Aussie Painting Contractor December 2023

Introducing

The Importance of Training (Part 8) High Risk EWP Training

6 Powerful Mindset Shifts

Platinum Membership

When you shift to a mindset of choosing your life … it’s powerful.

Package

Workable New Year

RESOLUTIONS Try aligning personal goals to your business goals..

FIVE TOP WAYS TO Research Your Market Doing your own market research is not as hard as it sounds.

www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

From the

Editor

Hey Everyone,

CONTRIBUTORS • Helen Kay • Jarryd Bartle

Welcome to the 132nd issue of The Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine, marking the final publication for 2023.

• Jim Baker

Exciting developments are in store for 2024 at APN. We're thrilled to introduce Kate, who will spearhead our recruitment efforts in the industry. This November, we've seen 31 promising candidates for apprenticeships, successfully placing 16 in trial positions, with 7 already commencing their apprenticeships.

• Nicole Lee

For our Members, check out the newly updated Membership page to discover our latest offering: the NEW Apprentice Guarantee. Mark your calendars for a Members-only webinar on January 25th, titled "APN Business Breakthrough," designed to set a productive direction for 2024. These webinars will occur bi-monthly. Additionally, a Members Face to Face Workshop is scheduled for February 8th in Salisbury, Brisbane, focusing on "Scaling Your Business." Shortly after, on February 15th, we're excited to host the first of our four Trade Days at the Salisbury Training Centre. Don't miss our Golf Day on May 2nd at Gailes Golf Course.

Ensure you check the calendar to note all the key dates for 2024. Wishing everyone a safe and joyous Christmas and New Year. We eagerly anticipate revealing more initiatives in the upcoming year.

'Til next month, Happy Painting!!

• Leo Babauta

• Nigel Gorman • Penelope Hasking • Robert Bauman • Sandra Price • Stephen P. Lewis • Vanessa Petch

EDITOR Nigel Gorman

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Nigel Gorman

nigel@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

07 3555 8010

J. Anne Delgado

AUSTRALIA'S ONLINE PAINT EXPERT

Advertise with us...

1800 355 344 07 3555 8010 info@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au www.aussiepaintingcontractor.com

Contents Powerful 06 6Mindset Shifts

08 Learn to 'Let Go' 12

Differences between BAS and IAS

15

Workable New Year RESOLUTIONS

drug testing in the workplace 18 Iseffective or necessary?

TOP WAYS TO 22 FIVE Research Your Market

Importance of 25 The TRAINING Part 8

26

Business Owners Should Always Be Ready to Sell Their Business

the Constant 30 Transforming Feeling of Being Behind

33 HR Documentation 5 Worst Nightmares 34 for a Trade Business Owner has told you they’re 40 Someone self-harming. Now what?

44 Industry Idiots 45 Important Contacts

Opinions and viewpoints expressed in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publisher or any Aussie Painters Network’s staff or related parties. The publisher, Aussie Painters Network and Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine personnel are not liable for any mistake, misprint or omission. Information contained in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine is intended to inform and illustrate and should not be taken as financial, legal or accounting advice. You should seek professional advice before making business related decisions. We are not liable for any losses you September incur directly or indirectly as a result of reading Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine. Reproduction of any material or contents of the magazine without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

6 Powerful

Mindset Shifts Having worked closely with dozens of people’s transformative journeys, I’ve come to recognize a handful of mindset shifts that make an incredible impact.

Those who’ve worked to shift in these ways have remarkable transformations.

I’m going to share them here with you in hopes that they might inspire your own transformation. If you take these on fully, they could be life-changing. This isn’t all there is, but these are a huge, huge foundation.

I AM ENOUGH. You can notice the opposite of this when you’re afraid you’ll be judged, afraid you’ll fail, afraid you’re unworthy of respect or admiration.

When you’re caught up in what other people are thinking, or blaming them for making you feel not enough. When you’re overwhelmed and think you can’t do everything. What if you were always enough, no matter what you do or don’t do? What if

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you didn’t have to worry about being good enough anymore? What if this were your base assumption?

Then everything else where you worry about this becomes so much easier.

I LET MYSELF FEEL MY EMOTIONS. Most people don’t want to feel sad. Or feel fear, frustration, anger, grief. We avoid these emotions because we feel there’s something wrong with feeling them. Most of our lives are actually spent trying to avoid the emotions, distracting and avoiding and denying. What if we just allowed ourselves to feel sad? Or afraid? Or angry?

Going through these emotions is not that difficult, if a bit unpleasant. But these emotions can also be beautiful, places of learning and wisdom, and much more, if we open to the experience. Then they pass, and we don’t have to spend so much energy resisting and suppressing. We become more relaxed around these emotions. Give yourself permission to feel these emotions.

I LOVE MYSELF WHEN I FEEL STUFF. When you feel emotions, if you’re like most people, you’ll not only resist … but make yourself feel bad for feeling them. I won’t go into much effort to explain this, but ask that you trust me. If you simply noticed that you’re feeling the emotion (let’s say frustration or sadness) and gave yourself some love, some breath, some space … it would be an entirely different experience. You would not make a big deal about having the emotion, but would simply give yourself some love. It’s a game changer.

I’M NOT STUCK IN RIGHT VS. WRONG. It’s incredible how often we make ourselves wrong – I shouldn’t have done that, I suck for not doing this, I should feel ashamed for how I am. And we do the same thing to other people – they suck for doing this or not doing that. We stress out trying to do things right. What if we got out of that game of right and wrong? Play a whole different game, that isn’t constrained by this mental framework. It would be free of shoulds and shame, and free to play, invent, explore, create art, have a joyful ruckus of a time.

I TRUST MYSELF. What would life be like if you trusted yourself? Most of us are caught up in worry and anxiety because we don’t trust ourselves. What else is possible if you started to trust yourself? A life of greater ease and playfulness, for example. This is an incredible way to live.

I CHOOSE MY LIFE. We often do things because we feel we should, or have to. Out of a sense of obligation, or not having any choice. What a life! It’s a life of victimhood and burden. Most people don’t notice when

they feel this way, because it’s so ingrained. When you shift to a mindset of choosing your life … it’s powerful.

You feel empowered and enlivened.

How do you work with these? I would love to work with you as a coach, because it’s often impossible to do this work without support. We just can’t see what we can’t see. That said, here are some keys to working with these mindset shifts.

First, notice when you have the opposite mindset.

Notice when you’re stuck in the old mindset, as often as possible. Notice the impact of the old mindset – what effect is it having on you, on your life? Have grace for yourself, and love, when you notice. Breathe.

Second, practice the new mindset. What if the new mindset were absolutely true? Empower it. Be it.

Third, when you get trapped in the old mindset – you’ll revert to it often – get support. From a coach, from a therapist, from a meditation teacher, from someone outside of yourself. Someone who can help you see it, help you bring love to it, help you practice outside of it.

And then keep practicing! This takes a lot of practice, a lot of messing up the practice, a lot of getting yourself back into it. It’s all a part of the practice. It’s not easy work, but I promise, it’s transformative.

Leo Babauta ZEN HABITS

2023 December Issue | 7

o t n r a Le

‘Let Go’ We have all heard this saying ‘If you want a thing done well; do it yourself’. It is a quote attributed to France’s emperor, Napoléon Bonaparte, born August 15, 1769. He had the core belief that if you desired success, you should do it and depend upon yourself alone. This is the reason he achieved many victories and enacted many decrees because he made the decisions himself.

If inclined, you can follow Napoléon’s example yourself and use it to operate a business. This can be achieved by dictating instructions to your employees and doing all the thinking for them. You will have full control over the business and be ensured that things will run the way you want. But this type of approach will not make you successful in business. It will lead to you working harder, longer and becoming extremely stressed, which will result in you missing out on the real thing that matters; and that is you.

In my opinion (take it or leave it) for a business to be successful, you must first acknowledge that it is not just about how much money you make, or how many staff you have, or how big your contracts are worth.

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Business Success is a multitude of things which to me, are more important. They are; being able to enjoy life with as little stress as possible; having quality time with your family and loved ones; taking holidays whenever you want; and having staff that you can rely on and can work without supervision. These are the things that should be at the top of the list before anything else. The rest is less important and can come later if need be.

If you consider yourself as a Napoléon, you may find doing everything yourself is not achievable. The only way you can truly achieve success is to learn how to delegate responsibilities to your employees. You want to know if you gave a task to somebody, you would expect it to be done right. This is where the challenge to some employers could become difficult, but do it well, the benefit is immeasurable.

So! What is the process to turn your business around?

How can you become a leader and not a dictator?

How do you empower your employees to manage and relieve some of the pressure off you?

2023 September Issue | 9

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The best way is to involve your staff with the decision making (or some of it anyway). For example; you want something done in a certain way and you’ve made up your mind how to achieve it! Instead of dictating your decision to your staff and telling them ‘This is the way I want it done’, take into consideration their opinion and ask for some input before putting it into practice. Try and make it feel like the idea was theirs as it will be accepted more readily.

There may also be times when you don’t have the right answers to particular situations, or you may not even realize there’s a problem but feel there could be improvements made in your business. This is where you can involve your staff in discussions to come up with a solution. Naturally offer your opinion as well and listen to their response but hopefully they will listen to your wise words and accept your way of thinking.

Remember; unless you solely work for yourself, you wouldn’t be operating a business if it wasn’t for the people in your business that are making you an income. So, make them feel part of the company and that their contributions are valuable to you. Little things like this makes them feel a part of the company decision making, which in all, is great for motivation and moral.

The main thing is to learn how to ‘let go’.

Have trust and patience in your employees and don’t expect the job to be done well the first, or even, the second time.

Also, if you are away from the worksite and continually answering the phone from employees with menial questions, don’t answer every call. Let them think for themselves to come up with a solution.

They can do it! Just give them a chance.

If it’s not the way you would have gone about it; don’t be upset with them. Doing this will only diminish their confidence in attempting to solve future problems.

Acknowledge their attempt in trying but explain in a calm voice that it could have been done differently.

To end, I am going to re-word Napoléon’s quote.

Hopefully it will stay around for just as long.

“If you want a thing done well: Teach your staff well.”

Jim Baker

www.mytools4business.com

The portable, inexpensive method to prevent paint waste-water polluting the environment.

2023 December Issue | 11

Differences between

BAS and IAS Operating a business entails significant financial responsibilities. As a business owner, you’ve likely encountered terms like BAS (Business Activity Statement) and IAS (Instalment Activity Statement). While these terms may sound similar, it’s vital to grasp the distinctions between these two statements to ensure compliance and effectively manage your tax obligations. In this article, we will elucidate the nuances of both BAS and IAS and offer practical advice to assist you in handling them proficiently.

So, what exactly is BAS? To demystify BAS, let’s begin with a clear definition.

The Business Activity Statement is a requisite form for all Australian businesses to report and settle their tax liabilities. It serves as a summary of the business taxes you have either paid or will pay to the government within a specific period. Depending on your business, the BAS may include the following payments: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

GST Pay as you go (PAYG) income tax instalment Pay as you go (PAYG) tax withheld Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) instalment Luxury Car Tax (LCT) Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) Fuel tax credits

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If your business is registered for GST, you are required to lodge a BAS. For businesses with a turnover less than $20 million, you have the flexibility to choose between monthly or quarterly reporting. However, for businesses with a turnover exceeding $20 million, monthly reporting is mandatory.

The ATO issues BAS statements either on a monthly or quarterly basis, and these forms must be filed with the ATO, accompanied by the required payments, within specific due dates: • •

For monthly BAS: Within 21 days following the end of the respective month.

For quarterly BAS: The same timeline as for IAS (Instalment Activity Statement).

Understanding IAS Now, let’s turn our attention to the Instalment Activity Statement (IAS). Although IAS bears similarities to BAS, there are crucial differences to be aware of.

IAS is the simpler of the two forms and is exclusively issued on a quarterly basis. Unlike BAS, it does not involve GST and certain other taxes. IAS is primarily used by businesses not registered for GST and individuals, such as self-funded retirees, who must pay Pay as You Go (PAYG) instalments or PAYG withholding.

The ATO informs you about your GST and PAYG instalment amounts, if applicable.

The payment dates for IAS are as follows: IAS Key Dates • July – September Quarter is due on 28 October • October – December Quarter is due on 28 February • January – March Quarter is due on 28 April • April – June Quarter is due on 28 July How to Efficiently Manage BAS and IAS Understanding the disparities between BAS and IAS is important, but being able to manage them proficiently is equally crucial. Here are some practical tips to navigate these statements with confidence: Maintain Organized Records: Keep precise records of your business’s financial transactions, including sales invoices, purchase receipts, and tax-related documents. This ensures that you have all the necessary information when completing your BAS and IAS. Utilize Online Accounting Software: Consider implementing accounting software to streamline the preparation and filing of your BAS and IAS. These tools can automate calculations, track GST obligations, and generate accurate reports, saving you time and reducing the likelihood of errors.

Seek Professional Assistance: If you find the complexities of BAS and IAS overwhelming, do not hesitate to seek assistance from a qualified BAS or Tax Agent who can handle the form submissions for you. They can offer personalized guidance, ensure compliance, and help maximize your tax benefits.

Stay Informed: Stay updated with the latest ATO guidelines and regulations related to BAS and IAS. The ATO website provides valuable resources and updates to keep you informed about any changes that may impact your business.

In Conclusion Understanding the distinctions between BAS and IAS is fundamental for operating your business with confidence. Adhering to your BAS and IAS requirements not only ensures compliance but also establishes a solid financial foundation for your business’s success.

We are here to assist you in navigating the intricate world of business, BAS, and IAS. If you have questions, Book a strategy session to see how we can improve your bottom line.

Sandra Price

tradiebookkeepingsolutions.com.au

2023 December Issue | 13

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Workable New Year

RESOLUTIONS

New Year resolutions – we’ve all made them, and broken them − often before the end of January.

There’s something about New Year celebrations that makes us yearn for a fresh start, but is there a way to make that desire for change more permanent?

If you’ve booked your tickets in advance, your goal has a fixed deadline and you’ll need to have the business ready by then to operate without you.

So what do you need to do? You might decide the critical steps are:

Here’s a twist that can make your resolutions more durable, more beneficial and less prone to that embarrassing quick fade.

• Start delegating more tasks to employees – beginning gradually to test their competence.

• Create an operating manual so everyone can follow clearly defined procedures on all business processes.

• Improve the accounting system so you can check the health of the business while you’re away.

• Monitor the key drivers in your business (key performance indicators) so senior staff can quickly take action on any slippage from defined parameters, such as a dip in the gross profit margin.

Align goals to your business Try aligning personal goals to your business goals.

This can deliver more benefits than you might have anticipated. For example, suppose your goal is to take a month’s holiday in September of the next year – perhaps the first real holiday you’ve had in years.

2023 December Issue | 15

Notice how aligning your personal goal of a holiday with business goals provides both purpose and motivation to empower your original resolution. Your goal was simply to take a real holiday this year, but achieving the goal will deliver extra personal and business benefits: • Learning to delegate to others means the business becomes less dependent on you, so you can take more leave. As important, the business will seem more valuable to others when it comes time to sell or pass it on.

• Improving the accounting system, such as moving to a cloud-based program, will lead to better money management, allowing you to monitor cash flows in real time from anywhere in the world.

• Capturing business processes in an operations manual should lead to a greater efficiency, cost saving and more consistent customer service. Documented processes will also make it easier and faster to train new staff; allow employees to cover for those away from the business; and allow you franchise the business in the future if this is your aim. You’re also adding significant value in the eyes of a future buyer.

Be SMART

When it comes to setting the goals for your resolution, use the SMART system (Specific, Measurable, Realistic and Time-bound). It’s a timeless oldie.

• Specific: Be precise about what you want to achieve, because vague or abstract goals such as “I’ll get fitter this year” are destined to fail.

• Measurable: Adding facts, figures or percentages to your goals allows you to track your progress. What is measurable tends to get done.

• Realistic: Your goals need an element of challenge in them, taking you out of your comfort zone, but they should also be attainable. Lofty goals are usually the first to be discarded.

• Time-bound: Deadlines are how we get things done.

Two more tips

1. Keep it simple Break goals down into simple, smaller steps. For example, to complete your operations manual by the time you leave, you may be aiming to complete one section a month for each process in your business, such as customer service, shipping, order follow-up, credit management or inventory control. Break this down further into smaller steps of what needs to be done this week, and this fortnight.

2.Use graphics Creating some kind of graphic for each goal, such as a chart, a calendar or graph, allows you to see progress.

The visual impact of a graphic tracing your progress is a powerful motivator that keeps everyone on track towards the finish line.

If you need practical goal setting tools or a bit of help to get you started feel free to arrange a No-Obligation Meeting with me. Call me on 07 3399 8844, or visit our website at www.straighttalkat.com.au and complete your details on our Home page to request an appointment.

Copyright © 2023 Robert Bauman.

2023 December Issue | 17

Is drug testing in the workplace effective or necessary?

Alcohol and other drug use is a major problem in Australian workplaces costing more than A$4 billion a year. Of this, $3.6 billion is due to absenteeism.

While testing is legal to ensure the health and safety of workers, companies must have explicit policies telling employees their objectives and the consequences of being drug affected at work.

Testing usually involves breath tests for alcohol, similar to police roadside testing of drivers, or urine or saliva tests for other drugs. Current standards require positive tests to undergo further testing in a laboratory to confirm the result.

Many workplaces, particularly in safety sensitive industries like building and construction, manufacturing, mining, transport and aviation, test regularly for alcohol and other drugs. Workers can be fired for refusing to take part.

Both the Broderick report into bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct at the parliament of NSW in 2022 and the Jenkins report into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces in 2021 identified alcohol as a significant psychosocial risk in the workplace.

How should testing be conducted?

While workplace health and safety laws are largely uniform across the country, there are no specific provisions regarding how and in what way alcohol and other drug testing should be conducted.

Most workplaces that test do it either at random intervals and with no notice as workers enter high risk worksites if there is a suspicion of use, or if a safety incident occurs.

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A workplace must inform its employees if has an alcohol and other drugs testing policy. Shutterstock

Alcohol testing is an effective way to detect someone who is unfit for work because they are intoxicated.

The test involves measuring alcohol in the blood stream and correlating this with impairment.

Even workplace testing is not foolproof The problem with testing for illicit and pharmaceutical drugs is that these tests don’t necessarily indicate intoxication.

Both urine and saliva tests have long detection windows, so drugs can be detected hours, days or even months after the effects have worn off.

THC (Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive component of cannabis, can be detected up to 30 hours after consumption in a saliva test and nearly a month after consumption in a urine test.

Read more: Drink problems at work got much worse during the pandemic – here's how employers can tackle them The Victorian parliament is currently holding an inquiry into the laws governing workplace drug testing, with a particular focus on whether current laws discriminate against medicinal cannabis users.

Under its terms of reference, the inquiry is considering whether testing may be improved to ensure due process and natural justice occurs in workplaces with these users.

Is there evidence to support workplace drug testing?

Drug testing is considered quite invasive so it needs strong evidence to justify its use. But there is very limited research of good quality available.

The evidence we do have is mixed. There is some indication testing can reduce risk of injury but other research has found no impact.

not enough on its own to improve the health of the majority of the workforce.

For that to occur, testing needs to be part of a comprehensive workplace strategy. Fatigue, stress, and mental health problems can all impact on health and safety in similar ways to alcohol and other drugs.

So there needs to be a broader consideration of “fitness for work” than just alcohol and other drug intoxication.

Also, much of the negative impact of alcohol and other drugs in the workplace is not in safety but in productivity and absenteeism rates.

A good alcohol and other drug policy reduces the damaging effect of usage, fatigue, stress and mental health issues by creating a healthy workplace culture where: • • • • • •

wellbeing is valued and supported workers receive early education and support managers and team leaders are trained to identify workers at risk clear referral options such as an identified employee assistance program (EAP) provider are available there are return to work options for workers who have been impaired there are clear expectations about what is and what is not acceptable to ensure fitness for work.

Workplaces with effective drug and alcohol policies have happier, healthier and more productive staff and reduced absenteeism.

If you are worried about your own or someone else’s alcohol or other drug use, contact the Drugs can be detected in urine long after they’ve been taken.

Shutterstock

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The highest quality evidence shows testing doesn’t reduce overall alcohol or other drug use. One study found of 11 evaluations only two showed tests cut alcohol or other drug use rates.

Jarryd Bartle Associate Lecturer, RMIT University

What makes good alcohol and other drug policy?

So testing may be helpful for workplace safety in industries where there is a high risk of injury, but it’s

Nicole Lee Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin University

2023 December Issue | 19

Membership

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Packages

2023 December Issue | 21

FIVE TOP WAYS TO

Research Your Market It’s easy to come up with a number of business ideas but to make sure your idea is viable and can be run at a profit, you’ll need to do quite a bit of market research. The good news is that doing your own market research is not as hard as it sounds. Here are five top ways to research your market.

1. Ask for feedback It’s easy to get excited about a business idea or eureka moment you’ve just had. But before you quit your day job or sink your savings into your new venture, it’s a good idea to talk to people – lots of people – to get their feedback.

Use your friends and family as sounding boards to see if your idea really has potential. Ask them if they would buy what you’re considering offering and how much they would be prepared to pay. Then consider whether you would be able to run a profitable business at that price.

There is a possibility that your friends and family might want to be supportive and tell you what they think you want to hear, rather than the truth. To counter this, ask them to play devil’s advocate for you and find any loopholes and potential problems. This should give you a more rounded impression of what will work, and where you might encounter problems.

Remember, for the feedback to work, you need to be prepared to listen – but still trust your judgment. If a

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number of your friends don’t think your idea will work, it’s probably not in your best interests to forge ahead – unless you’re sure they don’t understand your market or new technological breakthrough well enough.

If a number of your friends think your business has potential, then do some more in-depth research to validate your business idea.

2. Internet research The Internet is a very useful tool for researching your market. Run search queries to find out if anyone else is in your intended line of business. Where are they situated and what do they charge? Visit their website and figure out what market they target and find out anything else about them that you can.

You’ll also want to research the population demographics of your intended location. Are they likely to want what you plan to offer, and can they afford to pay the price you’ll need to charge to run at a profit?

If you’ve decided to move into bicycle retail, for example, you’ll need to research the bicycle industry too. How stiff is the competition? Is the market in your area large enough to support another business?

Is your location suitable? With the focus on sustainable development, the demand for bicycles should be improving. But if your city is very hilly or doesn’t have cycle lanes, you might not have enough customer support to run a profitable business.

3. Talk to potential customers Before you commit to your business idea, you should also talk to potential customers. The people who actually use a product like yours will probably provide you with an added perspective and insights that your friends would not think of.

Apart from finding out if potential customers would want what you plan to offer – and the price range they would pay for it – you’ll want to identify what your target customers’ needs are. Are you setting up in a low-income area where your customers want basic, affordable bicycles for everyday transport or are you in a more affluent area where people cycle for recreation?

Talk to people on the street in your planned business location, or use your social media networks to run an online survey. Find out what the needs of your potential customers are – their insights will probably help you refine your product or service range, and help to ensure that you start a profitable business.

If possible, get a few people to trial your product or service and give you feedback.

4. Get help You don’t have to do all the market research yourself.

You might be surprised how much research will already be done for you. Talk to associations formed around your industry to find out if they’ve commissioned any

industry research. Cycling clubs and forums will be able to provide valuable information, for example.

Similarly, the Australian Bureau of Statistics website should also be able to provide information to help with your market research, and the US government supplies a range of business and economic information free of charge.

If you can’t find the information you need, you can consider commissioning research – or encouraging your local industry to conduct research on your behalf.

5. Talk to suppliers Your potential suppliers will have a good working knowledge of your industry. They should have a good idea of market trends and the latest innovations, as well as insider knowledge on the volume of purchases (and therefore sales) of your competitors – both locally and internationally.

While the main reason you’ll want to talk to potential suppliers is to research the costs for your potential business – and the terms they’ll give you – you’ll also want to find out as much about the industry and your market as you can.

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Sandra Price

tradiebookkeepingsolutions.com.au

2023 December Issue | 23

The Importance of

TRAINING Part 8

During this month, I had the opportunity to provide training to students on Elevated Work Platforms in Hervey Bay. It's truly remarkable to hear stories from painters who possess the necessary certification but have never actually operated these machines themselves.

Elevated Work Platforms can be perilous if not handled with the requisite knowledge and expertise. Operating a boom lift without a thorough understanding of its capabilities can have disastrous consequences. We've all seen the comical yet concerning videos of individuals being flung out of boom lifts like catapults. This often occurs due to inadequate training or the rush to complete a job without taking the time to follow proper procedures.

Disturbingly, there have been instances of people getting electrocuted while using scissor lifts simply because they failed to look up and identify potential hazards. It's not just the operators of these machines who are at risk; it's also the individuals attempting to rescue them when something goes awry. Tragedies like these have a devastating ripple effect on families.

It cannot be emphasized enough how crucial it is to receive correct training for operating these machines safely. I encountered a student who had obtained a

High-Risk License for Elevated Work Platforms but had never actually operated one. He admitted that he had completed the theoretical portion but lacked practical experience. Such a lack of fundamental knowledge can lead to catastrophic outcomes on a job site. Unfortunately, stories like his are all too common.

Remarkably, after undergoing the training, this same student gained confidence in using Elevated Work Platforms. Previously, he was apprehensive about operating them and even more fearful of admitting his lack of competence to his employer.

If your apprentices or employees are not receiving adequate training in the operation of Elevated Work Platforms or any other aspects of their apprenticeship, I strongly encourage you to reach out to APN to explore your options. Proper training is not just a matter of compliance; it's a matter of safety and potentially saving lives.

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Nigel Gorman

nigel@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

2023 December Issue | 25

Business Owners Should Always Be

READY TO SELL THEIR BUSINESS Whether you’re considering selling your business in the near future or not, having it ready for sale should be a thought that lingers at the back of your mind throughout its entire lifecycle.

assess your business, its assets, and its relationships. It’s a proactive measure to identify and address issues that could deter potential buyers down the track. As a bare minimum you should be looking at:

Actually coming to selling a business is a pivotal moment in an entrepreneur’s journey. It’s the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and strategic planning.

Business Name and Trademarks: Ensure that the business name is registered under your ownership.

Similarly, verify the ownership of any trademarks associated with your business. Buyers need the assurance that they’re acquiring the legal rights to these assets.

PPSR Charges: Review any historical PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) charges on your assets.

Clear any old charges, so you won’t need to provide complex covenants or delay settlement.

Key Contracts: Document all your key contracts.

Handshake agreements hold little value in a business sale. Put all significant customer and supplier agreements in writing. This not only adds security but also enhances your business’s value.

Lease Matters: If your business operates from leased premises, address any lease-related issues. Buyers might scrutinise the lease terms and conditions and be less than satisfied with what they fined. Be prepared to negotiate with your landlord and consider adding further terms for example.

Comprehensive Review: Depending on your business’s nature, consider a more detailed Sellers Due Diligence.

This involve a deep dive into aspects like employment contracts, supplier arrangements, client agreements, and necessary licenses and permits.

Financial Preparation: Collaborate with your accountant to review your business’s financial aspects. Ensure your financial records are in order, and there are no delays or discrepancies that could raise concerns for potential buyers.

This article is designed for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to ensure they are fully prepared when the time comes to sell their business. It underscores that readiness for sale isn’t just a consideration for those immediately planning to sell. Instead, it’s a strategic mindset that should be present throughout every phase of a business’s existence.

When it’s time to sell your business, you want to ensure it fetches a good offer and the sale proceeds smoothly. Understanding the three main stages of selling a business is essential:

Stage 1: Getting Your Business Ready for Sale Before you even consider listing your business for sale, it’s crucial to ensure that it’s in the best possible shape to attract potential buyers and secure a favourable sale.

Here’s a comprehensive look at what you should do: Sellers Due Diligence: Consider engaging a commercial lawyer to conduct a Sellers Due Diligence. This early investigation allows you and your advisors to thoroughly

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Stage 2: The Contract Stage

Once you’ve prepared your business for sale, and a potential buyer has made an offer to purchase, you’ll move on to the Contract Stage. Here, the main objective is to create a legally binding agreement between you (the seller) and your buyer. This stage involves several crucial steps: Document Commercial Terms: Early on, you might sign an Expression of Interest or a Heads of Agreement with the buyer. These documents are generally expressed to be non-binding and outline key commercial terms such as the parties involved, the purchase price, the settlement date, and any conditions or due diligence periods.

Negotiate Additional Terms: Beyond the initial commercial terms, the business sale agreement will cover other vital issues that may not have been agreed upon initially. These can include: Restraint of Trade: Determine the period and geographic area of any restraint of trade clauses.

These will prevent you competing with the business after the sale.

Employee Entitlements: Clearly outline how any transferring employee entitlements will be handled.

Purchase Price Allocation: Allocate the purchase price to various assets or components of the business.

Attachments: Ensure you’ve compiled all the necessary attachments that should be included in the contract.

These can encompass: Asset Lists: Prepare a comprehensive list of your business’s physical assets. Differentiate between those that are unencumbered, leased, or subject to rental agreements.

Intellectual Property: Include a list of all intellectual property, such as trademarks, websites, and social media accounts.

Lease Documents: Attach a copy of your current signed lease agreement. You will also need to provide but not attach related documents like invoices, rent agreements, and insurance policies.

Licenses and Permits: If your business requires specific licenses or permits to operate, attach these documents.

Employees List: Provide details of employees, including names, positions, pay rates, and entitlements. Consider if these should be redacted until after the contract is signed

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Regulatory Requirements: Depending on your industry, there may be specific regulatory requirements to fulfill during the business transfer. These can include liquor licenses, food permits, or health and safety certifications. Include these requirements and approvals in the contract.

Exchange of Contract: Once both parties have agreed upon the terms and conditions, you’ll sign the business sale agreement. This moment marks a significant step, as it binds both parties to the sale.

Deposit Payment: The buyer typically pays a deposit upon contract signing. This deposit is usually held by a nominated entity until settlement. The contract should outline the deposit payment details, including when and to whom it’s paid.

Key Dates and Obligations: Your solicitor should provide you with a copy of the signed contract, along with a list of key dates and obligations for both parties.

Meeting these dates and fulfilling obligations is essential to ensure the contract proceeds smoothly.

Stage 3: Settlement

With the contract in place, you move to the settlement stage, where the final transfer of ownership of your business takes place. Here’s a detailed look at what happens during this critical phase: Transferring the Lease: If your business operates from leased premises, much of the settlement preparations revolve around the lease transfer. You’ll need to enter into a Deed of Assignment, officially transferring the lease from you to the buyer. Ensure, where possible, that you’re released from all leaserelated obligations post-settlement.

Business Name Transfer: Business name transfers occur through ASIC Connect. You’ll need to provide the buyer with a consent-to-transfer number during settlement.

Business Licenses: If your business holds licenses required for its operations, these must be transferred to the buyer. License transfers can be time-consuming, so ensure you allocate sufficient time for this process.

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Plant and Equipment: If you own the business’s plant and equipment, they’ll typically transfer automatically to the buyer at settlement. However, leased or hire-purchase equipment may require additional steps. Be prepared to liaise with the relevant equipment owner for transfers and the release of any associated securities.

Employee Matters: Regardless of whether employees will be terminated or transferred to the buyer, ensure: • Employees are properly informed of the impending sale and their status.

• Employee entitlements, if applicable, are accurately calculated.

• The buyer is fully aware of any employee entitlements.

Transferring Business Contracts: third-party agreements, such as supplier and customer contracts, may need to be transferred to the buyer or terminated as per their respective provisions. Each contract may have unique transfer conditions and notice requirements, so initiate this process as early as possible.

Settlement Statements: Agree on settlement adjustments with the buyer. This can involve matters like rental payments, stock values, and other financial adjustments. Ensure that both parties are clear on these adjustments.

Stocktake: If the purchase price includes stock, you may not need to conduct a stocktake. However, if stock is not part of the sale, calculate the value of your remaining stock. This is often done through a stocktake process, where you and the buyer assess the stock’s value.

Settlement Day: On the day of settlement, the actual transfer of business ownership occurs. If all the necessary preparations have been completed accurately, settlement day should proceed smoothly.

You’ll receive the purchase price from the buyer, and you’ll hand over the keys to the business, along with any required documentation.

Remember that while the stages of selling a business can be complex, with careful planning and professional assistance, you can maximise the chances of a successful sale and ensure a smooth transition of ownership.

Transforming the Constant Feeling of Being Behind

You start the day with the feeling: there’s a bunch of things I need to do right away.

Let’s explore how to transform the feeling that you’re behind on everything.

Then the rest of the day, you’re driven by the feeling that there’s so much to do, and you’re behind on it all.

Examine the Belief

You finish the day with the same feeling, and it carries over until tomorrow.

The constant feeling of being behind — it’s something so many people can relate to. So what can we do about it?

What we usually do is either be driven, driven, driven by this fear … or we conclude that we need to abandon everything and start with a fresh slate. With this fear, it can feel like these are the only two options.

But there are actually many more options. For example, you could turn it into a game, and play. You could think of every activity you do as a gift. You could create art out of all the things on your plate. You could create a vision that’s so much bigger than your tasks and their deadlines.

You could find transcendence.

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Before we move beyond the current fear, it’s important to slow down, and examine what’s going on.

Otherwise we’re just trying to rush past something we think sucks, and we miss the spiritual moment available to us here.

The spiritual moment is first to slow down and feel what it feels like. What is present for you, as direct experience in your body, when you feel behind on everything? How does it feel? Give yourself a minute to just be with that, giving it some attention.

Next, you might notice what belief you have that makes you feel behind. Where does the idea that you’re behind come from? Sometimes it’s external: other people set deadlines for you and you haven’t met them.

But more often it’s internal: we have an idea that we should have an empty inbox and a task list that’s all done. That’s pretty much never going to be true, so this expectation will always cause stress.

Is this a helpful expectation, that you should be done with everything and have an empty inbox?

Find a New View That Transcends If you’re ready to move beyond, then you might think of a view of the situation that’s much bigger than this game you’re playing to have a finished task list and empty inbox. That’s a small game.

What’s bigger? What about playing for meaning?

What about serving others? What about having an experience of awe and joy?

So maybe you decide that your mission today is to create as much meaning as you can find. What can you do right now that’s meaningful? What would light you up, or move your soul?

Choose something bigger, and the game of being finished with everything starts to fall away.

Practicing with the Transcendent View

Then practice your bigger view. What can you do right now from that bigger view? Try to stay connected to it as you do the next thing. Remember that you’re playing that bigger game, and feel the meaning behind it, or the joy and awe.

One moment at a time, transcend the smaller view into something more profound.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That’s all fine in theory, but in practice we’ll constantly get pulled back into the old view. Start to notice when you feel behind. Slow down and be with that feeling again, like being with an old friend.

Leo Babauta ZEN HABITS

A D V A N T A 6 [

Eliminate the B.S. in your business and your mates will be asking... "how do you have time to go fishing on the weekend?"

Tradies Advantage offers you the COMPLETE FINANCIAL SOLUTION under one roof­ bookkeeping and accounting at a monthly FIXED price.

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Get your invoices out on time Stop chasing debtors and get paid quicker Better manage receipts and paperwork Lodge your BAS on time - don't cop a fine Stop missing deductions Plan ahead and measure how you're going

CONTACT US 07 3333 2415

info@tradiesadvantage.com.au 191 Wynnum Road, Norman Park QLD 4170

2023 December Issue | 31

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HR Documentation How often are you in the thick of it with running your business or an employee does something questionable and you suddenly think ‘do we have a policy for that?’ ‘Should we have a policy for that?’ ‘I meant to get those contracts drawn up/amended/updated’, ‘I need position descriptions and contracts if I’m going to hire more people’?

Get your HR foundations right, set expectations, provide clarity to employees, and reduce risk – make sure all your policies and contracts are up to date.

HR Maximised can provide you with best practice, legally compliant, employment contracts, policies, letters, templates and other HR documentation, to ensure you are able to prevent problems, minimise risk and focus on business as usual.

policies for your business. An example of some of the policies we offer are: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Anti-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Code of Conduct Workplace surveillance Mobile Phone and Devices Policy Internet, Email and Computer Use Policy Company Property Policy Leave Policy Performance Management and Misconduct Policy Dispute Resolution and Handling Policy Conflict Management and Grievance Handling Policy Bullying and Harassment Policy Sexual Harassment Policy

Our Workplace Health & Safety Handbook includes over a dozen policies as well as a number of useful forms and checklists to ensure you are meeting your WHS obligations. Some of these include:

Prevent problems and minimise risk Easing the paperwork burden – contracts, policies and other documentation. We will develop and review: • • • • • • •

Employment Contracts Independent Contractor Agreements Employment/WHS Policies Position Descriptions Letters of Offer Termination letters HR Documentation/Policies

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Workplace Health and Safety Policy Risk Management Policy and Procedure Incident and Accident Management Workplace Drug and Alcohol Policy Plant and Machinery Safety WHS Responsibilities for an Employee WHS Responsibilities for Managers Risk Management Plan Form Office Hazard Checklist Form Injury/Illness/Incident Reporting Form Incident Investigation Form Work Health and Safety Management Review Checklist Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

For a complete list of all our Policies and Forms, please contact us at hr@hrmaximised.com.au

Our comprehensive Employee Handbook includes a large selection of policies to cover all recommended areas. We will work with you to find the right mix of

2023 December Issue | 33

5 Worst Nightmares for a Trade Business Owner

There are many risks that you face when working in the trades, and even more when you own a trades business.

For many tradies this is seen as risk of being a business owner, but you can protect yourself financially.

As the owner you’re not just worried about yourself, but you’re also responsible for your team and your clients.

Trade Credit Insurance Trade credit insurance protects you against losses caused by a client going into administration or bankruptcy etc.

As business owners we can take the attitude of “that’s how it is” and live with those risks, or we can try to protect ourselves against them.

Below we’ve put together a list of five nightmare scenarios for any trade business owner. In some cases they are real-life stories from our own clients.

1. A large client goes under without paying you We’ve heard so many horror stories from subcontractors who’ve had a builder go into administration owning tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

An electrical contractor client of ours had a company fail whilst owing him $150k. For a large electrical contractor that may be easier to swallow, but for a bloke with a handful of staff it was a massive hit.

As in many of these cases, once the administration and liquidation period is over, there is nothing left for the subcontractors and other unsecured creditors.

The damage caused goes far beyond the money lost.

The stress and impact on your mental health can sometimes outweigh the financial impact.

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In the event that one of your clients fails, the insurer will pay you the bulk of the outstanding amount.

The insurer will still try to recover money through the administration process, and if they do happen to recover additional funds they may share some of that with you, in order to achieve a full recovery for you.

The main downside to trade credit insurance is its cost. At the very low end you’re looking at an annual premium of around $5k, and for a business with revenue of around $1 million you can expect to pay at least $10k.

So it’s not cheap, but if we look at that electrician of ours who lost $150k on one job, no doubt they would have happily paid the $10k premium if they knew.

Whether or not you should have trade credit insurance really depends on the types of clients you’re dealing with. If you deal with a lot of smaller clients, especially domestic clients, you’re not going to get any benefit from it.

But if you do a lot of work for a small number of clients, leaving you with large exposures to single companies, then it’s certainly worth considering.

Try putting it this way… What would happen if one of your top three clients failed and couldn’t pay you? If it wouldn’t bother you, then you might not need the cover. But if it meant having to put off some staff, or having to re-mortgage your house to pay the bills, then you probably do.

for millions of dollars by the family of the deceased as well as those who were injured.

Public Liability Insurance If your work results in property damage or personal injury to a third party, and you are found to have been negligent, your public liability insurance will respond.

In the case of the deck, the building inspector most likely wouldn’t have been covered by public liability (see section below), but the builder would have been provided that there was negligence involved in their building work.

Public liability will generally form the core of any tradie or builder’s insurance portfolio.

Professional Indemnity Insurance In some cases your negligence wasn’t to do with your physical work, and instead was related to the design or professional advice you provided.

2. Your work results in the death of a third party

One of the great things about being a tradesman or a builder is that you can stand back and admire your work. The huge number of tradies using Instagram shows this perfectly in action.

We don’t know the full story with how the deck collapse investigation panned out, but it could be that there was no negligence with the physical building work undertaken, and instead it was the design or the inspection of the deck that was the issue.

You want families to enjoy the house you’ve renovated, or the deck you’ve built, or the new lighting you’ve installed.

In this case, it could be that public liability will not respond, and instead it will be professional indemnity insurance that is required.

The last thing you want is for that work to cause harm to your client or their family, or perhaps one of their visitors to the home. But sadly, it can and does happen.

Given we’re talking about “nightmare” scenarios, let’s look at a very nasty one. Thankfully the builder involved was not a client of ours.

In 2008 there was a gathering of school mothers out on a deck. The house was a beautiful old Queenslander in the blue-chip Brisbane suburb of Ascot.

The structure failed, multiple people suffered serious injuries, whilst sadly one of the mothers lost her life.

Whilst one could say it was a tragic accident, there’s always going to be legal action following an event like this.

In this case it was the builder who previously worked on the deck and a building inspector who were sued

Your Trade Risk broker can go through this in more detail with you, but if you’re providing design or advice services, and especially if you’re charging a separate fee for this work, you’ll most likely need professional indemnity insurance.

This is a very broad way of looking at it, but you could say that public liability relates to your physical work, and professional indemnity relates to your non-physical work such as design and advice.

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3. One of your team suffers a major injury at work Working on a construction site can be dangerous. We all know that and accept that risk when working.

A nail through a finger might be joked about and posted on social media, but what if something really serious happened? What if one of your tradies suffered an injury that left them critically injured, or worse…?

Any good business owner is obviously going to feel terrible about the injury to their team member and the impact it’s going to have on their family. From a financial perspective, the best way you can manage this is through insurance.

In most Australian states workers compensation is administered by a government body, such as WorkCover in QLD and iCare in NSW. Other states have their own different contacts.

Personal Accident Insurance Going back to what we said about subcontractors, if your worker is classed a genuine subcontractor and not a deemed worker, they will not be covered by your workers compensation.

You could say that it’s not your problem, and as a subbie it’s their own responsibility to look after themselves.

Legally that’s probably fine, but you’d still feel pretty bad if they lost their income on your job right?

Some larger building companies have made it mandatory that all subcontractors have their own personal accident or income protection insurance.

It’s certainly worth considering if you want to ensure your subbies are looked after should they be injured on your site.

4. A new home you are building is destroyed If the worker is one of your employees they will be covered by your workers compensation insurance.

But we know in the building industry plenty of businesses use subcontractors, and this is where things can get a little messy…

Even if you have engaged a worker as a subcontractor, they could be a deemed worker and therefore must be covered under your workers compensation.

This is good from one perspective, as it means the person is covered. But that’s only any good if you have your workers compensation setup correctly. If you thought all your workers were subbies and not deemed workers, you could end up in trouble.

It could be worth speaking with your accountant or the relevant workers compensation provider for your state for further clarification.

Workers Compensation Insurance As insurance brokers we don’t deal with workers compensation, but it would be neglectful of us not to raise it as an important for of insurance for your trade business.

As a good builder you make sure your site is locked up and safe every night.

Now imagine turning up to the worksite one morning to see that your new build has been reduced to a pile of rubble.

It could have been caused by a storm, arson or malicious damage. How it happened doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you’ve just lost everything.

Who is responsible financially? As the builder, in most cases it will be you. It’s not the homeowner’s responsibility until handover in most cases.

If the house was just at frame stage you’re still going to be hurting financially, but it probably won’t ruin you. What if the house was virtually complete though? You could be down a few hundred grand.

But hold on… You have public liability insurance, which covers property damage, so all is okay!

Not so fast…

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Whilst public liability insurance does indeed cover property damage, the policy will only respond in the event of negligence.

But then you remember, your broker at Trade Risk gave you a quote for personal accident insurance a few months ago, and you went ahead with it!

Public liability is designed to respond in the event that your negligence results in property damage or personal injury to another person. If there is no negligence, there is no claim.

Personal Accident Insurance This type of cover goes by a few different names, but we’ll stick with personal accident insurance. Despite the name, it can also include cover for illness depending on the option selected.

If you ensured the site was safe and secure, and you did nothing wrong (or negligent) which contributed to the damage, your public liability insurance is not going to cover the claim.

Contract Works Insurance What you need in this case is contract works insurance.

Contract works insurance covers your projects whilst they are under construction. It can cover the structure itself, along with the materials located on site.

Most importantly, contract works does not rely on your negligence, which is where public liability insurance kicks in.

You suffer an injury that leaves you unable to work Picture this… You’ve done your apprenticeship, spent a few years working for someone else, then a few more years building your own business. You’re finally at the point where you’re making some good coin and the hard yards are paying off.

You borrow some money for an investment property, then another big mortgage to build your dream home.

You have decent amount of debt, but business is good and it’s all comfortably manageable.

Life is great.

Then one Friday afternoon you trip and fall from a second storey deck your team is building.

You end up in hospital with a broken femur and fractured vertebrae. The doctor reassures you that you’ll make a full recovery, but also that you’ll be off the tools for at least six months.

Suddenly it feels like everything is about to fall apart…

How are you going to keep looking after your family and covering your mortgage repayments whilst you can’t do any work?

The last ten years of hard slog is about to ruined thanks to a Friday afternoon trip…

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Personal accident insurance can cover a large percentage (typically 85%) of your income for a period of time whilst you are unable to work due to injury and illness.

Continuing with the case study above, the tradie would simply have to provide a medical certificate from the doctor confirming the injuries and the amount of time expected to be unable to work.

There are quite a few different options when it comes to waiting periods, benefit periods and benefit amounts, but your Trade Risk broker can run through these with you and provide a few different quotes.

5. Don’t risk it all We know from ten years of experience that not every trade business owner is going to take out every type of trade insurance that can help them.

Some do though, especially those who truly appreciate the value they have created in their business and are willing to invest a very small percentage of their revenue to protect it.

We’re happy to talk to you about what you do and don’t need, and what types of insurance might give you the best “bang for buck” for your budget.

We don’t want you to spend all your money on insurance, but if something goes wrong in your business, we at least want to know that we gave you all the options and you knew what you could have insured yourself against.

If you’re an existing Trade Risk client and would like to discuss any of the above forms of trade insurance please contact your account manager, or for new clients please call us on 1800 808 800.

2023 September Issue | 39

Someone has told you they’re self-harming. Now what?

For many people, self-harm can be a difficult behaviour to understand. It also comes with a lot of stigma.

This includes to punish themselves or to feel something when feeling emotionally numb.

This can make talking about it difficult as people who self-harm often anticipate negative responses and judgement.

So, if someone tells you they self-injure, it is critical to avoid assuming why they do it.

But if someone tells you they’re self-harming, how you respond is critical to their health and wellbeing.

Read more: It's not only teenage girls, and it's rarely attention-seeking: debunking the myths around selfinjury What is self-harm? Why do people do it?

The term self-harm could mean someone’s intentional damage to their body as a way of coping or an attempt to end their life. But we think these are very different behaviours.

So we prefer the term self-injury to describe the range of non-suicidal behaviours people use mostly to cope with difficult feelings (such as intense distress or anxiety) and thinking styles (for instance, self-criticism).

Self-injury is common. About one in six adolescents report having self-injured at some point in the past.

But no two people’s experiences are alike. And people self-injure for many reasons other than to cope.

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Telling someone is a big step Given its associated stigma, many people who selfinjure do not tell anyone. When they disclose, it is usually to friends or family.

When disclosing to friends or family, someone values the quality of the relationship, disclosing to people they trust. They may not be seeking tangible aid (for instance, professional support). Instead, they are looking for social support, understanding, and a safe space to talk about their experiences.

Someone with more severe self-injury, or who also has suicidal thoughts or behaviours, is more likely to disclose their self-injury, perhaps as a way of accessing professional or medical support.

Read more: It's RUOK Day – but 'how can I help?' might be a better question to ask

What not to do When someone tells you they self-injure, you may feel concerned about their safety and wellbeing. You might be upset someone you care about appears to be struggling. You might feel overwhelmed and unsure how to respond. These and other reactions are understandable and expected.

But it is important not to over-react or respond with high-intensity emotions. This can signal you are uncomfortable, which may make the person less likely to talk.

It is also not advised to ask a large number of questions (such as, what they do, when they do it) as this can seem like an interrogation.

Another common reaction is to stress the importance of stopping self-injury. Although this is usually because they care for the person and want them to be safe, a problem-solving approach may not be what people need. The person disclosing may simply want a chance to share their experience.

Many people have mixed feelings about stopping – wanting to stop self-injury, but also wanting to hold onto a trusted coping strategy.

What to do If someone discloses they self-injure, it is important to respond supportively, with compassion, and without judgement. It is important to give the person space to share what they want in their own words, to actively listen, and to validate this is likely a difficult conversation for them.

It is also important to recognise someone may share a bit about their experience now but may not be ready to talk about everything yet. Being patient is therefore important.

Telling someone you are there to listen and support them can go a long way in letting them know they can come to you again if they need to and they are not being rushed or pressured if they are not yet ready.

Disclosure may happen over several conversations. charnsitr/Shutterstock

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What can I say?

To support someone who discloses they self-injure, we recommend using a low key, compassionate tone that communicates you are concerned and are there to listen without judgement.

This involves acknowledging self-injury can be a difficult topic to discuss. You can say: I recognise this isn’t an easy conversation. However, I appreciate you’re willing to share and I’d like to understand what it’s been like for you lately.

Part of this can also involve a “respectful curiosity”.

This involves communicating a genuine interest in a person’s experience. You can say: I know people self-injure for different reasons. I’m wondering if you can help me understand what selfinjury does for you?

Recognise self-injury is often not something someone can just stop. This can go a long way in making the person not feel judged and therefore more likely to talk about it. You can say: I can appreciate self-injury has been helpful to you, which I can see would make it pretty difficult to stop right now.

Finally, it is important to take care of yourself. Supporting someone who self-injures can take its toll. Be sure to take notice of how you are feeling. It is OK to

tell someone you need a break right now and to find some time to look after yourself.

What can I expect?

If a person discloses their self-injury, take the time to listen to what they are saying, and what support they need right now.

While learning someone self-injures can be challenging, you may find that not only can you support the person, it can bring you closer and strengthen your relationship.

People who self-injure and those who support them can find more information from the following resources: the book Understanding Self-Injury: A Person-Centered Approach; the Self-injury Outreach & Support website; and resources in 11 languages from the International Consortium on Self-Injury in Educational Settings. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Penelope Hasking

Professor of Psychology, Curtin University

Stephen P. Lewis

Professor of Psychology, University of Guelph

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IMPORTANT

Contacts

Aussie Painters Network aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

Ph. 0430 399 800

National Institute for Painting and Decorating painters.edu.au

Ph. 1300 319 790

Australian Tax Office ato.gov.au

Ph. 13 72 26 / Ph. 13 28 65

Award Rates fairwork.gov.au

Ph. 13 13 94

Australian Building & Construction Commission www.abcc.gov.au

Ph. 1800 003 338

Mates In Construction www.mates.org.au

Ph. 1300 642 111

Workplace Health and Safety Contacts Comcare WorkSafe ACT Workplace Health and Safety QLD WorkSafe Victoria SafeWork NSW SafeWork SA WorkSafe WA NT WorkSafe WorkSafe Tasmania

comcare.gov.au worksafe.act.gov.au worksafe.qld.gov.au www.worksafe.vic.gov.au www.safework.nsw.gov.au www.safework.sa.gov.au commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/ worksafe.nt.gov.au worksafe.tas.gov.au

1300 366 979 02 6207 3000 1300 362 128 1800 136 089 13 10 50 1300 365 255 1300 307 877 1800 019 115 1300 366 322

actcancer.org cancercouncil.com.au cancercouncilnt.com.au cancerqld.org.au cancersa.org.au cancervic.org.au cancerwa.asn.au

(02) 6257 9999 (02) 9334 1900 (08) 8927 4888 (07) 3634 5100 (08) 8291 4111 (03) 9635 5000 (08) 9212 4333

Cancer Council Australia ACT NSW NT QLD SA VIC WA

2023 December Issue | 45

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