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Jane Daly's Worklife podcast: Kirsten Chick, Nutrition brought to life

 

In this Episode Jane talks to Kirsten Chick about nutrition brought to life. 

Kirsten is an experienced and knowledgeable nutritional therapist, teacher and writer, and author of the book, Nutrition Brought to Life. 
She has been practising since 2003 and offers online and phone consultations. She is known for her warm, approachable style, and aims to tailor recommendations not just to what people need, but also to what is manageable.
As Kirsten believes food is to be enjoyed, she provides recipes and meal inspirations in her blogs and social media, and there are 50 recipes in section 2 of Nutrition Brought to Life.
Kirsten also provides online workshops and courses, covering subjects ranging from sugar to menopause, and can provide bespoke workshops for companies, community groups and organisations.

Kirsten recommends listeners explore the following links if they would like to delve deeper into her insights: 

A link to Kirsten’s Book – Nutrition Brought to Life book: https://www.alchimiapublishing.com/nutrition-brought-to-life/ - also available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nutrition-Brought-Life-Kirsten-Chick/dp/1999306120/, https://www.waterstones.com/book/nutrition-brought-to-life/kirsten-chick/9781999306120 etc.

A link to Kirsten’s Nutrition bog and website: www.connectwithnutrition.co.uk - where there are blogs and recipes plus details of one-to-one consultations and upcoming workshops

Kirsten’s You tube channel - including Bite-Sized Nutrition Tips recently recorded  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLy718j0Fe68OGvo-bmFeeg/playlists

You can find out more about Kirsten, including how to connect HERE:  For more details, see www.connectwithnutrition.co.uk, e-mail Kirsten at info@connectwithnutrition.co.uk or call her on 07968137246.

Enjoyed this episode? There's lots more to listen to, sign up here to find out more  about worklife Podcasts and People Who Know Marketplace.

 

 

 

 

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Jane Daly's Worklife Podcast: Kirsten Chick, Nutrition Brought to Life

In this episode Jane talks to Kirsten Chick about Nutrition Brought to Life

Kirsten Chick is an experienced and knowledgeable nutritional therapist, teacher and writer, and author of the book, Nutrition Brought to Life. 

She has been practising since 2003 and offers online and phone consultations. She is known for her warm, approachable style, and aims to tailor recommendations not just to what people need, but also to what is manageable.
As Kirsten believes food is to be enjoyed, she provides recipes and meal inspirations in her blogs and social media, and there are 50 recipes in section 2 of Nutrition Brought to Life.
Kirsten also provides online workshops and courses, covering subjects ranging from sugar to menopause, and can provide bespoke workshops for companies, community groups and organisations.
 

Kirsten recommends listeners explore the following links if they would like to delve deeper into her insights and work: 

A link to Kirsten’s Book – Nutrition Brought to Life book: https://www.alchimiapublishing.com/nutrition-brought-to-life/ - also available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nutrition-Brought-Life-Kirsten-Chick/dp/1999306120/, https://www.waterstones.com/book/nutrition-brought-to-life/kirsten-chick/9781999306120 etc. A link to Kirsten’s Nutrition bog and website: www.connectwithnutrition.co.uk - where there are blogs and recipes plus details of one-to-one consultations and upcoming workshops Kirsten’s You tube channel - including Bite-Sized Nutrition Tips recently recorded  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLy718j0Fe68OGvo-bmFeeg/playlists

You can find out more about Kirsten, including how to connect HERE:  For more details, see www.connectwithnutrition.co.uk, e-mail Kirsten at info@connectwithnutrition.co.uk or call her on 07968137246.

Enjoyed this episode? There's lots more to listen to, sign up here to find out more  about worklife Podcasts and People Who Know Marketplace.

April 2021

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Rethink Cafe: Virtual & Hybrid Learning

28th October 2021,  8:30am - 9:30am (BST) Online (Zoom) Event Digital-first Worklives series - Virtual & Hybrid Learning Are your virtual and hybrid learning investments paying off? 

Virtual and hybrid learning are now dominant in the world of workplace learning. This was always going to happen as we moved into a digital first world, but the use of these types of learning has been accelerated by at least five years due to the pandemic. 

Jojn us as we discuss the latest evidence and thinking with guest Jo Cook, virtual learning and webinar expert.

For the last 18 months people have been increasing their use and investments in virtual learning and as we come out of lockdowns but still cope with a Covid-world the reality of hybrid learning is starting to appear. However, there is growing evidence that even though organisations are trying lots of things, they aren’t seeing the impact they desire.New challenges, such as access to an overwhelming amount of open source advice that’s not always accurate, the impact on wellbeing, spiraling costs and the perception of the loss of human connection preventing ‘learning’ are causing frustration and making people question the value of these types of learning. These points concern us a lot, as any learning interventions not done well impact learners, teams, organisations and clients. Everywhere you look people are talking about these types of learning and offering advice, but what’s worth listening to and what’s really working in practice? 

On a mission to find out the answers and share what’s really working are Jo Cook, virtual classroom and webinar specialist and Jane Daly, Behavioural Scientist specialising in evidence-based culture and capability transformation. 

Jo and Jane want to support more people to take an evidenced-based approach and drive the virtual and hybrid success they are looking for. ‘Through the lens research on virtual and hybrid learning’ is open from 4th October until 4th November 2021. Simply click here to join the conversation and have your say. 

If you can’t wait to hear the results of the research, you can listen to their podcast here and take the survey here.

 

REGISTER

You can connect and join the conversation in so many ways. The People Who Know community is nudging people to take charge of their own Worklife by creating a Marketplace and Network so people can find a valuable place that supports them to adapt and balance their way. Our vibrant community is supporting people wherever they are in their Worklife journey.

We are committed to offering digital space to providers of services who have dedicated their work to enable people to thrive in the workplace. We are also proud to offer free space in our marketplace to independent and smaller providers who need a boost as they are starting up or growing their presence. 

If you would like to become a member so you can network with passionate people and leading thinkers for free click here

If you would like to provide services to the world of work and feature in our Worklife Services marketplace for free click here 

March 2021

February 2021

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A pivotal point: the future of workforce development

As we emerge from the pandemic, assess its fallout in the workplace and look to recovery, business leaders are going to nd themselves facing a dire talent and skills shortage. We knew this when Covid rst struck: chief executives then saw such a shortage as one of their biggest business threats. The chances now are that it is becoming an even bigger threat, particularly in new digital areas, as this report shows. And it is arriving as budgets tighten like never before.

The clear need is to focus intensely on reskilling and upskilling. It is cheaper to develop than to hire. The wisdom of this approach is borne out by the 2021 L&D Global Sentiment Survey, now in its eighth year and published at the start of February. For 3,114 L&D voters from 95 countries, the answer to “What will be hot in L&D in 2021?” was a clear and unequivocal “Reskilling/ upskilling”.

Yet despite knowing the value of and the need for reskilling and upskilling, for developing the existing workforce rather than looking for new talent from outside, many businesses are not putting it into practice with anything like the commitment that’s needed. “Training” is still siloed, it is often about box ticking content rather than true integrated performance development and skills gap identi cation is poor.

On the one hand, this means that many businesses need to move mountains if they’re to overcome the shortages they can expect. That requires signi cant internal change and also replacing some of their large, unresponsive learning management providers with new, more agile players.

On the other hand, it means that for such agile new providers there is a market that is wide open for development with opportunities at great scale.

Based on extensive research, this report explores the key trends, challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for learning and development practitioners, organisations, policymakers and founders. Workforce development is ripe for evolution. This report gives vital insights into the form that evolution can take, with actionable recommendations for business, policy, L&D leaders and founders.

Read the full report from emerge Education & Future Learn here.

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Gender equality in the workplace: going beyond women on the board

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 , it will take another 100 years to achieve gender equality based on the current rate of progress. This prediction has been widely used as a shock therapy to push governments, NGOs, associations, investors and companies into action. In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis, efforts will have to be doubled if we are to avoid losing another 10 years to achieve gender equality2. Based on past experience, economic slowdowns not only disproportionately affect women, but also trigger gender equality topics to slip down governmental and corporate agendas. Women represent 39% of the global workforce but accounted for 54% of job losses as of May 20203. Furthermore, women are over-represented in sectors which are most heavily hit by the pandemic, such as hospitality or the food services industries, further exacerbating inequalities. These inequalities also disproportionately affect certain groups of women, depending on the intersections of gender with race, ethnicity, religion, class, ability, sexuality and other identity markers. 

In 2020, the discourse has shifted significantly from a focus on gender diversity towards diversity and inclusion more generally. However, the lack of data on other diversity indicators and how they intersect with gender has made it difficult for companies and investors to measure their performance and consistently identify gaps in the domain. As a result, most large-scale corporate and financial initiatives tend to still focus on mainstream gender metrics.

Read the Full report and article here.

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Women in the Workplace 2020

The events of 2020 have turned workplaces upside down. Under the highly challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees are struggling to do their jobs. Many feel like they’re “always on” now that the boundaries between work and home have blurred. They’re worried about their family’s health and finances. Burnout is a real issue. 

Women in particular have been negatively impacted. Women—especially women of color—are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed during the COVID-19 crisis,1 stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security. The pandemic has intensified challenges that women already faced. Working mothers have always worked a “double shift”—a full day of work, followed by hours spent caring for children and doing household labor. Now the supports that made this possible—including school and childcare—have been upended. Meanwhile, Black women already faced more barriers to advancement than most other employees.2 Today they’re also coping with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community. And the emotional toll of repeated instances of racial violence falls heavily on their shoulders. 

As a result of these dynamics, more than one in four women are contemplating what many would have considered unthinkable just six months ago: downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely. This is an emergency for corporate America. Companies risk losing women in leadership—and future women leaders—and unwinding years of painstaking progress toward gender diversity. 

The crisis also represents an opportunity. If companies make significant investments in building a more flexible and empathetic workplace—and there are signs that this is starting to happen—they can retain the employees most affected by today’s crises and nurture a culture in which women have equal opportunity to achieve their potential over the long term. The rest of this article summarizes the report’s main findings (and you can go even deeper with a behind-the-scenes chatwith one of the report’s coauthors on our blog).

This is the sixth year of the Women in the Workplace study—in a year unlike any other. This effort, conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org, tracks the progress of women in corporate America. The data set this year reflects contributions from 317 companies that participated in the study and more than 40,000 people surveyed on their workplace experiences; more than 45 in-depth interviews were also conducted to dive deeper on the issues. These efforts were in the field from June to August of 2020, although the pipeline data represents employer-provided information from calendar year 2019.

Click here to read the full McKinsey Report

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Jane Daly's Worklife Podcast: Joan Keevill, The power of Professional Networks

 

In this episode Jane talks to Joan Keevill about the power of Professional Networks

Joan is Director of Designs on Learning Ltd, an e-learning consultancy. She has a wide range of clients, many of them large corporates, and specialises in the areas of leadership and compliance. She also works with a number of associates who manage the production side of the work on her behalf. The majority of Joan's new business comes through her network so she invests time in nurturing it. Joan has been Chair of the eLearning Network since 2018 and on the Board since 2016. She initiated the webinar series, managed the transition in 2020 from face-to-face to more virtual events and recently ran the third round of Board elections. Being on the eLN enables Joan to reach out to over 20,000 industry professionals via its social media platforms, as well as to give something back to the industry after her decades of experience working in it.

Joan recommends listeners explore the following topics if they would like to delve deeper into her insights: 

The eLN Review of 2020 (https://elearningnetwork.org/the-elearning-network-a-review-of-2020-and-a-look-ahead-to-2021/) - I'm constantly amazed by what a group of 12 volunteer Directors of the eLN can achieve and how they stepped up to the plate when the pandemic began. This review explains the range of our activities and how members benefit by being part of this dynamic network. The Learning and Development Handbook, Michelle Parry Slater (https://www.koganpage.com/product/the-learning-and-development-handbook-9781789663327) - to be published on 3rd Feb 2021. I've had the pleasure of reading an early proof and it's a very practical guide that will suit people at all levels in L&D. In itself it's not about networking but Michelle epitomises networking and sharing good practice and that's how the idea of the book came about - via twitter. The Women Talking About Learning (WTAL) podcast series (https://womentalkingaboutlearning.com/) - initiated by Andrew Jacobs, this is an evolving resource and well worth a listen by all in L&D. I feature in the Imposter Syndrome one and also the Evidence one. Andrew felt women's voices were not being heard enough. Again, he is another great networker and blogger, publishing a short blog post daily.

You can find out more about Joan and the eLearning Network (eLN) here 

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Rethink Cafe: We're talking about "Fearless Female Leaders"

Fearless Female Leaders: Part 1. This event took place on 12thMarch 2021.

In this Rethink Cafe our guests included Niles Hofmann, the co-founder of NilesNolen and author of the LinkedIn course Data-Driven Learning Designer. We explored key questions around the theme of the Fearless Female Leaders and the future of work.

To find out more about what was discussed and the insights that we arrived at please do get in touch with jane@peoplewhoknow.co.uk or join the conversation at peoplewhoknow.co.uk

You can connect and join the conversation in so many ways. The People Who Know community is nudging people to take charge of their own Worklife by creating a Marketplace and Network so people can find a valuable place that supports them to adapt and balance their way. Our vibrant community is supporting people wherever they are in their Worklife journey.

We are committed to offering digital space to providers of services who have dedicated their work to enable people to thrive in the workplace. We are also proud to offer free space in our marketplace to independent and smaller providers who need a boost as they are starting up or growing their presence. 

If you would like to become a member so you can network with passionate people and leading thinkers for free click here

If you would like to provide services to the world of work and feature in our Worklife Services marketplace for free click here 

 

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Jane Daly's Worklife Podcast: Clive Shepherd, The Future of Learning Technologies

 

In this Episode Jane talks to Clive Shepherd about the Future of Learning Technologies

 

Until Clive’s retirement in 2020, he was a workplace learning consultant, writer and speaker, working with a broad range of public and private sector organisations internationally, helping them to build capability and to transform workplace learning through the effective integration of formal, informal, on-demand and experiential learning.

 

Clive established his interest in interactive media while Director, Training and Creative Services for American Express in EMEA. He went on to co-found Epic (now Leo), one of the major producers of custom digital learning content.

 

For many years he has have been regarded as an expert in workplace learning and development, with hundreds of published articles to his name. He is the author of a number of books, including The Blended Learning Cookbook, The New Learning Architect and More Than Blended Learning. Clive has spoken regularly at major international conferences and until recently contributed regularly his blog, Clive on Learning. Clive has also designed and delivered programmes on digital and blended learning for the Chartered Institute in Personnel and Development, for whom he was a member of their L&D Advisory Group.

 

Clive recommends the following 3 things if you would like to delve deeper:

1 The book/e-book: More Than Blended Learning   https://skillsjourney.com/more-than-blended-learning-the-book/

2 The Four Responsibilities of The Learning Professional: https://four-responsibilities.org/

3 My blog - Clive on Learning:  http://www.cliveonlearning.com/

Find out more about Clive's work here  Enjoyed this episode? There's lots more to listen to, sign up here to find out more 
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Jane Daly's Worklife Podcast - Ian Mcllwain: Digital-first Learning

 

In this episode Jane talk to Ian Mcllwain about Digital-first Learning

Ian is a technology company leader with more than 20 years’ experience in business development, sales, and strategic operations. As part of the UK leadership team and Head of LinkedIn Learning UK & Ireland, Ian is currently leading a team helping clients to develop, retain and transform their talent. 

In the workplace, Ian is passionate about customer value, technology, diversity, inclusion & belonging, coaching, empowerment, compassionate management, building great teams and having fun doing it.

Ian recommends the following 3 things for listeners to deep-dive further: 

Something free from Linkedin: https://linkedin.github.io/career-explorer/

 

LinkedIn Career Explorer

Comparing skills across jobs can make it easier to find the right job for you. Since Time Management is a critical skill for both Food Servers and Operations Coordinators, let’s go deeper to understand the other skills that overlap between the two jobs and what skills you would need to build to move from one job to the other.

linkedin.github.io

What does it do

“Our Career Explorer tool will help you discover potential career opportunities based on the skills you already have. Enter your most recent job, and we’ll surface opportunities that you have high skills overlap with and resources to help you build any new skills to make a career pivot”

Something free from Microsoft: https://opportunity.linkedin.com/skills-for-in-demand-jobs

Free Learning Paths for Top Jobs

Start developing your skills with free learning paths from LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn.

opportunity.linkedin.com

 

Something not to do with LinkedIn or Microsoft but a resource I love:

https://fs.blog/blog/

  Find out more about Ian here Enjoyed this episode? There's lots more to listen to, sign up here to find out more 

 

January 2021

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NHS - Mental wellbeing while staying at home

Taking care of your mind as well as your body is really important if you are staying at home because of coronavirus(COVID-19).

You may feel worried or anxious about your finances, your health or those close to you. Perhaps you feel bored, frustrated or lonely. It's important to remember that it's OK to feel this way and that everyone reacts differently.

Remember, for most of us, these feelings will pass. Staying at home may be difficult, but you're helping to protect yourself and others by doing it.

There are things you can do now to help you keep on top of your mental wellbeing and cope with how you may feel if you're staying at home. Make sure you get further support if you feel you need it.

The government also has wider guidance on staying at home as a result of coronavirus.

1. Check your employment and benefits rights

You may be worried about work and money while you have to stay home – which can have a big effect on your mental health.

If you have not already, you might want to talk with your employer. Find out about government support for businesses and self-employed peopleand understand your sick pay and benefits rights.

Knowing the details about what the coronavirus outbreak means for you (England and Wales only)can reduce worry and help you feel more in control.

2. Plan practical things

If you're unable to get to the shops, work out how you can get any household supplies you need. You could try asking neighbours or family friends, or find a delivery service.

Continue accessing treatment and support for any existing physical or mental health problems where possible. Let services know you are staying at home, and discuss how to continue receiving support.

If you need regular medicine, you might be able to order repeat prescriptions by phone, or online via a website or app. Contact your GP and ask if they offer this. You can also ask your pharmacy about getting your medicine delivered, or ask someone else to collect it for you.

If you support or care for others, either in your home or by visiting them regularly, think about who can help out while you are staying at home. Let your local authority (England, Scotland and Wales only)know if you provide care or support someone you do not live with. Carers UK has further advice on creating a contingency plan.

3. Stay connected with others

Maintaining healthy relationships with people you trust is important for your mental wellbeing.

Think about ways to stay in touch with friends and family – by phone, messaging, video calls or social media.

4. Talk about your worries

It's normal to feel a bit worried, scared or helpless about the current situation. Remember: it is OK to share your concerns with others you trust – and doing so may help them too.

If you cannot speak to someone you know or if doing so has not helped, there are plenty of helplines you can try instead.

5. Look after your body

Our physical health has a big impact on how we feel. At times like these, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy patterns of behaviour that end up making you feel worse.

Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water and exercise regularly. Avoid smoking, drugs or drinking too much alcohol.

If you are staying at home, you could try exercising indoors, as there are lots of free online classes. Or try an easy 10-minute home workout.

6. Stay on top of difficult feelings

Concern about the coronavirus outbreak and your health is normal. However, some people may experience intense anxiety that can affect their day-to-day life.

Try to focus on the things you can control, such as how you act, who you speak to and where you get information from.

It's fine to acknowledge that some things are outside of your control, but if constant thoughts about the situation are making you feel anxious or overwhelmed, try some ideas to help manage your anxiety.

7. Do not stay glued to the news

Try to limit the time you spend watching, reading or listening to coverage of the outbreak, including on social media, and think about turning off breaking-news alerts on your phone.

You could set yourself a specific time to read updates or limit yourself to checking a couple of times a day.

Use trustworthy sources – such as GOV.UKor the NHS website– and fact-check information from the news, social media or other people.

8. Carry on doing things you enjoy

If we are feeling worried, anxious, lonely or low, we may stop doing things we usually enjoy.

Make an effort to focus on your favourite hobby if it is something you can still do at home. Or start a new hobby: read, write, do crosswords or jigsaws, bake, or try drawing and painting. Whatever it is, find something that works for you.

If you cannot think of anything you like doing, try learning something new at home. There are lots of free tutorials and courses online.

You can still stay social at home by joining others online: book clubs, pub quizzes and music concerts are just a few of the things to try.

9. Take time to relax

This can help with difficult emotions and worries, and improve our wellbeing. Relaxation techniquescan also help deal with feelings of anxiety.

10. And get good sleep

Good-quality sleep makes a big difference to how we feel, so it's important to get enough.

Try to maintain your regular sleeping pattern and stick to good sleep practices.

Further support and advice

There are plenty of things you can do and places to get more help and support if you are struggling with your mental health. Our pages on stress, anxiety, sleepand low moodhave lots more tips and specific advice. If you are a parent or caregiver for a child or young person, Young Minds has guidance on talking to your child about coronavirus.

The NHS mental health and wellbeing advicepages also have a self-assessment, as well as audio guides and other tools you can use while staying at home.

We also have guidance and information to help othersif someone you know is struggling with their mental health.

Remember, it's quite common to experience short-lived physical symptoms when you are low or anxious. Some of these, like feeling hot or short of breath, could be confused with symptoms of coronavirus.

If this happens, try to distract yourself. When you feel less anxious, see if you still have the symptoms that worried you. If you're still concerned, visit the NHS website.

If you do not live in England

Additional country-specific coronavirus guidance is available for Scotland,Walesand Northern Ireland.

Follow this link for more NHS guidance and advice.

 

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Coronavirus: safe home-based working

Coronavirus: safe home-based working

Below is the latest guidance and advice from The National Education Union to promote safe home based working.

Widespread home-based working presents a variety of organisational and personal challenges, particularly because of the sudden change in circumstances requiring rapid adaptation.

Employers have a duty to undertake risk assessments for employees while they are at work, including when they are working from home. Although it would not be practical, or safe, for workstations to be inspected by managers, or in many cases, for additional equipment/furniture to be provided, there are ways in which you can protect your health during this difficult time.

The NEU expects school leaders to respect and adhere to the principles set out below which should form part of a risk assessment.  Where there remain serious barriers, you should raise with your line manager and discuss with your health and safety rep and NEU colleagues.

Define your space – separate work from home

Setting up a dedicated working area, where possible, will help you to separate your work-life from your home-life.  Having a dedicated workspace assists with consciously entering the mental zone for work.  

Are you sitting comfortably?

Spending long hours at a poorly set up workstation could leave you with back, neck, hip and knee pain and muscle strains.  Make sure you set your workstation up as well as you can in the circumstances and if you need any support then contact your line manager.  Sit at a desk or table where possible.  Sitting on a bed or sofa may seem relaxing but could lead to musculo-skeletal problems in the longer term.

Try to ensure that you:

have a chair that is supportive, stable and comfortable (ideally with adjustable height and tilt though this may not be possible) use a separate screen or laptop riser if you have one so you’re not looking down whilst you’re typing use a separate keyboard, which tilts, and mouse if you can, and don’t hunch over the keyboard use a document holder if you have one, positioned to minimise neck movement have good lighting above your workstation avoiding glare and reflections on the screen Place a laptop/tablet it on a firm surface, not on your lap, at the right height for keying have extra back support if pregnant. Working hours

You may be sharing your home space with other family members and this can, of course, impact on how you are able to work. If you have young children at home for whom you are caring, this may well impact on your working arrangements.  If you are sharing childcare responsibilities, it is important to think about how to balance your work and childcare responsibilities. Sometimes this might mean working at different times during the day.  It may mean blocking out periods of time to be with children.  It is important to discuss your specific working arrangements and any restrictions during this period with your head teacher/line manager.  The NEU expects all leaders to be reasonable in their expectations.

Take regular short breaks

Taking regular breaks is essential.  Try following the 20-20-20 rule.  Every 20 minutes take 20 seconds to look at something that’s at least 20 feet away.  Ideally you should get up and walk over to whatever it is you’re looking at so you can stretch your legs and give your eyes a rest.  Try to take a break of 5 – 10 minutes every 50 – 60 minutes.  Make a cup of coffee, have a chat with a member of your household, or simply walk round your home.

Always make time for lunch away from your workstation

It is important to take a lunch break – get something to eat and drink and try to have time away from your desk. This may be a good time to have a social call with a colleague – compare notes about working from home or just talk about non-work issues. As and when Government guidance allows, take a walk if you can, or if you have one, at least go into your garden or on to your balcony.

Go out for some fresh air

Don’t spend the whole day indoors hunched over your laptop working non-stop.  Be sure to plan in some time to go outside each day, before, after or during your working day, as Government guidance allows.  Go for a run or a walk if you are able to; or take the dog for a walk. 

Socialise with colleagues

Just because you’re not working alongside your colleagues doesn’t mean that you can’t socially interact with them.  Make time for the conversations you would usually have in the staffroom.  Arrange on-line evening social events.

Remember the days before email…

Communicating via email is quick and easy but it means we lose interaction with people.  Before you send an email, ask yourself whether you could have this conversation over the phone.  You can always follow up with an email after, to get the best of both worlds. 

Know when to stop

It may be tempting to continue working and telling yourself “just another ten minutes”.  It could mean that you’re still sat at your workstation two hours later, and this is not good for your wellbeing or your effectiveness.

Schools should have an email protocol.  There must be no expectation that just because you are at home you are constantly available or that you will be able to respond within unrealistic deadlines. You should not be expected to respond to emails at evenings and at the weekend.  If there is no reasonable protocol in place in your school, discuss with fellow NEU members what you think is reasonable, and then raise collectively with management. For example, you may decide that there should be no expectation to read or reply to emails before 8am and after 5pm on working days.  At this stressful time when there is an even greater need to rest and relax it might also be worth having an understanding that work-related emails and group messages, eg on WhatsApp, will not be sent by anyone outside of the set times.

At the end of your working day it is good practice to put your phone away and switch off your computer.

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