HOW BMD URBAN (SA), BOOSTED THEIR STAFF’S MENTAL HEALTH WITH GENERATION THRIVE.
BMD is a national group of companies engaged in engineering design, construction, and land development for clients and partners in the urban development, transport infrastructure, and resources and energy sectors.
You can feel it as soon as you step into the South Australian headquarters that BMD's business is primarily about investing in its people. From the friendly greetings you receive, the positive body language among the team, and the engaging and collaborative conversations amongst team members. They even have a victory bell front and centre, that the employees ring to celebrate their teams' successes.
“At BMD we see things differently. We see our strengths in the quality of our people and our genuine relationships with clients, partners, and communities.”
Regional Manager – SA/WA Tim Bishop, shares how they are serious about implementing opportunities to invest and further develop their people, and cultivate an environment where they can thrive and develop skills that benefit them across both their personal and professional lives.
Why Generation Thrive?
Tim shares that BMD chose Generation Thrive because we appreciated the return on investment that their evidence-based workplace development program, Thrive@Work, offers. We wanted to empower our team with the self-leadership tools to build and protect their mental health, reduce stress, increase engagement, and develop their skills in navigating setbacks, changes, and challenges that impact wellbeing.
“It’s important to us at BMD that we’re looking after the wellbeing of our team, investing in our talent, and retaining our people.”
In 2022 BMD trialled its first Thrive@Work program with a cohort of staff. Tim shared that:
“Feedback from that group was really positive. We split participants between half field and half office, to get an inclusive representation of our workforce. We stepped back and thought wow we did not really anticipate just how much of a positive impact the program would have on the team through increasing their personal leadership skills. One of our senior leaders was blown away by the staff feedback, positivity, and personal and professional growth our people had achieved.”
Thrive@Work provided BMD’s people opportunities and time to connect and build skills, via the eLearning program, 1:1 leadership coaching, and attendance of workshops. They saw this as the perfect combination to suit everyone's learning styles and to tailor the leadership development and goal attainment for each participant.
“The bang for buck and the outcomes achieved in the program are just so worth it.”
Why mental health matters?
Because our people are our greatest asset!
The war for talent is strong, retention can be difficult, and the workforce is driven more by purpose, equality, and career development than ever before. Businesses are seeking ways to address these requirements in a competitive market, whilst also reducing the implications of a global pandemic, a retiring workforce, increasing skill shortages, and mental health.
Black Dog Institute research indicates “Mental illness is now the leading cause of sickness absence and long-term work incapacity in Australia” and in Australia alone, poor mental health at work is estimated to cost the economy billions. The Productivity Commission Mental Health Inquiry of 2020 estimated the direct economic costs at between A$43 billion and A$70 billion.
Wellbeing Australia shares, “For many organisations having a happy, motivated, and engaged workforce is no longer seen as a ‘nice to have’ but a prerequisite for commercial success over the long term. However, whilst the ‘why’ is well understood by business leaders, the ‘how’ often proves more elusive.”
At Generation Thrive, we see skill development and workplace wellbeing as interrelated, as the acquisition of enterprise and soft skills such as self-leadership, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, emotional, and social intelligence, goal planning, and time management lead to individuals managing their own emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing – all of which are good for business.
Our programs support participants to create a healthy Locus of Control where they demonstrate personal leadership by learning how to take responsibility for the outcomes that are within their control and managing responses to things that are not.
Mental Health Outcomes from BMD’s most recent program participants saw an impressive:
36%
increase in psychological wellbeing. Increase relating to self-acceptance, environmental mastery, positive relations, personal growth, autonomy, and purpose in life.
58%
increase in social wellbeing. Increase relating to social acceptance, where one fits in the world, and social integration.
34%
increase in Emotional wellbeing. Increase measuring positive affect, happiness, and life satisfaction.
“The program resonates for individuals across our workforce and focuses on personal and professional skills development for our teams to thrive.”
In the year 2022, the inaugural cohort of BMD completed the program. The remarkable success of the initiative prompted them to extend the same chance to a new group of individuals.
And it's clear that the program's achievements are self-evident:
100%
of participants increased feelings of personal responsibility and accountability in their lives.
80%
strongly agree they have better time management skills to reduce stress and enhance performance.
100%
have increased confidence, improved relationships, have a better understanding of how to use their personal strengths, and have replaced unhelpful habits
Testimonials from BMD’s Thrive@Work Participants
“As a new starter in the industry, being able to develop my personal leadership and assertive communication skills has been a great advantage. It has helped me to develop the skills and confidence that enable me to lead myself in the direction and path I want to go in my career. I now communicate with confidence and clarity and negotiate win/win outcomes, helping me to build relationships and demonstrate my capabilities. I really enjoyed the learning and 1:1 coaching sessions, providing me with strategies tailored to my needs and goals.”
— Undergraduate Engineer, Emily
“I think the biggest lesson for me was recognising when I’m becoming snowed under and how to manage the ever-growing task lists. Before the program, I tended to put the blinders on and try to deal with whatever was in front of me - which often led to important tasks not getting the time they deserved or falling off the to-do list altogether. This program has helped demonstrate the benefit of hitting the brakes and taking a time-out to map the next day, week, or month.
The module I enjoyed most was Change Loop. It was a great reminder that changing thought patterns has the potential to reshape your outlook on life and how others perceive you. For me, this is the most valuable tool we discussed as it can be applied to anything and is available to anyone at any time.”
— Site Engineer, Nicholas
“I have become much more aware of my communication style. In the hustle and bustle of work, it can become easy to forego positive communication, by not greeting someone or perhaps not giving feedback in the most positive and constructive sense. I have been able to make a more conscious effort in my communication and as a result, it has helped me improve relationships within the team.”