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CMSolutions: Your trusted partner, providing the safety net in the tough times and peace of mind at all times.
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October Newsletter 2022
Welcome to our October newsletter, the year is going very quickly, and we will soon have the holidays and Christmas upon us once again, so our newsletter has a holiday flavour.
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We have been very busy in responding to and solving our members issues and concerns with a wide variety of inquiries coming into the office.
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As part of our wellness program strategy to assist our members in talent attraction and retention I have produced three articles in our recent newsletters to help our members develop their own wellness programs and I cannot stress the importance of rewarding staff and proactively putting strategies in place to improve the culture of the workplace.
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I am conducting a webinar on wellness and I strongly encourage our members to attend with an open mind and particulars are listed within this newsletter.
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On wellness, we have begun our 10,000 steps challenge, a number of CMSolutions board members and staff are joining in the fun and we have received a wonderful response from our members. This is an ideal introduction to get people thinking and participating in a wellness program.
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The step challenge runs for 9 weeks but you can start anytime so please don’t worry if you missed the starting time just email me your details and steps every Friday, we have some great prizes for individuals and groups of two, three or four people in a team.
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Also, please express your interest in Craig’s first Breaking News, details of which are within the newsletter to give you an update on what is happening and things to watch out for within the Industrial Relations space.
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I have started a three-part article starting in this newsletter on Learning and Development as I believe that it is now, more important than ever before to support your people with Training and Development needs to enable them to adequately perform and exceed in the inherent requirements of their role.
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We also have a number of excellent Finance, Payroll, Safety and HR/IR articles on a number of topics which our members have requested.
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I am often speaking and presenting to new potential members about what the benefits are and why an organisation should join Community Management Solutions.
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I would like to reiterate why membership is so important:
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- Most of our client's are extremely busy people dealing with complex service delivery models in ensuring that they deliver the best service they can to their customers and clients.
- Community Management Solutions act as a true business partner helping you every step of the way and ensuring that you are given the correct advice and information and discuss in detail options that are available.
- To our members, we are only a phone call or email away and we can save you tremendous time and money on decisions that may be made in haste without proper direction or guidance.
- We treat our members like family supported by a five-star customer service delivery model.
- We genuinely understand your industry and we have been providing this support for over 50 years.
And finally, our motto is true today and more relevant than ever before:
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“Your trusted partner, providing the safety net in the tough times and peace of mind at all times”.
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We attended and represented at the recent QCOSS conference and it was lovely to see people meeting and networking post pandemic with at least some normality returning to society. We ran into some current members and it was lovely to share some stories.
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Often our members utilise our HR/IR advice service, our finance bookkeeping and payroll service but often do not utilise a wide range of extra services that we provide.
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Starting in this newsletter we are going to be talking in depth about our extra services and what impact these can have on your organisational effectiveness, cultural alignment and how they can assist for you to become and employee of choice.
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A friendly reminder that our annual membership fees will be sent out shortly and there is a slight increase this year due to inflation, but I can guarantee that they are extremely inexpensive compared to our competitors, great value for money and no one has our experience and longevity within your industry.
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Thank you to all our members for their continued support and we look forward to a productive 2023.
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Queensland Council of Social Services Conference
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We had a wonderful time at the Queensland Council of Social Services Conference at the Sofitel Hotel in Brisbane from the 6th to the 8th of September.
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It was great to see people networking now that the restrictions have been lifted from the pandemic.
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We talked to some wonderful people and organisations including some of our current members.
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Our new Penguin stress toys were a highlight which proved to be a very popular give away to the participants.
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We were also able to help a lot of potential new members with advice on the services we have to offer and help them with some issues that they were currently facing.
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All in all a very enjoyable conference and thank you to QCOSS and the Sofitel for making us feel so welcome.
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Kevin Prendergast.
Chief Executive Officer
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CMSolutions Staff Member Profile -
Mary-Jane
Mary-Jane Marcos joined CM Solutions as an Employment Relations Consultant on 5 September 2022.
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She has over 20 years experience in Business Management and over 10 years in Human Resources. Mary-Jane is passionate about finding the balance between ‘best management practice’ and ‘HR legislative obligations’ to create a happy, healthy, and thriving workplace culture.
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With over 30years knowledge and experience across all spectrums of employment, Mary-Jane approaches every situation with a view of achieving winning outcomes for all involved. However, if and when the need arise, she is not afraid to make hard decisions for the betterment of the whole organisation.
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When Mary-Jane is not at work, she loves spending quality time with her husband, 5 children (all boys), their partners, and 4 grandbabies. With a big family, life balance is very much top of her list. She enjoys cooking and trying local dishes when travelling, and she loves adding value to everyone around her. One of her many favourite motto's is; ‘Life is too short, smile while you still have teeth’.
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What is an Enterprise Agreement (EA)?
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An enterprise agreement is about permitted matters which are terms about the relationship between the employer and the employees covered by the agreement. It is negotiated between employers, employees, and bargaining representatives (if applicable) to establish a fair working wage and conditions of employment. It gives employers and employees the freedom to bargain for;
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- better wages,
- greater flexibility, and
- working conditions to suit their individual needs above and beyond a Modern Award or the National Employment Standards (NES).
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What is the difference between an EA and a Modern Award?
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While both agreements sets out minimum entitlements and employment conditions for the organisation, an EA can be tailored to meet the needs of an organisation or a group of organisations and can include provisions regarding various matters such as rates of pay, employment conditions, dispute resolution processes, and leave entitlements. The employees need to be “better off overall” than they would have been under the Modern Award or the NES for the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to approve the agreement.
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The Fair Work Act 2009 sets out strict rules and guidelines for all parties to follow to ensure that the process is fair. This includes guidelines for negotiating, mandatory terms to include, and the requirements to meet the FWC’s approval standards.
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Four key steps to the bargaining process:
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- Notice of Representational Rights
- Commencement of Good Faith Bargaining
- Voting and Access Period to the finalised EA
- Approval by the Fair Work Commission
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While it might seem like a simple 4 step process, there are timelines and specific requirements that must be followed behind the scenes to ensure the successful completion and approval of an Enterprise Agreement. Failure to execute the correct processes within the required timelines can result in a delay, or in some cases, cause the whole process to start over again.
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At CM Solutions, we provide an All-Inclusive-Service where;
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- we guide you through the entire process from start to finish/approval
- we provide you with the necessary forms and templates to communicate with your staff
- we assist you with your EBA negotiations
- we provide you with advice and suggestions in line with the current legislation
- we submit your application to the Fair Work Commission (FWC)
- we respond to and liaise with the FWC on your behalf post-submission, until the EBA is approved.
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If you are thinking of introducing a new EBA, or reviewing your current one, please contact us for an obligation free chat.
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Are you keeping a watch on your Association Accounts??
In recent years, the news broke that a person within a charity was arrested for fraud after the person allegedly racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorized expenses at the charity.
Although now the charges have been dropped, there was years of investigations, the question is, how does this happen! Well easy, if you do not have a good management of the association finances this will easily happen.
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So, what do you need to know! Check out this Article to find out.
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By Kevin Prendergast
Chief Executive Officer
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Learning and Development in its basic essence relates to all activities which supports professional development for its people.
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This is a new era post pandemic where talent attraction and in particular retention should be on the agenda for all organisations as an absolute priority.
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It is extremely difficult at this particular point of time due to a variety of socio-economic reason to find good qualified and experienced people to fill current vacancies so we must be very pro-active in our approach to putting in place strategies and procedures to strive to become an employee of choice.
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A combination of initiatives is required to ensure that people are engaged, motivated, culturally aligned and feel wanted by an organisation who has demonstrated that they have a genuine concern for their people.
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My previous articles on Wellness Programs and their importance can be linked along with Learning and Development to form key pillars of your organisational strategic plan.
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Failure to implement a number of strategies will result in staff resignations, poor performance, a lack of understanding about meeting the key inherent requirements of a role and expensive costs associated with constant new recruitment.
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Learning and Development was somewhat out of mind during the pandemic period as people were predominantly working from home but now is the time to relook at your learning policies and procedures and to find out what our people are seeking and expecting as far as their continued adult development.
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All performance appraisal systems should have a section on the needs of individual and teams of staff in their desire for future training and what impact this will have on the organisation.
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We must find the resources to adequately train our people to ensure that they have the correct and most importantly current skills and qualifications to meet an ever-changing service delivery landscape to our customers and clients.
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I have over thirty years of experience in formal adult learning and development, performing this function for some very large organisations in Queensland. This is supported by formal qualifications in adult training and therefore I understand this space, the legal requirements and what impact this can have on an organisation to meet the needs of their staff and volunteers and in particular to provide the skills required to meet the expectations of their clients/customers.
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Learning and Development is vital to ensure:
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- That key business strategies as outlined in an organisational strategic plan are met.
- To build a culture of continuous learning and development.
- To enable staff and volunteers to cope with significant organisational change.
- To provide staff with skills to cope with a disruptive workplace landscape.
- To upskill and cross skill staff and volunteers to meet changes in the service delivery model.
- To meet the demands and expectations of new work environments, people will need to be provided with upgraded skills in a variety of disciplines including technological, management, customer service and cultural alignment.
- That employees and volunteers are motivated by enhancing their growth and compliance with organisational mission and values.
- That the organisation respects the employee voice and listens to their needs and requirements.
- A culture where learning is genuinely encouraged and supported.
- That employees feel empowered and appreciated.
- That your people are kept up to date to meet ever changing tasks.
- Your people are encouraged and rewarded to learn more.
- Your business values are reinforced.
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What do statistics tell us about the importance of Learning and Development, a recent report found that over 93% of employees stated that they would stay at an organisation longer if they invested in their careers and 87% of millennials consider a formal learning and development program an integral part of the employee lifecycle. 68% of people say that training is an organisations most important policy, 76% of people are searching for career growth opportunities and most importantly
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“40% of employees with poor training will leave an organisation within the first year”.
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What we must remember and be cognitive of is that learning, and development is not finite, it is a continual process for people to have the correct skills and to feel engaged and motivated within their role.
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If a person feels that they have nothing left to learn, no goal to achieve and they are just working by the numbers then they lose their drive to achieve and become disenchanted with their role and may look elsewhere for new challenges.
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Learning and Development is not a “Buzz Word” it can have the capacity to improve working relationships, reduce staff attrition and can have numerous long-term benefits.
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In Part 2 of this series of articles I am going to go into much more detail about all of the above topics, talk about the vital importance of onboarding, how to identify individual and team learning and development needs, the requirement to ensure that mandatory training exists and is supported, the principal of “on the job training” “mentoring and coaching” "succession planning" "performance appraisals" the "principles of adult learning" and how to create and implement a true learning and development culture within your organisation.
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I am also going to explain how Community Management Solutions can completely revolutionize your training and development mindset and what we can do to assist you and your people.
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At the conclusion of the three-part newsletter series of articles I will be conducting a webinar which may I strongly suggest that you attend and participate in where I will go into much more detail on all three articles free of course for our members.
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Finally, do not be afraid to ask for help. CMSolutions can help you in this regard and you are welcome to contact me at any time for a chat.
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WELLNESS WEBINAR
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You can find all past webinars we have hosted on our Website, in the Member Resources including Recruitment, Workplace Health and Safety and Investigations.
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To register your interest in attending this webinar please follow the link to the registration form.
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The webinar on Wellness will take place on,
Thursday, 17th November @ 11:00am
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Advertisement - Industry Partner
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Targets are good. Action is better.
NGS Super recently divested from some big fossil fuel companies. This reflects our commitment to taking action to address climate change and create a better future for our members.
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Just over 12 months ago, we announced our ambitious target to transition our portfolio to carbon neutral by 2030. Since then, we’ve set an interim target to reduce carbon in our portfolio by 35% by 2025. The recent divestments are taking us another step further towards our goals.
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Find out more about the progress we’ve made, our reasons for divesting in some of the big fossil fuel companies now and our plans for the future at ngssuper.com.au/ESG
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We’re on the way towards our net zero target by 2030.
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NGS Super helpline can be contacted on 1300 133 177 Monday to Friday, 8am–8pm (AEST/AEDT).
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INVESTIGATIONS TRAINING DAY
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Due to the response from members, the Investigations Webinar has been postponed until the 25th of January 2023. at an offsite location for any member who is interested in attending.
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This will be a full day training session and the topics that will be covered will include but certainly not limited to:
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- How to properly conduct an Investigation.
- The rules of evidence.
- Cognitive Interviewing.
- Contemporaneous note taking.
- Compliance with Procedural Fairness and Natural Justice.
- Investigations Best Practice.
- Case Precedents.
- How to interview people.
- Establishing rapport.
- Maintaining Confidentiality.
- How to take statements.
- How to prepare for a court appearance.
I have over twenty years of experience in conducting Investigations and I will be facilitating the session.
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This will give you experience and confidence in this key area.
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Most importantly Craig and I will conduct a mock court and a number of participants will get to participate in a mock court training session where you will experience what it is like to give evidence in chief and/or to be cross examined.
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I strongly recommend and encourage you to watch my webinar first prior to coming to the session as the day will be covering topics of an advanced nature.
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This is only open to members and the cost will be $275 per member.
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All learning materials and handouts also provided.
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Morning tea, afternoon tea and lunch will be provided.
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The review for this newsletter is the new Brad Pitt movie Bullet Train, a high speed action flick in which Brad excels in a quirky role in a nonstop ride through modern day Japan. This is not a movie for everyone but is a unique showing which some may enjoy. Brad gives an excellent performance, unusual from the normal and it is his performance that is the focal point in the movie.
3 stars
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WORKPLACE REHABILITATION SERVICE
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Please remember that Community Management Solutions can provide an extra add on service at a reduced hourly rate to help you manage your return-to-work function.
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Our people have formal qualifications and extensive experience in Workplace Rehabilitation when you have workers who have suffered an injury at work.
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More that 110,000 Australians suffer serious work-related injuries or illness each year.
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Workplace Rehabilitation can reduce the financial cost to the worker, employer and the community.
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If you have a worker who has experienced a work-related injury or illness you must support their recovery by assisting their rehabilitation and return to work.
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There is also strict reporting protocol that must be adhered to depending on the nature and type of injury sustained.
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Our service enables you to:
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- Comply with your legal responsibilities.
- Help in the process of helping an injured worker recover and return to work.
- Address risk factors.
- Develop best practice policies and procedures.
- Provide training to managers and staff on workplace rehabilitation.
- Manage statutory and common law claims.
- Develop appropriate suitable duties programs.
- Liaise with injure workers, work cover and medical professionals.
If you require this service then please contact Kevin or Brian at Community Management Solutions.
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Kevin Prendergast
Chief Executive Officer
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As of October 10th we have started the 10,000 step challenge. Kevin is coordinating the event and is excited to see the amount of participants we have joining us this year. The tournament will be tough but rewarding for all those participating, and that is not including all the cool prizes for the winners.
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Please don't worry if you missed the start, you can join anytime!
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All members are welcome to join as it is part of our desire to support your employee wellness.
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Why should you participate?
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Regular physical activity is a proven way to prevent chronic diseases as well as improve mood, concentration and emotionally health.
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The 10,000 step program is a FREE fun and easy way for individuals, workplaces, teams and communities to increase participation in physical activities.
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Come and join the fun as we complete the 10,000 step challenge.
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- You can enter individually or as a member of a team of two, three or four.
- Use a step counter(mobile app etc) to calculate your daily/weekly steps.
- Email Kevin at kevinp@cmsolutions.org.au each Friday if possible, with your total number of steps for the week.
- Kevin will collate the results and provide updates.
- There will be both individual and team prizes at the conclusion of the event.
Anyone can participate, let's get healthy together!
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Advertisement - Industry Partner
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We are pleased to announce that our Industrial Relations Expert Craig Pollard will be conducting a regular, short webinar every six weeks on any current changes or decisions that have been made within Industrial Relations that may impact our members.
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Craig will speak on a number of topics which have come to light on a regular basis and also if there is something urgent then additional webinars will be introduced as the need arises.
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Craig has extensive experience, knowledge, skills and expertise in this space so please take advantage of this initiative. You can also utilize this time to meet fellow members online as a networking tool and to express ideas or discuss challenges. If there is anything specific that you would like Craig to discuss, or any particular questions, please send Craig a message.
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His webinar will be held on Thursday the 10th of November at 1pm.
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Update your committee details here
to ensure you don't miss our correspondence
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CMSolutions are advocates for Mental Health and have partnered with Acacia EAP to ensure our members can access a service to support their staff.
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| For more information, call 1300 364 273 and mention you are a CMSolutions Member. |
| Other Resources Available: |
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Staff at CMSolutions
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