TravelManagers Announces Continuation of Wellness Initiative
The conclusion of TravelManagers’ annual National Conference in Perth the weekend before last marked twelve months since the introduction of the company’s Network Assistance Program (NAP): an industry-leading initiative to support its business partners’ health and wellbeing. According to TravelManagers’ CEO, Joe Araullo, the program that provides support to personal travel managers (PTMs) throughout Australia has been such a success that its initial trial period has now been extended for a further twelve months.
“We’ve actually found that the uptake of NAP has been higher than expected, which indicates there may be greater benefit than we had originally foreseen and that an industry-wide need for this kind of support could be significant,” Araullo notes. “The program is available to all PTMs and while the service is offered on a confidential basis, the feedback from users who have voluntarily shared their experience has been very encouraging.”
Araullo explains that the NAP program provides all PTMs and National Partnership Office (NPO) team members with up to six free, one-hour counselling sessions each year: a completely confidential service which covers a range of personal and professional issues, recognising that physical, emotional and social wellbeing are key pillars to personal and professional success.
“The geographical isolation of a home-based travel professional’s workplace and the nature of the travel industry itself are not without their stresses and challenges,” Araullo notes, “but these are counterbalanced by a close-knit network of PTMs and NPO support personnel who work closely together to support each other.”
“The professional, personal and psychological services provided through the NAP programme elevate that support to new heights, and we’re delighted by the positive response from our people.”
Michelle Michael-Pecora, representative for Tennyson Point, NSW, has been with TravelManagers since 2007 and as one of the PTMs who has already made use of the NAP programme, she has been open about her appreciation for the initiative.
“Many people unintentionally neglect their personal health and wellbeing, but I think it’s important to be proactive in managing your welfare,” she explains. “Seeking help and talking openly is very important so I applaud TravelManagers for continuing this initiative for another year. To put our mental health as a priority makes for an even better partnership and I am so grateful.”
“NAP is not just for people in crisis – it’s for normal, everyday people with normal everyday issues whether its business or personal matters,” she continues. “It has helped me immensely and I have continued to use this service after my initial six consultations. I love that it’s possible to access NAP from anywhere in Australia – whether its face-to-face, via Skype or by phone. This makes it accessible to everyone and at any time.”
The NAP program is provided by Altius Group’s PeopleSense: a Sydney-based company that specialises in helping organisations and their people realise their health potential, providing support, guidance and partnership through a team of experienced psychologists.
“Each of our PTMs is a highly valued and respected individual business partner so we considered it an important ‘duty of care’ to introduce what businesses usually view as an employee assistance program to our PTM partners,” Araullo points out. “The decision to implement the NAP in 2018 and now extend this program goes beyond what might be considered normal business support, but it’s one of the best decisions we have made.”
