Project Thrive delivered resilience and self-reflection training to more than 850 aged care workers and 114 managers. The program improved mental health, job satisfaction and organisational commitment, while reducing employee turnover and demonstrating potential benefits for workforce stability and care outcomes. It was the joint-winner of the People & Culture category in the 2025 Future of Ageing Awards. Results were unveiled at a presentation dinner in Sydney on November 27, 2025…To view all of the results…
Project Thrive is an innovative workforce initiative designed to address one of the most pressing challenges facing residential aged care: employee burnout and staff turnover. Developed through a partnership between Royal Freemasons’ Benevolent Institution (RFBI) and Macquarie University, the program combines evidence-based resilience training with structured self-reflection to improve workforce wellbeing and retention.
Launched in September 2023, the initiative delivered organisation-wide resilience training to more than 850 employees and 114 managers across 16 residential aged care villages in New South Wales and the ACT. The training was followed by a structured five-week self-reflection program designed to help staff apply resilience strategies in their day-to-day work.
Using rigorous mixed-method research, including surveys, interviews, and organisational data, Project Thrive demonstrated measurable improvements in staff mental health, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment. Participating villages also recorded a significant reduction in employee turnover, highlighting the potential of resilience-focused workforce strategies to improve both workforce stability and quality of care.
Why it came about
Like many aged care providers, RFBI has faced persistent workforce pressures. The organisation employs more than 1,800 staff across 22 residential aged care facilities, with workers often experiencing high levels of stress and emotional fatigue.
The 2021 findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety highlighted the sector-wide challenges driving burnout, including heavy workloads, complex care needs, workforce shortages and limited support structures. These pressures can reduce staff engagement, increase turnover and ultimately impact continuity of care for residents.
RFBI’s own data reflected these broader sector trends. In 2023, the organisation recorded overall staff turnover of 33 per cent, with some regional sites experiencing carer turnover rates of up to 70 per cent.
The financial impact was also significant. RFBI estimated that replacing a single employee costs approximately $15,000, meaning that a 1 per cent turnover rate equates to roughly $300,000 in costs. At the organisation’s scale, turnover was estimated to cost around $10 million annually, funds that could otherwise be directed toward care.
Traditional approaches such as flexible work arrangements, improved communication and additional payments had helped to some extent but were not sufficient to address the underlying causes of burnout. RFBI therefore sought a new approach focused on building resilience and supporting staff recovery from workplace stress.
The Solution: Project Thrive
Project Thrive was developed as a research-driven intervention focused on strengthening resilience within the aged care workforce. The program adapted techniques from the Systematic Self-reflection Resilience Training (SRT) model, previously used in other high-stress professions such as the military.
The project had three key objectives:
- Improve employee resilience and reduce stress and burnout
- Equip leaders with skills to support staff wellbeing
- Embed reflective practices into everyday organisational culture
The program was delivered through several stages.
1. Workforce consultation and co-design
Before the intervention began, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 75 employees and managers across 14 villages. These conversations explored the real causes and experiences of stress within residential aged care.
Insights from the interviews informed the design of tailored training materials, ensuring that the program addressed the unique realities of aged care work.
2. Resilience Workshops and Leader Training
Between March and May 2024, the program delivered:
- 18 leadership briefings for 114 managers
- 50 resilience workshops for more than 850 staff members
The sessions focused on recognising signs of burnout, managing stress, and applying structured self-reflection techniques to challenging workplace situations.
Managers were trained to identify stress within their teams, initiate supportive conversations and encourage reflective practices among staff.
3. Structured self-reflection
Following the workshops, employees participated in a five-week guided self-reflection program using a 48-page workbook. Participants were encouraged to complete weekly reflection exercises focused on workplace challenges and coping strategies.
Leaders were encouraged to allocate time during shifts for staff to reflect, reinforcing the importance of mental well-being in the workplace.
4. Embedding the practice
To ensure long-term sustainability, reflective practices were integrated into everyday operations. Reflection prompts were incorporated into team meetings, and visual materials such as posters and cue cards were distributed across villages.
Online versions of the training were also added to the organisation’s learning management system, enabling ongoing staff development and supporting onboarding for new employees.
“Learnt to understand stress is not always bad. Understood how to reflect on how I react to situations. Will hopefully put into practice what I have learnt.”
Feedback from a participant
Collaboration and Leadership
Project Thrive involved extensive collaboration between RFBI leadership, village managers and academic researchers.
Key RFBI stakeholders included CEO Frank Price, Chief of Operations Louanne Riboldi, and Chief of People and Culture Anna-Maria Wade. The research program was led by Professor Denise Jepsen from Macquarie University with scientific oversight from Associate Professor Monique Crane. Editor: Prof Denise Jepsen is a Future of Ageing Awards judge. She didn’t judge this or any of the entries in this category.
A dedicated steering committee comprising executives, village managers, resident representatives and researchers guided the project’s implementation and evaluation.
Funding was provided through a $160,000 grant from Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), alongside financial and in-kind contributions from RFBI.
Evidence of success
Project Thrive produced encouraging outcomes across multiple areas.
Improved mental health
Survey data collected before and after the intervention showed statistically significant improvements in depression and anxiety levels among workshop participants three months after the training. Employees who engaged in the self-reflection exercises also showed reduced stress and stronger resilience.
Stronger workplace engagement
Participants reported significant improvements in:
- Job satisfaction
- Organisational commitment
- Perceived support from supervisors
More than 500 workshop feedback surveys rated the sessions highly, with average satisfaction scores above 4.3 out of 5.
Reduced turnover
Human resources data revealed a clear workforce impact. Sites that participated in the workshops experienced a 17 per cent reduction in employee terminations, while turnover in control villages increased by 30 per cent over the same period.
Overall, turnover in intervention villages fell from 9.4 per cent to 6.8 per cent, representing a 2.6 per cent reduction. At RFBI’s workforce scale, this reduction could represent annual savings of approximately $780,000.
Potential improvements in resident outcomes
Clinical data also showed lower rates of resident falls with major injuries and infections in villages that participated in the intervention. While researchers caution that multiple factors could contribute to these changes, the findings suggest that workforce wellbeing may also influence resident outcomes.
Project Thrive demonstrates that targeted resilience training and structured self-reflection can play a powerful role in supporting aged care workers. By addressing burnout and strengthening workforce wellbeing, the initiative has the potential to reduce turnover, improve organisational culture and enhance resident care.
As workforce pressures continue across the aged care sector, initiatives such as Project Thrive offer a scalable, evidence-based model for building a more resilient, sustainable workforce.
