These webpages are intended to support Hope staff whether working from home or continuing to provide essential services on campus during the Coronavirus outbreak.
The External Relations team will be continuing to keep us updated via the Staff Bulletin. Please continue to send stories to goodnews@hope.ac.uk for the wider Hope community.
The Coronavirus webpage will continue to be updated with FAQs and key links to NHS, Government and other sources of information.
Please visit our Covid-19 Volunteering web page for updates on what the Hope community is doing and what you can do to help the local community at this time. If you would like to contact the volunteering team please email covid19volunteering@hope.ac.uk.
Specsavers opens for routine appointments
Specsavers are open again for routine appointments. If you require an eye test specifically in relation to Display Screen Equipment use, please see the University
Eye Testing Scheme.
Zoom-free Fridays
One of the ways in which we have had to adapt in the past 16 weeks is to change the way we communicate and meet with others, and many of us have turned to video calling platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet. This way of working has replaced face-to-face and telephone conversations, but when over-used video meetings can create fatigue in a way that other conversations don’t, due to factors such as increased screen time, fewer non-verbal cues, different visual stimuli and technical issues such as poor audio and lost connections.
In order to raise awareness and to encourage reflection on our use of video calling platforms, the University Senior Executive Team are supporting a series of ‘Zoom Free Fridays’ in July and August where video meetings are to be avoided as much as possible.
When reflecting on our use of video calling platforms, here are a few suggestions for minimising potential fatigue:
- Avoid scheduling back to back meetings
- Take regular mini breaks
- Review whether a video meeting is required-would a phone call or an email be an alternative?
- Review whether everyone needs to be at the video meeting
- Reduce visual stimuli by using audio only from time to time on a video calling platforms
- Look away from the screen from time to time into the distance to rest your eyes
- Avoid multi-tasking try not to look at email and other screens at the same time as a meeting
The university already provides more general advice for colleagues working from home.
Hope Bulletins
This is going to be a challenging time for us all, whether we already have a mental health condition, are worried about our own health or that of others, or finding the current situation overwhelming. In addition, we will all have to get used to a changed world of working from home, new routines in the home and social distancing.
There are lots of resources and advice available:
ALMA is Cheshire and Merseyside’s dedicated health and wellbeing website.
On ALMA you’ll find information and resources that will support your physical and mental wellbeing during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Launched at the beginning of April 2020, it includes access to three intensive online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) courses, which focus on dealing with stress and anxiety, building mental resilience and getting better quality sleep.
These courses have been developed by health and care professionals and offer a personalised and curated experience.
As well as this, users will have access to a knowledge base of health and wellbeing apps that have been evaluated by a medical professional for their clinical effectiveness.
The range of apps includes mental wellbeing, exercise and diet, smoking cessation, sleep, and much more.
https://www.almahealth.co.uk/
NHS Every Mind Matters
Comprehensive advice from the NHS, including hints and tips, access to a personalised Mind Plan, and helplines and what to do if you need urgent help.
Mind
Information and support from Mind, including a Coronavirus and mental wellbeing hub, and information about self-care.
Mental Health First Aid England
This is a useful guide about supporting your mental health while working from home
The Mental Health Foundation
Good advice about looking after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak
University Counselling services
The University provides a counselling service for staff, this is a chance to take time out and take stock if you are facing difficulties or challenges in some aspect of your life. You can explore these with a counsellor. They will offer some immediate insights and coping strategies as appropriate and suggest possible ways forward using the most relevant approaches for you.
Staff counselling is provided by an external provider, Counselling Solutions Northwest. They can be contacted direct:
Phone: 0151 285 3777
Web: https://sites.google.com/site/counsellingsolutionsnorthwest/contact-us
Email: info@counsellingsolutionsnorthwest.co.uk
Education Support Partnership
The Education Support Partnership provides a 24 hours helpline to all staff working in education. There is also a web chat and email service.
Phone: 08000 562 561
Text: 07909 341 229
E-mail: support@edsupport.org.uk
Live chat link: www.educationsupport.org.uk/helping-you/email-support
Web: www.educationsupport.org.uk/
Do you need urgent help?
NHS health helpline
For medical advice phone 111.
Samaritans 24/7 helpline
If you need to talk to someone in confidence, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on:
Tel: 116 123
E-mail: jo@samaritans.org
Web: www.samaritans.org
Talk Liverpool
A list of local and national services if you need urgent help.
Web: https://www.talkliverpool.nhs.uk/urgent-help/
Other Resources
Mind
NHS
Hub of Hope
Anxiety UK
Wellbeing
Working from home might allow you a bit of time to think about your mental health and wellbeing more generally.
Five Ways to Wellbeing has become a popular framework within which to think about your wellbeing
https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/taking-care-of-yourself/five-ways-to-wellbeing/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/
https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/resources/recovery-and-wellbeing/five-ways-to-wellbeing
Stress
Mental Health First England have created a helpful explanation about stress and resilience.
Mind have lots of information about stress.
If you are worried about work-related stress, speak to your line manager. If you want to spend some time thinking about work-related stress, there is a useful Work Pressure Identification Proforma you could use while at home to structure your thoughts.
NHS Scotland have created a comprehensive workbook to help people who feel that they are suffering from stress
Domestic Abuse
If you, or someone you know, is affected by domestic abuse, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline can be called, for free and in confidence, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247.
There is also advice available in relation to domestic abuse and coronavirus, from Women’s Aid and the Home Office.
The Men’s Advice Line is a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse and those supporting them. It can be contacted on 0808 801 0327.
You may also wish to download the free Bright Sky mobile app, which provides support and information to anyone who may be experiencing domestic abuse or is concerned about someone in this situation.
Familiarise yourself with The Silent Solution system. If you call 999, an operator will ask which emergency service is required. If you are unable to speak for fear being overheard, you can press 55. The operator will then transfer the call to the relevant police force as an emergency.
If it is safe to do so, you email your manager or hr manager to ask for help.
Everyone can play their part in helping those experiencing domestic abuse. http://uksaysnomore.org/listening-from-home/
The new
#ListeningFromHome domestic abuse awareness campaign is encouraging family members, friends, colleagues and neighbours to be aware of, and report, signs of domestic abuse whilst the UK is in lockdown. The campaign advises:
- Check-in with victims but be mindful that communication channels may be monitored
- Call 999 if you are concerned for someone’s safety – the police are continuing to offer the same level of support as always
- Use Hestia’s Bright Sky app to contact specialist domestic abuse services
Bereavement, grief and loss
We are encouraging staff to think about the following if they are working from home. We expect line mangers to stay in close contact with their teams, so that colleagues can stay in touch, share ideas, work together and raise any issues or concerns if they need to:
- if at all possible, try to set up a consistent temporary, or permanent, work area that will allow for a focus on work and separate work life from personal life
- establish a daily work routine with regular scheduled breaks away from your work area
- remember to stretch regularly
- change work position if you can, for example, if you don’t have a permanent desk set up, you could use a laptop and stand at your kitchen counter
- make sure to get some fresh air at lunchtime
- establish a daily work plan and try to proactively manage distractions which might interrupt focus
- build opportunities to connect with others into the day, whether this is with work colleagues or with friends during lunch breaks
- set ground rules if others occupy your work space to minimise you being disturbed at work, if possible
- if others occupy your workspace consider confidentiality regarding work calls and work materials
- remain aware of GDPR issues
- end the day with a routine that indicates the close of the working day
Setting up your workstation
A Working from Home Self-assessment Checklist has been made available to your line manager for their individual team members. It can also be found here (link to document). Please return this to your line manager and raise any issues identified with them.
Guidance on setting up DSE (display screen equipment) can be found here.
- If you are using a laptop, but don’t have a stand, you can use a lever arch file to tilt the keyboard, and get the top of the screen to eye level; or try storecupboard ingredients such as packs of pasta. If you have a spare keyboard and mouse to connect to the laptop, this would be ideal.
- If you are using an ipad, try to get the top of the screen in line with your eye level by using books or a box. If you have a Bluetooth keyboard, this would be ideal, but you could also use the microphone to minimise the amount of typing that you do.
- Change position regularly, and consider using your DSE standing up by using your kitchen counter or ironing board to raise the level.
- Please do discuss any DSE issues with your line manager.
Training whilst working from home
Although staff working from home, will be expected to fulfil duties to the best of their ability. Staff are also encouraged to complete the mandatory Equality and Diversity and GDPR (Data protection legislation that came into place on 25th May 2018) E-Learning modules. If you haven’t already completed both modules, now is the perfect time. If you have already completed both modules, you can still log on and retake the modules as a refresher.
There are also other training resources available including Mental Health modules, resources for making a direct application to the Academic resources, a Modern Slavery E-module and links to other free training resources available in many different areas.
The Training Resources can be found on ‘My Hope’, and in the Staff Gateway under Training Resources.
If you have any questions or require any support, please contact Shauna Anton on antons@hope.ac.uk.
Feeling isolated or anxious about work?
If you aren’t able to contact your line manager, please contact your HR Manager by email
Hints and tips for working at home
https://www.leapers.co/resources/little-guides/coronavirus-working-from-home
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51868894
https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/working-remotely-top-tips-uk-v2_tcm18-73295.pdf
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/tips-working-home-children
https://information.remploy.co.uk/acton/media/12273/how-to-be-a-healthy-homeworker-resource-page?sid=TV2:pFiiqZipi
