'I want to know not just what's not working right in the workplace, I want to know what's working well'
At the 2023 HR Awards, Peter Stewart was named an Excellence Awardee in the Australian HR Champion (CEO) of the Year category.
Stewart is the CEO of the Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Association of South Australia (PQSA), which provides services to people living with a spinal cord injury and other disabilities. During his time as CEO, Stewart has introduced initiatives to help increase employee engagement within the organisation.
One of them is a program called “Meet with Pete”, an opportunity for support workers to speak to Stewart about their experiences working with PQSA.
“I do a monthly Facebook Live session with them,” he told HRDTV. “And the great thing about the Meet with Pete Sessions is the support workers have really bought into it in the sense that they come along and they have a chat, they have a coffee with me.
“They talk about their experiences of work. And the great thing is yes, some people come along thinking, ‘Okay, this is an opportunity for me to say we should do this better’. And they do that, and I listen to that. And that feeds into our employee value proposition.”
And while employees may have suggestions on improvements, Stewart also listens to stories about what the organisation is doing well.
“Because I want to know not just what's not working right in the workplace, I want to know what's working well,” he said. “And we can share those stories whether it's across regions or across different teams.”
Wellbeing initiatives
PQSA has also introduced wellbeing initiatives including physical and psychological safety pulse checks. These pulse checks are done through surveys sent once a month to see how workers are feeling.
“They can put comments in there about their experience within the workplace,” Stewart said. “And that feeds in again to any initiatives and particular projects that we're running within the workplace.”
In addition, the organisation offers physiotherapy sessions for staff. The physiotherapists can develop treatment plans and fitness plans.
“That's been a really fantastic initiative that staff take up,” he said. “The physios that work with us are terrific, they understand the challenges of working within the disability sector. Those sorts of physical programs that we can offer absolutely contribute to psychological safety and psychological wellbeing as well.”
Working in the disability sector
Stewart has worked in the disability and human services sector for more than 30 years, and while it may have its challenges, he said, “it’s a magnificent sector to work in”.
“It's a challenging sector to work in, in the sense that you are providing support to people who are vulnerable, who are most at need,” he said. “But for me, that challenge is actually the most amazing thing about working within the disability sector.
“We talk a lot about culture and values. We are always looking for the right people to work within the sector. And by the right people, we mean people who actually want to make a profound difference to the lives of people living with disability.”
