As lock-down in New South Wales continues, the team at Moore Australia's Sydney office have been looking for new ways to remain connected and support mental and physical wellbeing. It is well known that being more physically active leads to having more energy, which helps concentration and can help prevent the onset of mental health problems. So, in a lock-down world, how do you connect with your team, become physically active, and remain mentally healthy?

To answer this question, Moore Australia (NSW) partner Adam Dyson reached out to his client network and found a practical solution. His home-bound colleagues are now being offered personal training sessions, yoga classes and fun games of 'who am I?', on a weekly basis.

On Tuesday 24th August, over 20 Moore Australia NSW colleagues came together for their first one-hour virtual personal training session. Offering the sessions has been made possible by the strong client relationship between Moore Australia and its clients. In this case, Jenn from CRE8 Fitness, who is a qualified personal trainer, and is conducting the sessions via Zoom, as his clients remain in lock down.

"Everyone is different. The key to success when creating online workouts, is to ensure accessibility and safety. Everyone needs to feel included, whatever their level."
"The team were great, everyone easily connected online and I was surprised to see how many active people there are at Moore Australia (NSW)." -
Jenn, CRE8 Fitness.

As part of a balanced program, the team are also offered a yoga session. Yoga is known for its ability to allow people to de-stress and unwind, and can help with employee productivity, whilst improving mental and physical wellbeing outside of work hours.

Together with the HR team, senior leadership also created a new Wednesday hump-day tradition of 'who am I', which is a competition challenging colleagues to match childhood photos to the correct colleague over a virtual meeting. The new tradition is causing lots of excitement and the team has become quite competitive.

"It is wonderful to see everyone share a laugh and really have some fun while moving about and having a go at the personal training session. The yoga added some calm to balance to our day and I was particularly delighted with the effects of the 'who am I game'; seeing everyone jump in and participate."

"We are trying to be as inclusive as possible, ensuring there is something for everyone to engage with. There is a lot of pressure on HR teams in lock-down to safeguard staff welfare, boost engagement and support those of us who are struggling with the isolation. Needless to say, I would rather have the team back together in the office. However, this offers a great solution." - Heather Livian, HR Manager Moore Australia.

"Moore Australia is a highly connected network and it made logical sense to reach out to our friends and colleagues in these extraordinary circumstances. I know personally, a good chat and the opportunity to work out helps me manage my day and remain focused. It was great sharing this way of staying motivated with the team." – Adam Dyson, Partner Moore Australia (NSW).

At Moore Australia, connection is part our DNA. We make strong commitments to our community which includes our team and our clients alike. But in today's world connection has taken on a different meaning. Lockdown is a challenging time and different people cope in different ways. Supporting and looking after each other must be a continuous effort. We would like to extend a hand of support to our colleagues, clients, and the greater community.