How was your shift?
Get it off your chest.
Customer service, rangers, parking, outdoor crews, waste, lifeguards, planning and community services. Put down what you're carrying before you go home.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your manager or anyone else. Unladen Local is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any council or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step away if you can. Tell your supervisor or team leader you need a few minutes. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If someone hurt or threatened you
It isn't part of the job and it isn't your fault. Tell your supervisor and report it through council's incident system, even if it seems minor. Get checked if you were hurt. You can also contact police.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your supervisor, a workmate or your EAP in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your supervisor or manager, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of a shift. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can at the depot or the desk.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the abuse or aggression
Report it, even if it seems minor. Reports help council flag addresses, send two officers or change how a service runs. Staff hurt at work can make a workers compensation claim.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your manager or supervisor, and report it through your incident system. If you work alone, use your duress alarm or check-in system and ask for two people for known risks.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you're driving, a 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave can help, or get a lift. Text someone when you're home.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Looking after a community takes something out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Abuse and aggression from the public
Rangers, parking officers, front counter staff and outdoor crews often cop anger aimed at council. It still isn't OK.
Today
- Step back and leave if you feel unsafe. Call 000 if you need to.
- Report it, even if it seems minor. Body camera footage and reports help.
- Debrief with your team leader or a colleague.
Over the next days
- Talk it through. Abuse can replay for days.
- Ask what council will do, such as flagging an address or sending two officers next time.
- Staff hurt at work can make a workers compensation claim.
Seizing animals and euthanasia
Seizing a dog, dealing with cruelty or neglect, or being there when an animal is put down is some of the hardest work in council.
- Feeling grief, anger or guilt afterwards is normal. It shows you care about animals.
- Debrief with a colleague who does the same work.
- Notice if it builds up over many cases. Compassion fatigue is common in animal management.
- If a case keeps replaying, talk to your EAP.
Rescues, CPR and drownings
Lifeguards and pool staff may do rescues, CPR, or be there when someone does not survive.
- Shaking, replaying it or feeling numb afterwards are normal reactions.
- Ask for a debrief with your team. It helps to hear the whole story.
- Whatever the outcome, you did what you could with what you had.
- If it's still strong after a couple of weeks, see your GP or EAP.
Finding something distressing
Outdoor, waste and cleansing crews can find bodies, dumped animals, needles or the belongings of someone who has died.
- Don't touch anything that could be evidence. Call 000 and wait somewhere safe.
- Tell your supervisor and take a break before going back to work.
- If you think it was a suicide, StandBy (1300 727 247) supports people affected, including people who find someone.
- Images can come back for days. That's normal. Talk to someone.
Heat, traffic, sharps and injuries
- In heat, drink water, take breaks in shade and stop if you feel dizzy or sick.
- Needle-stick: wash with soap and water, don't squeeze it, and see a doctor or emergency department straight away. Report it.
- Report near misses, not just injuries. They show where the next injury will be.
- If something is unsafe and isn't being fixed, SafeWork NSW is on 13 10 50.
Working alone
- Make sure someone knows where you are and when you should finish.
- Use your duress alarm or check-in system every time.
- Trust your gut. If a job feels unsafe, leave and call your supervisor.
- Afterwards, debrief with someone, even by phone.
Pressure over a decision
Planners, building surveyors and compliance officers can face threats, lobbying or pressure over approvals, fines and orders.
- Write down any pressure or threats, with dates.
- Tell your manager. You should not carry a decision alone.
- Corruption involving councils can be reported to the ICAC on 1800 463 909.
- If you were threatened, you can contact police.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading your next shift
- Feeling numb, or snapping at the public
- Replaying incidents at night
- Needing a drink to switch off
- Pulling back from people
It's a normal response to a demanding job, not a weakness.
Getting home safely
After a long or late shift, tiredness can affect your driving as much as alcohol.
- If you're struggling to keep your eyes open, don't drive. A 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave helps.
- After a hard shift, text someone when you get home.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through your manager
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your council can add its own EAP, peer support and wellbeing numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called. Most councils have one.
- A peer supporter or wellbeing contact. Someone outside your reporting line.
- Your union. The United Services Union (1300 136 604) covers NSW council workers. Professionals Australia covers council engineers and planners.
- Your work health and safety representative. For aggression, lone work, heat and bullying.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Corruption involving NSW councils can be reported to the ICAC. Public interest disclosure laws also protect council staff who report wrongdoing.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard shift. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"Something at work today has stuck with me."
"I don't feel safe going to that address alone."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- A public interest disclosure is protected by law. You can ask how your identity will be protected first.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in the depot or on the way home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Local
Unladen™ Local is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any council or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Local that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026