EAST COAST COLLEGESUPPORTING YOU TO WORK FROM HOME, STAY WELL AND FEEL PART OF TEAM ECC

PurposeThis guide has been developed in response to the

exceptional working arrangements we have suddenly found

ourselves in.

These are unsettling times and it’s hoped that the

information contained within this guide will perhaps answer

some questions that have been playing on your mind, or

provide some reassurance when you are feeling a little adrift.

As a team, East Coast College staff are formidable, the work

we do and the challenges we have overcome in recent years

prove that we will come through this bump in the road and

continue on our journey to provide an exceptional experience

for our learners.

Keep living our values, they are as important now as they will

ever be. Most of all, if the answer isn’t in this guide then reach

out to your manager, your swim buddy, someone in the People

Team, just don’t ever feel you are alone in this.

Absence & leaveCan I use my accrued Time of in Lieu (TOIL) to cover me for any time I

cannot work?

Absolutely, please discuss and agree with your manager and where possible book it on select HR in the normal way. We expect all accrued TOIL to have been utilised before the end of the Easter break.

Can I cancel some holidays I have booked but now cannot go on?

We are asking all staff not to cancel their leave for two main reasons:1) It is very important during this period of remote working that staff take time to rest, recuperate, and draw a distinction between work and non-work time. 2) When the College reopens, if all staff have banked their leave and then wish to take it, it could further exacerbate the operation of the College as we work to get back to full speed.

The College has announced a closure for the 2nd week of the

Easter Hols (13/04/20 - 17/04/20), what if I don’t want that week off?

In these unusual circumstances, we have made the decision that a 1-week period of closure would be in the best interests of all parties. All support staff will have one working week booked during the 2 week break, if they already have leave booked during the 2 week holiday that is equivalent to, or more than one working week, no additional leave will be booked.

All academic staff will be booked on leave for the entire 2 week break. The only exception to this are staff who have been invited in to support EHCP/vulnerable learners.

We will continue to review the situation and may enforce further closure periods if the College continues to close. This will be done to ensure jobs and

pay are protected.

Absence & leaveWhat if I don’t have enough leave to cover the closure?

Please speak to the HR Business Partner (HRBP) for your area to discuss your options.

What if I need my annual leave to cover my childcare/home life

arrangements?

Please discuss with your line manager how you can make a flexible working arrangement that works in the best interests of all involved.

I am feeling unwell, should I report it?

Yes please continue to report your absence in the normal way by calling the absence line on 01502 525077. You will then need to ensure you complete your return to work on Select HR when you are feeling better, if you can’t access this please let the People Team know and we will update your record for you.

contracts & payI am variable hours (VH), will I still get paid?

All hours that were agreed and committed to the finance system will be honoured. If the closure continues and we are unable to provide remote work for VH staff, we are looking into the support package offered by the government to understand how this can be best used to support any staff who may be struggling financially.

I have a fixed term contract (FTC) will this be renewed?

All FTC will continue to be honoured, if your FTC expires in the next few weeks the People Team will be in contact around the time of your notice period to discuss next steps.

What happens when I have no more work I can do from home?

We are working with our partners to find alternative options for staff who can’t work remotely, this may involve volunteering with the NHS or other front line organisations that need us right now. The Government will be issuing guidance around the option of ‘Furloughing’ where staff do not have meaningful work they can do at home as an alternative to any redundancies. Rest assured that we are doing all we can to ensure that we have options for our staff.

What happens if I run out of sick pay?

Please make contact with the HR Business Partner for your area, we’ll try find a solution on a case by case basis.

staying connectedWhat contact should I expect from the College?

As a minimum, you can expect the contact detail below, although we envisage this could be significantly more as you work within your teams to find the right flow for your departments.• A weekly team meeting by video conference• A weekly 1-2-1 call with line manager• A weekly all staff briefing from CEO• Welfare KIT calls from People Team where desired• Weekly People Team update • Regular contact with your swim buddy

What if I can’t find a swim buddy?

Speak to your line manager in the first instance; the People Team are always willing to help also.

What groups are there that I can join?

• The ‘not just for girls’ book group will be meeting virtually every fortnight to discuss the current book we are reading – contact Ann Wall to join• Place for Prayer – Thurs 12.45pm In this unique and challenging time of uncertainty, the Place for Prayer social group is continuing remotely. If there is anything specific you want us to pray for, or if you would like to join us, please feel free to get in touch with Ruth Bollinger. • Virtual running club will be led by Nicola Pollard, please contact Nicola directly to join• Yoga sessions will be led weekly, details to follow

If you are interested in starting a staff virtual group please contact Ann Wall directly.

staying connectedHow are we staying connected with students and what are we

telling them?

Guidance for students has been placed on our website and sent directly to students and their parents/carers.

There are agreed systems that can be used for contacting students, this is designed to protect and safeguard both staff and students.

These systems are:

3CX

Moodle

Promonitor/Dashboard

College Email

We are conscious that staff may be using other software to assist with distance learning, and we are currently reviewing what other technology is being used and how safe this is. We would request that any technology outside the list above, to communicate with students, should be prior agreed by your line manager who will seek agreement from the College Quality Group. We will then amend and circulate those systems which have been found to be safe and reliable.

staying connectedCollege Supported Technologies for Online and Distance Learning

1. Communications Technologies

Objective College provided

technologies

Online technologies

Announcements (messages without expectation of reply)

• College website (for public messages)• Moodle (for class related messages, web or mobile app)

• College Social Media (for public messages)• Departmental Facebook/Instagram/ Twitter

1-2-1 communication • College Email• College Phone (College landline, 3CX app or college procured mobile)• 3CX chat (staff to staff only)

• WhatsApp – ONLY for staff to staff communications and only if 3CX chat cannot accommodate.

Small group communication • Moodle (text based - real time and asynchronous options)• Brightspace for University of Suffolk students• 3CX (audio/video - real time only; chat groups staff only)• Microsoft Teams (text, audio and video options)

• Facebook groups (only if college provided tech cannot accommodate)

staying connected2. Web conferencing

When participating in a video conference it is easy to forget who may be able to see and hear you. All conference participants should therefore follow good practice both before and during conferences:

• Ask everyone who can see or hear the conference to introduce themselves.• If a conference is being recorded, all participants should consent to this in advance and should be reminded of the fact during the conference.• Don’t use conferences for 121s with students – use phone or email using college systems

Where is the recording taking place?

Teachers should be in a neutral area where nothing personal or inappropriate can be seen or heard in the background.

Which platform will you use?

Always make sure the platform you are using is suitable for the students’ age group. Set up school accounts for any online platforms you use (don’t use teachers’ personal accounts).

Consent

Make sure parents, carers and children understand the benefits and risks of online lessons and get written consent for children to be involved.

the futureHow do we plan for September?

Curriculum planning is continuing as normal and the final round will be concluded by the end of April. Students will continue to be recruited, interviewed and inducted to the College by remote methods where necessary.

It is significantly important that all learners (both new and those progressing with ECC) continue to be contacted and are made to feel part of the ECC family before they commence. Student numbers are just as important as they always were.

When am I likely to be able to come back into the College?

The effectiveness of the current measures that have been imposed by government will determine how long we remain in this ‘delay phase’. The campuses will remain closed for the foreseeable future and it is wise now to prepare for us not to able to return to campus before the end of this academic year. The measures we all take now as a team will ensure we can support staff and students effectively and remotely.

I am deemed to be a higher risk individual, when the College

reopens will I be able to return to work?

We will need to take the guidance from the government about this when the time comes. Higher risk individuals should not return to work without prior approval from the People Team.

What plans are the College making for the future?

The Strategic Plan which was consulted on some weeks ago continues to be worked on and is now being reviewed by governors before implementation.

Governors are meeting weekly with SLG to ensure the College’s vital work continues.

the futureWill the College survive this pandemic?

The College has been in existence for 150 years, we are a vital part of the communities in which we live and work, we will not let this pandemic take that away from us. The way the College looks and operates may be different but we will still be here to serve our local communities.

support departmentsFINANCE

Keeping you up to date

The Finance Intranet page will give updates over the coming days and weeks, this page can be found under Support Departments. Please visit to find the latest information and documents/forms.

Purchase Orders

During the shutdown of the College, all purchase orders are going through an extra layer of scrutiny. We are being cautious with spend to ensure any emergencies can be dealt with promptly. Before you enter a purchase order please consider if it is still required in the current shutdown environment. If you have spend specifically relating to the shutdown please inform Mike Stockton or Debbie Penny.

Credit Card Orders

All credit card orders will require an additional form to be filled in before the purchase order is placed. This form can be found in the Finance Intranet page under Documents. Download “Credit Card Purchase Order Form” and send to Nasima Begum.

Student Finance

The Student Finance team have been hard at work fielding enquiries concerning student support. All students that receive benefit based statutory free meals have received communication on continuing support. Students who receive credits on a discretionary basis are not included in this as it stands. Other support is being actively reviewed, but the vulnerable student bursary will continue.

support departmentsPayroll

We understand there are a few concerns re sending claims / travel expenses due to the college shutdown, please see below procedure for all claims submission:-• Please keep sending all claims in electronically, the minority who prefer to send via post you are still able to do so.• CM’s / AP’s Please note if approval can’t be obtained we are accepting email approval.If you have any payroll queries please do not hesitate to contact d.penny@eastcoast.ac.uk or payroll@eastcoast.ac.uk

PEOPLE & WELLBEING TEAM

The People Team are all working remotely and can be contacted via their usual extension numbers or emails. An org chart is appended at the end of this guide which shows how to contact and who is responsible for which area.

MARKETING

The Marketing Team are all working remotely and can be contacted via their usual extension numbers or emails (marketing@eastcoast.ac.uk). All good news stories should be shared with the marketing team so we can continue to ensure our community hears the positive work we are doing.

IT

For GYC and LC staff the primary means to contact the IT team is by emailing ithelpdesk@eastcoast.ac.uk or for more urgent support please call 01493 41920. L6FC staff should email the IT Team at ictservicedesk@lowestoftsfc.ac.uk or phone Jamie 01502 535695 or Tim 01502 535696.

support departments

MIS & SYSTEMS

The MIS & Systems Teams are all working remotely and can be contacted via their usual extension numbers or emails.

ESTATES

The estates team are supporting the College as required for EHCP and vulnerable learners who may be on site.

WORKING FROM HOME – HEALTH SUPPORT

Working from home is not for everyone and not something many of us would choose to do… however here we all are, at home and working!It’s really important for us all right now to stay healthy both mentally and physically, there’s some information below on mindfulness and setting a routine for your day which you may find useful. There are also many organisations who are there to provide support, advice and guidance for us during this time:

https://www.norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing

https://mindfulnessinschools.org

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/?fbclid=IwAR2vRqI0fEYW_2NUj-FlVdG0UDemrMMb4fOjn_qFPeqhc04pYsPcuOVysFUw

Education Support is a charity there to support the mental health and wellbeing of all staff in education, especially during these very challenging times. They offer a free 24/7 helpline staffed by trained counsellors as well as a financial grants service for current and former education staff in financial difficulty.

https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/helping-you/coronavirus-supporting-educa-tion-staff?dm_i=26BG,6T2YU,Q3AE2Q,R95SW,1

The College’s EAP can provide support and guidance on a multitude of issues, such as mental health, financial health and a free counselling service. If you find yourself in need of any further support, the link is below and the helpline number for counselling or information is 0808 168 2143.

http://www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk?logintype=login&pid=27&user=fc383bbea216d-1cb5f2e2987c37266ff8e69e430bef01849169065e8f0cc9ddd28140c2ebcf433e-960b6ad9cea64d263

Living with anxiety admist global uncertainty

Managing stress during COVID-19

Resources

A range of resources are being made free to colleges that would not normally be accessible to us. The list of what is currently available is kept up-to-date on Moodle - https://bit.ly/Moo-dle-LearningServices.

Please let your students know. Recent additions include:

• Fairchild Books Library - including Berg Fashion Library, Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases, Drama Online, Fairchild Books Library and Fashion Photography Archive• National Theatre is now offering username and password access to the National Theatre Collection.• Practice Labs, has pledged open (free) access to its virtual live-lab platform that offers live, off-the-job experiential learning to IT students until the end of July 2020.• The NLA’s free Newspapers for Schools archive holds newspaper articles from all the major national titles, as well as many regional papers. Teachers at licensed schools/colleges are eligible to set up an account, search the database going back to 2006, and access relevant clippings to share with students. This can help to support research and comprehension activities, and you may wish to pair the news material with their activity suggestions.

Go to https://newslibrary.newspapersforschools.co.uk/ to register.

WORKING FROM HOME – HEALTH SUPPORT

Teaching your own children from home?

All ECC staff have been asked to work from home; this is part of our social civic duty to ensure the number of children in schools is kept to an absolute minimum. We therefore do not consider our staff to be ‘key workers’ (in terms of the government definition) as we are not asking you to attend your place of work and therefore expect that your children are probably at home with you.

This is new territory for most of us and will test our balancing skills to the limit! Remember to be kind to yourself, think creatively and if you’re struggling, ask for help.

Try and think about how you can fulfil your working hours and agree a flexible plan with your manager so you all know where you stand.

The option of using some holiday hours or unpaid leave (if you can afford to do so) is also available at this time and may help you try and cover all the responsibilities that you have now suddenly become accountable for.

• Twinkl have made all their resources free during this time and they have produced a daily timetable that may help give some structure to your day https://www.twinkl.co.uk/• Common Sense Media have collated a range of online activities from virtual concerts and museum tours to real time youtube activity sessions and other web resources: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/free-online-events-activities-kids-at-home-coronavirus Note - many have an American origin but most are accessible at any time.• National Literacy Trust as a response to school closures, have developed a new web portal for parents, Family Zone, to support them during this time.

WORKING FROM HOME – HEALTH SUPPORT

PHYSICAL WELLBEING

There are a multitude of options to look after your physical health from home, the Sports department have suggested a few options below that all require no equipment (and a little bit of motivation)

Total body warm up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kakbb-W7Fz9Y

Quick cardio workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Tu-hAn6C-g

Upper body (without weights): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYYjx_W7rUY

Yoga & stretch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp8UNgkcAYs

Back rehab & core: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tM-bLfQqRis

Stress relief stretches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WC_eLmP30

DSE ASSESSMENT

Working at home presents us all with a different working environment to the one we are used to and we must where possible try to ensure that we have created the best working environment possible for ourselves.

There is a DSE assessment being sent out shortly. Please complete and return to Craig Brown.

WORKING FROM HOME – HEALTH SUPPORT

Below is the guidance issued to students, please ensure you record the attendance of your students as this may affect their bursary payments.

Will I still get my weekly bursary payment?

Bursary payments will continue to be made weekly for those students who have been assessed and awarded this support and who have maintained attendance of at least 85% to date. Weekly payments will continue to be paid until the end of the academic year as per the payment schedule and terms of the scheme. Students whose attendance has not been maintained at this level will be reassessed and a discretionary decision made as to whether payments can be released.

Will the College have a meal provision for those entitled to free meals?

ECC have introduced a food voucher card scheme and is currently prioritising this support for students who receive benefit related statutory free meals. Students who have already been assessed to receive this support will be contacted by the Student Finance Team with more details about how to access this support. More details can be found on the Student Finance page of the East Coast College website

https://www.eastcoast.ac.uk/student-support/financial-support-trans-port/

Will my attendance percentage be affected if the College closes and

how will this affect future support?

The College will take into account that attendance has been affected and will reflect this in future support offered.

student financeq&a

I received meal credits in college, why have I not been offered

support with food costs while I am unable to attend on campus?

The College is currently prioritising support with food costs to those students who meet the criteria to receive a statutory allowance due to specific benefits received ,age and post 19 Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) status.

If you are an adult learner aged 19+ without an EHCP or are 16-18 year old and were awarded food credits based on household employment income you do not fall into this category as your meal allowance was awarded on a discretionary basis.

The College is constantly reviewing the situation in line with central government directive and recommendations.

We can register your interest in receiving food support and we will contact you again if the College is able to extend this support.

Will travel support be available as soon as the College re-opens?

We are constantly reviewing the situation and once we have an indication as to when and if students can re-access onsite learning this academic year, we will ensure that support for travel will resume.

If students have any further questions or concerns, they should call

the Student Finance Team on 01493 418312 (GY students)/ 01502

525124 (Lowestoft Students) or email at

studentfinance@eastcoast.ac.uk.

student financeq&a

Practising mindfulness through times of uncertainty

Fear, panic and stress have the potential to define us – how we live, work, feel and manage our day to day. But there is another way. We can make choices about how we deal with adversity so that we stay connected, resilient and maintain good mental health. And we can embed mindfulness practise into our daily lives.

We are living in unusual times. The coronavirus challenges the status quo, forces us to see that nothing is certain, that we can’t control what’s happening, that in the face of real danger our hard-wired fight-flight-freeze survival response is triggered.

Supporting your mental health

This is normal and human but if we stay in this state of high alert, our sense of uncertainty, lack of control and isolation can have a detrimental effect on our mental health. Low mood, a foggy mind, lack of sleep, despair, hopelessness, disconnection, isolation and loneliness are the result.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus is having a severe and sudden impact on our health, work, private and social lives. Many of us share similar feelings of fear and anxiety. That’s our actual, direct experience, and we can’t do very much about it. It’s called primary experience (see diagram).

Source: Green Space Coaching.

Supporting your mental health

One thought leads to another....

Unfortunately, we often cause ourselves extra unnecessary stress and pressure by following that experience up with various thoughts, emotions and judgements.

For example, you might think: “What if I catch the virus and die. Why me?” (catastrophic thought). These thoughts are mostly likely accompanied by feelings of panic and fear: “What if my loved ones catch it?” (another catastrophic thought), “What if I lose my job, my business?” (another catastrophic thought), “It’s unbearable being stuck in this country.”, “I am being pathetic” (judgements).

These kinds of reactions can proliferate and escalate. One thought leads to another, which leads to more feelings of panic, more judgements and we feel overwhelmed and isolated.

Before we know it we are drowning in a sea of despair. This is called secondary experience. How do you deal with this?

Mindfulness practice can help us come back to our primary experience, to what’s actually happening, and in doing so, it can help us maintain good mental health, to stay calm and resourceful.

Taking back control – how we respond to stress, anxiety, panic and

fear is a choice

When we become aware that our feelings of panic, fear and anxiety are caused by our own personal reaction to the situation (and not the situation itself), then choice becomes possible.

Shall I allow myself to feel panicked, scared and inadequate as I so often do or shall I respond in a different way?

Supporting your mental health

The breakthrough comes when we recognise that we don’t have to cope with all the extra negative thoughts and feelings our minds then come up with. We may still feel anxious about the current, uncertain and challenging situation and we may experience it as unpleasant and uncomfortable, but it can stop there.

Our reactions are not usually conscious, but automatic and habitual. By contrast our responses are conscious, chosen and creative.

Mindfulness practice can help us come back to our primary experience, to what’s actually happening. And in doing so, it can help us maintain good mental health, to stay calm and resourceful.

Tips on how to care for your mental health in adverse times

Get to know your circadian rhythm

What are your low points in the day? What do you do then? How do you react to and recover from periods or bursts of intense output of energy? When do you feel most vital and sharp: morning, afternoon or evening? When do you rest? Knowing your circadian rhythm informs the structure of your day.

Create a structure for your working day at home and write it down

Stick to it so you can stay grounded, focused and resourceful throughout the day. Include all meal times and breaks. Use the sample daily structure in the appendices as a starting point.

Take regular mindful breaks (before you need one)

Taking regular breaks keeps us resourceful, creative and productive throughout the day vs feeling completely wiped-out and exhausted at the end of the day. Set your alarm after 60 or 90 minutes.

Supporting your mental health

Pause 5x daily to take 3 deep breaths (it takes about 20 seconds)

Set your alarm, use an app on your smart watch or make yourself a post-it note to remember. Connecting with the body and breath in this way activates the parasympathetic nervous-system that lets the brain know that you are safe; it brings us back into our direct sensory experience (primary experience), into the here and now where we can feel safe, grounded, calm. It’s a direct antidote to spiralling off in our head (secondary experience) which activates the sympathetic nervous system, the alarm system (amygdala) of the brain.

Reduce information input

Pay attention to how often you check the news or surf the internet. Decide to watch the news two or three times a day but no more. Our mind often suffers from over-stimulation due to information overload. It dulls and clouds the mind, puts it into high alert mode and fosters negative emotion.

Practice self-care

Do one thing daily to consciously care for yourself. Caring for oneself is not selfish or self-indulgent as often thought. Self-care nourishes the mind and heart.

When that happens we feel well inside and have more to give to others too: cycling, yoga, reading, time in the garden, a bath, combing your hair, making an effort dressing yourself (even at home), eating regularly and healthily, keeping your environment clean and tidy (keeps us grounded and secure), a short nap (clears and restores the mind from over-stimulation), regular conversations with close friends.

Supporting your mental health

Have a regular practice once a week

Yoga, running, meditation, cycling, martial arts, painting, making music, baking bread, cooking, crafting, knitting etc. This is a practice not a habit. A habit slips into the background, we do it without thinking. A practice requires a re-commitment – in this it reminds us that we live lives of meaning, that we take responsibility for our wellbeing so that we can enhance the lives of others too.

Have a swim buddy

Ask a colleague to be your swim buddy and arrange to talk with each other via phone or video call once or twice daily. Share how your work day has been, what you’ve managed to do, what you’ve found challenging. Avoid going into catastrophic thinking together. Help each other come back to primary experience, to what’s actually going on, the here and now and make wise choices and decisions that are rooted in reality.

Self-kindness

One of the keys to reducing stress, panic and anxiety and increasing resilience is self-kindness. When we become more aware of our habitual reactions, we often don’t like what we notice and tend to judge ourselves harshly. This adds more unnecessary suffering.

Bringing kindness, curiosity, acceptance and friendliness to our experience, saying to yourself: “This is how I react and feel, this is human, others react and feel this way”, helps us to avoid getting caught up in negative emotions (secondary experience). Self-kindness helps us to become more emotionally robust and resilient.

Supporting your mental health

Common humanity and mindful well-wishing:

Pause several times a day, connect with the quality of your heart and from this place wish yourself and others well, hold them in your mind: colleagues, friends, loved ones, people in your neighbourhood, in your locality, throughout the world…Remember that yes, physically we distance ourselves from others right now but we are all here and in it together. We are connected with each other.

Reflection and wisdom

Take a moment to reflect on the truth of change and of our interdependence; on the frailty and preciousness of our life. It helps us relax the body and mind, helps us relax into how things are versus wishing them to be different when they are not, which takes up energy and headspace. It broadens our perspective on things and reminds us that we are not alone in this.

Source Karen Liebenguth, www.greenspacecoaching.com

Supporting your mental health

• Set your alarm to wake you up - ideally get up at the same time every day; it keeps things simple and creates routine, an antidote to chaos and lack of control.

•Breakfast

•Mindful moment – 3 deep breaths, checking in with yourself and how you are; bringing to mind your colleagues and wishing them and yourself well for the day; if you like journaling, briefly write down a few thoughts, feelings, your intention for the day.

•Work period – 60-90 minutes

•Mindful break – step to the window or garden, take 3 conscious breaths and look at the sky, really look at the formation of the clouds or the different shades of blue

•When you go to the toilet – turn washing your hands into a mindful moment; invite your awareness to the sensation of the water and the soap on your hands, the temperature of the water on your skin etc

•Work period

•Lunch break – take 45 to 60 minute for lunch away from your desk – have your lunch mindfully, enjoy the taste of the food without doing anything else while eating (eg looking at your phone, screen or watching TV); after lunch lie down for 15-20 minutes in the resting (foetus) position; it’s a wonderfully restorative posture as the body and mind can completely relax and let go of any tension.

•Work period

•Mindful break – step outside where possible into your garden– movement and nature are good for us, it clears the mind, grounds us in the body and connects us to the wider world around us.

•Work period

•End of the day mindful moment – check in with yourself again, how you are, acknowledge what you have achieved today, write down what you want to focus on the next day

•Dinner

•Mindful evening down-time: connect with a friend or loved one via phone or video call and as well as sharing how difficult times are, keep this time short and anchored in the present moment (vs spiralling off into catastrophic conversations) also share the good stuff that has happened in your day, i.e. what you have managed to achieve, the kindness of a neighbour or friend offering help, the opportunities you can see arising etc.; or choose to watch an enjoyable film vs mindlessly watching TV, the news or surfing the internet; or read a novel that you have wanted to read for a long time, play an instrument, paint, draw, do yoga, meditateEnsure that once a day you get some form of exercise, a walk or jog, bike ride etc.

Source Karen Liebenguth, www.greenspacecoaching.com

sample structure working from home

Manage the immediate ‘reply’ pressure

The great thing about platforms such as Skype and WhatsApp is that you can message whenever you want, but this is also a drawback as instant messaging can also imply instant response.

Before you know it, a colleague or a whole team has spent the whole day reacting, responding and not getting anything actually done.

It’s so easy to ping messages freely and easily, which does make it feel like your team is communicating on a regular basis but is does create information ‘silos’ and undue pressure, so the first tip is to manage mindsets and recommend standard approaches.

Ensuring managers arrange daily or weekly calls to allocate tasks or actions more clearly will be essential. Although messaging is still crucial, scheduled calls will reduce response time pressure and will help teams focus more clearly.

It’s also worth noting that if you don’t get an immediate response, it doesn’t mean that person has their feet-up watching a box-set, it may mean they’re focused on a particular task, as they would be in the office. Which leads us to the next point…

Trust, trust, trust

…We know that this period of time could be make or break for your organisation and that you’re under pressure, but your employees will know this and will want to give you their best. We’re all in the same boat and we all want the best outcomes.

This is when trust has to kick in. In simplistic terms, if an employee is not delivering it will soon become very clear. Instead, what you will find is your team will be more productive, but it will be on their terms, and, again, you will have to trust this.

If a team member needs or chooses to work in the evening or earlier in the morning, and are just as effective, if not more so, then let them do this. Homeworking style is unique to each person, and if it’s getting you and your students great results, then let them crack on!

A Manager’s guide to managing remotely

Ramp-up team meetings

Every Monday morning at 9.30am, we all login to a videoconf facility and have a team catch-up. It’s a great start to the work and makes us all feel more part of the company.

We start with a bit of informal chat and then move on to our respective updates and leave the call energised and upbeat. It’s a really valuable time for us as we don’t have the usual Monday morning ‘water cooler’ or cuppa and chat that we would if were in an office.

As your business is not currently office-based, it’s important to remember that it’s these little actions that keep teams connected, engaged and motivated.

Do check-in on employees. Homeworking is not as easy as it sounds

For some the first week or two of homeworking may be an exciting and liberating time, but take note, home working is not for everybody and it’s really important to bear this in mind throughout the Covid isolation and lockdown period.

Home working can be lonely and can impact mental health, which will be particularly heightened at this time – for everybody – as the ability to work in a café or meet with colleagues based locally has been restricted.

As an employer, it will be important to hold one-to-one check-in calls with employees to catch up and check on their well-being. We’re all vulnerable at the moment, so showing you’ve got your employee’s back is vital.

It also helps to make it clear that you don’t expect your team to be available 24×7. Your employees still need to take breaks and these will be different from in the office; for example, helping a home-schooled child, walking the dog, or simply go for a stroll. Create a remote working culture that enables this to happen. We can’t be at maximum productivity for a full working day and this is also the case at home; people do need to be made aware of this point.

Good luck, keep well and remember that we’re all in this together.

Source: www.capabilityjane.com

A Manager’s guide to managing remotely

OnLine Professional Learning courses

This course is beneficial to those who develop, educate and train other people in the sport, exercise and physical activity sector. The course content will be relevant in supporting the learning and development of fitness instructors, officials, teaching assistants, sports leaders, activators and other volunteers.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/coaching-oth-ers-coach/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 24 study hours

Coaching Others to Coach

The Open University

Online

In Take your teaching online, you will hear about the experiences of real educators, be introduced to cutting edge research, and understand the ideas and tools that shape how we teach and learn online. You will also learn useful methods that will guide you to test out these new ideas in your own practice.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/education/take-your-teaching-online/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 24 study hours

Take your Teaching

Online

The Open University

Online

Please see below courses that may be useful for you to undertake whilst working from home. Please advise Diana Archer of any completed courses in order that they can be updated on your Professional Learning record.

OnLine Professional Learning courses

• understand the benefits of resource sharing to creators (teachers), their institutions, their pupils and to those who use the resources, • evaluate a range of resource sharing sites for suitability to a personal context, • select and evaluate shared resources for use in this context, • create a learning resource for sharing with others.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/teachers-sharing-re-sources-online/content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 10 study hours

Teachers Sharing

Resources Online

The Open University

Online

This short course encourages you to look across your organisation, at your place within it and the value you create.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-business/leadership-management/com-mercial-awareness/content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 8 study hours Creative Writing and

Critical Reading

The Open University

Online

OnLine Professional Learning courses

This course, Managing virtual project teams, looks at knowledge and techniques which underpin team selection and then consider the additional expertise needed to manage teams in a virtual environment.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-business/managing-virtual-pro-ject-teams/content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 8 study hours Managing Virtual Project

Teams

The Open University

Online

This short course encourages you to look across your organisation, at your place within it and the value you create.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-business/leadership-management/com-mercial-awareness/content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 2 study hours Commercial Awareness

The Open University

Online

OnLine Professional Learning courses

• You will learn what is meant by autism, why it is considered a spectrum and how it affects different individuals and families• appreciate different approaches to understanding autism, including theoretical and clinical perspectives and personal accounts• outline key features of psychological, neurobiological and genetic explanations of autism• explain key aspects of diagnosis, intervention, education and life-span development• understand topical issues including neurodiversity perspectives, autism prevalence in women and autism in global context.

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 24 study hours

Understanding Autism

(Introduction)

The Open University

Online

This course examines legal approaches to people whose sexual orientation or gen-der identity does not conform to that of the majority. This explores how legal and social/cultural attitudes have changed significantly over time, and demonstrates how much they have changed in recent years. Legal approaches to sexual orien-tation and gender identity cover a range of different areas of law including crimi-nal, employment and family law.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/society-politics-law/politics/sexual-orienta-tion-and-gender-identity/content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab

Start Date End Date/

Duration

Course Title Provider Location

As required 10 study hours

Sexual Orientation

and Gender Identity

The Open University

Online