I help HR leaders create healthier, happier, and more productive workforces by replacing outdated EAPs with evidence-based wellbeing strategies that deliver real results.

Since 2011, I’ve worked across industries from mining to pharmaceuticals to early learning - designing programs for tens of thousands of employees that improve wellbeing, boost engagement, and cut turnover.

If you want to work with me, here are the ways you can:

1. Replace your EAP with our Wellbeing Enrichment Program - guaranteed higher engagement, value, and results than any EAP on the market (yes, even that one). 

2. Hire me as a consultant: To help you figure out where to start, what to do and how to do it when it comes to workplace wellbeing.

3. Access our Sustainable High Performance program - a 12-week, value-packed program that teaches your entire organisation how to perform at a high level without burning out. 

4. Get your very own Workplace Wellbeing Specialist: To upskill your people in health and wellbeing (through regular individual consultations) and work with you to optimise your work environment to make it easier for your people to be healthy and well.

5. Book me as a speaker: This is my favourite way to engage people and give them a whole lot of value in a short space of time. Our talks and workshops focus on practical knowledge and skills your people can use to improve their wellbeing and performance. 

6. Get some wellbeing initiatives: Want to book a massage therapist? Skin checks? Health checks? Meditation sessions? Group yoga? Group training? Healthy cooking demonstrations? Mental Health First Aid training? Regular First Aid training? Easy. We do it all so just ask.

If any of these look like something you could use, send me a DM.

Phil Wolffe

Kinex Health turns 8 this week!!

From our (very) humble beginnings to where we are now, it’s been a boot-strappingly wild ride.

Our very first contract was worth $600 for 6 weeks of boot camp classes in the city, which I thought was the greatest thing ever. 

That feeling has never gone away, and I still think every time someone trusts us to deliver for their people, it’s the greatest thing ever.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way.

To our staff, our contractors, our customers (some of whom have been with us from the very start), our network and everyone I’ve ever asked a dumb question, thank you for everything, and I think you’re the greatest thing ever.

No cake this year.

No faff.

We’ll raise a quick toast this weekend, check out the view from where we’ve made it to so far, then turn around, put our boots to the rock face and keep climbing.

Big things are coming in 2026 and we can’t wait to share them with you all!

Replacing EAP with a Better Way | Workplace Wellbeing Specialist | Building Sustainable High Performance in Teams

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11 underrated skills of the people everyone wants to work with:

1. They figure s**t out

2. They have a good sense of humour

3. They take accountability for the whole, not just their part

4. They're genuinely enthusiastic

5. They're easy to get along with

6. They're kind

7. They have a good energy (don't pretend you don't know what I mean)

8. They own their mistakes quickly

9. They share credit freely

10. They have good taste in music

11. They don't show baby pictures unless asked (or they at least limit it to one)


I know there's probably more but these are the big ones.

"Most people wait until their mental health is struggling before they start working on their mental fitness."

Last week I had the opportunity to present a session on Resilient and Resourceful Minds for Tzannes. 

It wasn't a session based on theory alone (because life doesn't happen in books). 

It was the practical side of mental health and mental fitness.

Both of those things aren't just something you have, but something you build, practise, and strengthen over time.

We explored things like:
 • How to recognise when your thinking is working against you (and change it)
 • Tools to reset your mental state during stressful moments
 • Habits that build mental fitness over time
 • How to get your discomfort reps in

Mental health is often framed around coping when things go wrong.

But mental fitness is about capability.

The ability to adapt, think clearly under pressure, and respond constructively to challenges (like when holding a 3 minute plank or wall-sit and having to think quickly AND identify emotions without losing your s**t 😂 ). 

It's always encouraging to see people taking the time out of a very busy schedule to learn something new. 

And even better when they're genuinely interested in strengthening their mental wellbeing and resilience.

Thank you all for having me, and I look forward to the next one!

In 10 days we're off to the Regional, Rural and Remote Early Childhood Forum in Coffs Harbour.

Our work this year is taking us all around the country, bringing welbeing and professional development to centres outside the major cities.

This is a fantastic opportunity to meet, speak to, and learn from the people we'll hopefully be working with, and we can't wait.

If you're attending, send me a DM, and make sure you come say hi to Ciara (pictured back right) and myself (pictured back left) because we'd love to talk to you!

Does anyone still use hashtags on LinkedIn?

I might be late to this party but it seems that since I've stopped using them, my content has gone further.

I still reach the same audience, just more of them.

Are hashtags dead?

Can they be revived so I can search relevant content?

Did this happen ages ago and I'm just noticing now?

Is this a Boomer question or can I safely retain my Elder Millennial status?

I’m currently waiting on some news that could transform our business (and eventually, the industry) overnight. 

I’m an optimist for sure, which means I often get disappointed when things don’t pan out the way I imagine.

I don’t know if you’re the same, but that’s a tough life. 

So I’ve had to start using tools that allow me to keep my optimism intact but that help me turn bad news into something more useful.

The Stoics called it premeditatio malorum (premeditation of evils).
I like to think of it as gaming out disappointment.

I imagine the worst realistic outcome has already happened.

I imagine how I’ll feel and how I’ll react.

Then I imagine what I will do next, and how I can turn it into something useful.

I find that whenever I use it, I instantly feel less anxious, because I’ve already experienced the “pain” and I have a plan for what’s next. 

Having said that, I would much prefer this news goes our way, but there’s a strong chance it won’t.

If it doesn’t, I know I’ll be alright, because I already was when I gamed it out, so I will be if it happens.

How do you deal with disappointment?

P.S. that’s a real question because I’ll need all the tools I can get if this one goes to s**t.

I think we might be overcomplicating our ways of working.

Before we add another framework, policy, or process, we should try this simple test:

If everyone just followed the rules, would they be:

1. Safe (physically and psychologically)

2. Productive (for the organisation)

3. Prosperous (for themselves and their families)

If someone has to go above and beyond just to achieve all three, the system is flawed.

Because in a well designed system, doing your job properly should already mean:

1. You stay safe

2. You create value

3. You build a decent life

So when you review your systems and processes, ask:

Is this safe?
Is this good for us?
Is this good for them?

If the answer is yes to all three, you are on the right track.

If the answer is no to any one of them, it needs work.

We can’t nail this every time, but we can use it as a guiding principle 

Too simple?

Happy to overcomplicate it (pending good reasoning in the comments).

Workplace Wellbeing Specialist | Building Sustainable High Performance in Teams | Replacing EAP with a Better Way

We tend to get a lot of calls from October onwards from people and teams who are struggling.

But burnout isn’t really an end-of-year problem.

Just putting on a jacket doesn’t help much after you’ve already got hypothermia.

It’s quicker, easier, and a lot less risky to stay warm than it is to get warm again.

Burnout works the same way.

It’s far easier to prevent than it is to recover from once it hits.

The teams that finish the year strong usually didn’t start thinking about recovery in October.

They started months earlier.

So if things feel fine right now, that’s the best time to build the habits that keep them that way, while you still feel like you don't need them.

If you do that, you might never need them.

‘Lazy’ is a lazy adjective. 

I’ve not met many truly lazy people. 

I’ve met lots who are disconnected or unmotivated.

Plenty who feel excluded or misunderstood.

A tonne who lack confidence or competence or both.

Heaps who are low on energy.

A whole swath who are in the wrong job or industry. 

Multitudes who have become disillusioned. 

Quite a few who lack purpose or direction.

Even more who don’t know why what they do matters.

A whole stack who have never had the right leadership or training. 

And a whole lot who have pushed as hard as they can for years and feel like they can’t do it anymore.

I’ve met all these people, but not many that I would truly call 'lazy'.

How about you?

I wish just once the things I wanted were either on THIS side of the s**t I don't want to do, or on the other side of the s**t I DO want to do 🙄

But once again, this statement has annoyed me in how true it has proven to be.

The latest iteration of this has been in building with Claude Code.

I put it off and put it off, but last Friday I started working with it, and it's changed everything.

I'm now brimming with ideas of all the things I can use it for, and how we can integrate it into our business.

It'll make things faster, easier, cheaper, and much less frustrating than trying to explain my ideas to even more frustrated team members. 

Believe me when I say, if I can do it, you can do it.

So, once again, the things I wanted were on the other side of the s**t I didn't want to do.

What are some of those things for you?

What's X???

For all my people people out there, I have a question...

If you could design the perfect Employee Assistance Program, what would it include?

We all know EAP needs (ahem) some work.

So, what kind of work?

What have you seen that you would love to incorporate?

What does yours have that's great?

What doesn't it have that you wish it did?

How could EAPs better support wellbeing? 

This is not just for HR, EX, P&C, people leaders, and wellbeing leads.

It's for anyone who's ever looked at an EAP and thought, “I wish our EAP did X."

Well, what’s X?

Imagine you need to build a boat. 

You have a willing and capable team and you start issuing instructions.

Team 1, you cut down the trees.

Team 2, you shape the trees into planks.

Team 3, you nail the planks together.

Team 4, you find some pitch to make it waterproof.

Team 5, you find some fabric and stitch together a sail.

The teams go about their work - maybe they have questions, maybe they don’t.

You spend your time running around telling them what to do and how to do it and solving problems as they arise.

After a time, the work is complete.

Then you launch the boat.

What happens?

(Open the article to read on).

View newsletter: Workplace Wellbeing Specialist

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and

Open article: On Purpose - The Task vs the Sea by Phil Wolffe • 4 min read

I see a bright future for the way we work, one where people leaders, founders, and HR teams all have the support they need to focus on what really matters: people.

As Co-Founder and CEO of Humaneer, I’m proud to be leading the team reimagining how businesses manage their people operations through AI. Our platform, Mak, helps anyone doing HR handle the heavy lifting of compliance, admin, and process so they can focus on culture, strategy, and impact.

With over 20 years in the people space, building and leading global teams, I know the daily juggle of managing people and running a business. That’s why we built Humaneer: to make people operations faster, smarter, and more human.

I also sit on the UNSW HR Advisory Board, helping shape the future of HR and the next generation of leaders driving change in how we work.

Careen Redman-Matthews

Hey Melbourne friends 👋

I'm just a little bit excited about coming to see you this week and its the perfect trip of meetings, catch ups and fun... 

Speaking of fun... one of my most favourite events in the calendar - House Of Talent (HoT) where humaneer Viren Thakrar from In The Game and Andrea Kirby from Talent Table is happening Thursday. 

I am SO EXCITED to catch up on the dance floor Bridget Thakrar GAICD Adam Axon Tammie McDonald Sharna Peters Ilona Charles Matt Vido Jodi Rosenthal Nick Sayer-Gearen (MBA, MAHRI) Nick Sayer-Gearen🕺🪩💃

And we still have a few tickets left... Tamara Di Veroli Deepak Singh Lisa Lie 😜

Hurry up Thursday, its going to be an awesome event all about connection, not content 🙌

👉 If you want to grab one of the last tickets - https://lnkd.in/g7WCVHJj

Careen Matthews

CEO & Co-Founder | The platform for the HR work most systems ignore

Melbourne... You delivered! 

House of Talent last night was EPIC. I mean where else would you find a room full of People people, DJs, Play-dough, sax player, dancing and moments of connection and conversations. 

Massive thanks to Viren Thakrar from In The Game and Andrea Kirby Talent Table who  humaneer co-labed alongside - you are legends. 

The music was SPOT ON (as always Viren who was joined by WLSN (a.k.a Luke Wilson), Peanut Butter Melly and Rad Bee)

Massive shout out to our fellow hosts Jody Smith Bridget Thakrar GAICD and Adam Axon - you ROCK!

It was great to see you Tamara Di Veroli Ellen Hooper Eva Pool Ryan Ng Michael Thompson Sharna Peters Kasia Gourley Ilona Charles Nikki Tugano, MAPPCP Victoria Hill Jodi Rosenthal Matt Vido, Pakinam Elashram (those figures me made 😂)

We have an industry full of incredible humans, and there is something truly special in all being in the room together. 

Thanks everyone for creating such a safe space to make connections and have meaningful conversations. 🫶

If HR feels expensive, wait until you see the cost of getting it wrong.

We’re in a different risk environment now.
Legislation has been changing faster than most internal capability can comfortably keep up with. Employee claims are rising.
Expectations around fairness, transparency and due process are higher than ever.

And yet most HR systems still do one thing well. They record what happened. They store documents. They log approvals. They track outcomes.

But they don’t support the thinking that happens before, during  and after a decision.

And that’s where the real risk sits.

In the judgement. In the interpretation of context. In the drafting of documentation that may be scrutinised years later and in the nuance that never quite makes it into the system.

When complexity increases and support doesn’t evolve with it, HR absorbs it.
Until they burn out. Or leave.
And when they leave, so does the context behind thousands of decisions that were never fully captured.

That’s not a people problem. That’s a governance risk.

Modern people risk requires modern decision support. Because risk doesn’t disappear. It compounds.

And this is one of the reasons we built Mak by humaneer - give me a shout if you want to see it in action 😀

As HR, are we conditioned to have all the answers?

I lived in that trap for years.

Someone walks in with a problem. The "fixer" in me kicks in immediately.
Must. Have. The. Answer. Now.

But this is what happened: No boundaries. A team that stops thinking for itself. And I was carrying everything. Always.

Here`s how I personally shifted from fixer to asker.... 
because I realised that asking the right questions is more powerful than knowing all the answers. 

( I still use this super simple framework daily....)

👉 Start with WHY
Why does this problem actually exist? Why hasn't it been solved already? Why does it matter right now?
This stops you treating symptoms. It gets you to the real issue fast.

👉 Move to WHAT
What do we actually know vs what are we assuming? What does a good outcome look like? What would make this decision defensible?
This separates facts from noise. And keeps you honest.

👉 Then WHO
Who has dealt with this before? Who carries the most risk here? Who needs to be part of the solution?
This one is underrated. The right people in the room changes everything.

👉 The HOW
How will we know if it's working? How do we move forward without all the information? How do we protect the people involved?
This is where thinking turns into action.

Sounds simple? It is. 

WHY- WHAT-WHO-HOW

And it cuts through almost every situation I've faced in HR and leadership. And it stops you becoming the answer machine everyone depends on.

Hands up if you've ever lived in fixer land 🙋‍♀️ I'd love any tips you have....

One thing I’ve learned building humaneer and speaking to hundreds of our HR peers is....

The hardest part of the job isn’t legislation. It’s the judgement.

Legislation is written down. (albeit a total nightmare to navigate)
But judgement? That sits in our heads.

The experience, context, and the instinct we as HR develop over time.

The problem is… Most HR systems were built for process - Tracking approvals, storing documents, recording outcomes, providing intelligent workforce analytics. (which is awesome BTW).

But they don’t support the moment when we have to stop and ask:
Is this the right decision? And WHY is this the right decision?

Thats when we balance legislation with context. Thats when we are asking ourselves; What happens if we do this? What happens if we don’t?

So (arguably) the most important part of our roles …
Still happens outside the systems, that were created for us. 

Usually in our head. Most of the time under pressure. And always with real consequences.

Which means we have been carrying judgement… without any support.

Until now.

Maybe that’s why nearly 100 companies have already trusted us enough to use what we’ve built.

Because we know what’s at stake. And we don’t take that lightly 🚀

Hey HR friends 👋🏼 

I don't want to be dramatic.... but, since so many folks are saying AI will take over the role of HR...let me have a little moment... 

You need to start future proofing yourself! 

And this webinar is exactly the place to start 

It's not a tool demo, it's not showing you how to build AI into your workflows (love all that too) 

This webinar is about understanding exactly what skills we need to enhance NOW to maintain relevance. (dramatic moment over) 

Kimberly Burns and Helena Turpin have brought together this incredible session. 

A deep dive into HR skills, based on evidence and data. 

And a real conversation about what we need to be building and enhancing now as AI continues to shape our roles. 

We thought this was going to be a small group, 

We now have nearly 200 HR professionals joining us to understand exactly how we ensure relevance in our function. 

I'm so stoked to be moderating the chatroom and after having a sneaky peak at the slides this weekend I am PUMPED about the value this brings. 

If there is one webinar you attend this week... this should be it. 

Spaces are now limited... 

⏰Wednesday 1pm AEDT 
💻 - https://lnkd.in/gqzJvPiu

humaneer

Open article: The HR Skills That Survive AI · Zoom · Luma by linkedin.com

The HR Skills That Survive AI · Zoom · Luma

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