Imagine walking down the street and a complete stranger stops you and says …
“Your idea saved my husband’s life. Our children know he’s with them again. I can see light in his eyes when he looks at me. And It’s not just my husband you saved. I know there are many people who are being saved by your idea, men and women, and whilst you’ll never meet them, I just wanted you to know how much you are making a positive change in the world.”
How would that make you feel??
Professional service firms (e.g. lawyers, accountants, etc) have some of the highest incidences of mental wellness issues recorded. Issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, grief and trauma are not uncommon.
The presence of such mental wellness issues can have far-reaching and devastating consequences, including loss of relationships, adverse implications for the business, deterioration in health and in extreme cases, suicide.
Whether these incidences originated in the workplace or not, many professionals spend a significant amount of their day in the work environment or undertaking their role away from the workplace.
And whilst larger firms may have the resources to at least begin to address these concerns, what about the thousands of smaller firms that are affected just as much but lack the resources, time and knowledge to address this issue?
How can smaller professional service firms (i.e. under 50 employees) be incentivised to incorporate a focus on mental wellbeing in the workplace?
These firms are already hamstrung with regulations and lack resources in some areas, so any idea submissions will have to show they are cost-effective and firms do not feel as though an obligation is being placed on them.
Refer to the challenge Guidelines for additional information.
Be bold, be creative, but most of all, be innovative!
Who can participate?
The challenge is open to everyone who believes mental wellness in professionals is something worth believing in. In addition to professionals, we encourage people with all different kinds of backgrounds and ages to participate. You could be a family member of a professional, student, entrepreneur, app developer, an adventurer, thought leader, or influencer.
Selection of Winner
The best idea will be awarded a total of $1,000. The winner will be selected at the discretion of the Judging Panel.
Registration and Submissions
All submission materials must be submitted online by 30th October 2017 at 8PM (AEST). No submissions will be accepted after this time. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted. All submissions must be received online, via the Challenge website, and all uploads can be in PDF format only. Submission reporting requirements are detailed in Judging.
Challenge Guidelines are subject to change. Registered competitors will receive notification when changes are made, however, we highly encourage you to visit the Challenge Site often to review updates.
The criteria against which all submissions will be judged is as follows:
Bold (maximum 20 points)
Is your idea big and bold enough to have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of professionals and the people who care for them? We’re not just looking for an idea that may help one or two firms; we’re talking thousands.
Creative & Innovative (maximum 30 points)
How is your idea different from what currently exists?
How does your idea embody creativity and innovation as part of the solution?
How is technology incorporated into your idea?
What’s the one “that’s brilliant!” part that makes your idea the stand out submission?
Incentivising (maximum 30 points)
How does your idea incentivise firms and professionals to adopt it?
Remember, we’re talking about firms that may be under-resourced and dealing with excessive regulations already.
What are the points that would make the firm say “Yes, it’s a no-brainer. I have to adopt this.”
What are the points that would make a professional say “Yes, I feel comfortable acknowledging my issues because this firm cares enough to focus on mental wellness at work.”
What further benefits may accrue to the firm by adopting your idea?
Ease of Implementation (maximum 20 points)
To gain buy-in, any idea must have an element of ease in its implementation.
Does your idea make it easy for a firm to adopt it?
Is it cost-effective?
Does it require input/buy-in from any other stakeholders?
The best idea will be awarded a total of $1,000. The winner will be selected at the discretion of the Judging Panel.
The submission form will ask you to cover the following areas:
You can also attach an image to your idea to visualise it - Creativity and innovation count!
