Wellbeing is just how you’re travelling — whether you can do your job, cope with what’s on, and still have something left at the end of the day. It moves around. Everyone’s does.
Two things worth getting straight before you read on. Wellbeing is affected by things at work and outside work, and the two feed into each other. And factors work in both directions — some things lift you up, not just drag you down. If you only ever list what’s wrong, you get a distorted picture and a conversation nobody can act on.
Workplace factors
These are things about the job itself. Nexus can usually do something about them, which is exactly why they’re worth naming.
| Factor | Pulls wellbeing down when… | Lifts wellbeing when… |
|---|---|---|
| Workload | Too much for the hours, or too little to feel useful | It’s demanding but achievable |
| Deadlines | Several land at once and none can move | They’re spaced, and you know which one matters most |
| Clarity | You’re unsure what’s expected or who decides | The task, the standard and the deadline are clear |
| Control | Everything is dictated, you choose nothing | You have some say in how and when you do the work |
| Interruptions | Constant — you never finish a thought | You get blocks of focused time |
| Physical setup | Poor chair, screen height, glare, noise | Your desk fits you — see Workstation Ergonomics |
| Hours and breaks | Skipping lunch, staying back regularly | You take your breaks and finish on time |
| Relationships | Tension, exclusion, or a colleague you dread | You get on with your team and can ask for help |
| Support | Your supervisor is unavailable or dismissive | You get regular check-ins and useful feedback |
| Change | It arrives with no warning or explanation | You’re consulted before it affects you |
| Recognition | Good work goes unnoticed | Effort is acknowledged |
| Job security | You’re unsure the role continues | You know where you stand |
Two of these are never just “wellbeing factors” — bullying and harassment are misconduct, covered by the Bullying & Harassment policy. Don’t sit on them.
Personal factors
Things from your life outside work. Nexus can’t fix these, but they still affect how you cope with what’s on, and your supervisor can often adjust work around them.
| Factor | Pulls wellbeing down when… | Lifts wellbeing when… |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep | You’re short on it, or the quality is poor | You’re rested |
| Health | You’re unwell, in pain, or managing a condition | You’re well and it’s under control |
| Study | Assessments pile up on top of a busy period | It’s paced, and you find it interesting |
| Money | Bills are outrunning income | Things are stable |
| Family and caring | Someone depends on you and it’s unpredictable | You have support at home |
| Commute | Long, unreliable, or eating your evening | Short or predictable |
| Life events | Grief, a move, a relationship ending, a new baby | A good change you chose |
| Movement and food | No time for either, running on coffee | You move, you eat properly |
| Connection | You’re isolated | You have people |
Positive personal factors matter here too. A good weekend genuinely does make a heavy Monday easier — that isn’t a soft observation, it’s why the balance of factors is what counts, not the count of bad ones.
How they interact with your role
This is the part people skip, and it’s the part that makes a conversation with your supervisor useful. Personal and workplace factors don’t sit in separate columns — they compound.
One factor rarely tips anyone over. It’s the combination, and it’s usually a chain:
Two evening classes a week (personal) means less sleep. Less sleep on a day where you’re covering reception (workplace) means constant interruptions land on a tired brain. Tired and interrupted means an error in the month-end pack. The error means rework, which means staying back, which means less sleep. Round it goes.
Notice what that chain gives you: several places to break it, and most of them are at work. Nobody can give you more hours in the evening, but the reception cover could move, the pack could be checked by someone else, or the deadline could shift by a day. That’s why it’s worth mapping the chain rather than just saying “I’m flat out”.
Work out which factors are:
- Yours to change — when you study, when you go to bed, whether you take lunch.
- Your supervisor’s to change — workload, priorities, deadlines, cover, your desk.
- Nobody’s to change right now — a sick relative, EOFY being busy. These are the ones you plan around, not the ones you fix.
Be honest about which is which. Asking your supervisor to fix something in the third column will frustrate you both.
Signs worth noticing early
The point of noticing is that early is easy and late is hard.
- Small mistakes creeping into work you normally get right
- Dreading a particular day, task or meeting
- Snapping at people, or going quiet in meetings you’d usually contribute to
- Skipping lunch, staying back, checking email at night — and it becoming normal
- Tired but not sleeping
- Headaches, sore neck or shoulders, run down more often
- Losing interest in work you used to enjoy
One of these on a busy week is a busy week. Several of them for a few weeks is a signal.
What to do about it
- Write the factors down — both columns, positive and negative. It’s harder than it sounds to hold them all in your head, and the writing is what shows you the chain.
- Sort them into yours, your supervisor’s and nobody’s.
- Talk to your supervisor about the ones they control. See Talking to your supervisor about wellbeing.
- Use what’s available — the Wellbeing Support Policy lists what Nexus offers, formal and informal, and how to get to it.
- Manage what’s yours — the Workload & priorities page covers prioritising, estimating, and escalating early rather than absorbing it.
Raising this is not a complaint and it isn’t a weakness. A supervisor who finds out in July that you were struggling in May has lost two months in which they could have done something.