,” says Anderson. “But you can have the best leaders in place, and if the staff are not looking after themselves, and they’re not looking after their mindset, they will not receive the messages. They will still not thrive at work.”
More information on the IPA’s 2024 National Congress on 27-29 November available HERE.
