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Live well work well during COVID19

Resources

Read Robertson Cooper's latest research and guides designed to help you unlock more Good Days at Work

As part of the ongoing response to COVID-19 we want to extend our support to the Imperial College London community by maintaining and updating our resources, and where necessary developing new ones. We know that for many social distancing measures have led to a huge change to your way of life, increased uncertainty, and new challenges. This page draws together new and existing resources to support staff especially during the Coronavirus outbreak.

More general information about looking after your mental health at work is available here.

Wellbeing whilst remote working

The pace and complexity of work are only increasing, and given the changes in play now that some of us are remote working and socially distancing, this adds another layer to the puzzle of work in our modern world. While none of us can necessarily say we have chosen this way of working, it may be helpful to try and see this as a different time in our lives and not necessarily a bad one. As we’re all settling into this different rhythm of work, we wanted to share three fundamental principles that will set you up for success while remote working.

Principle 1: Routine

Waking up - maintaining a routine is essential. While we may feel that we can steal a bit more sleep time in the morning because we haven’t got the commute to contend with, setting the same time to get up each day is an excellent idea because it helps us maintain a proper rhythm for the day ahead. When getting ready in the morning, try to maintain a routine, so think about getting dressed as close as you usually would for the office, and that will help set that work mindset ready for the day.

Principle 2: Environment

Workstation - we recommend you set up a space at home, and if possible, not your bedroom. This will help you switch off later. The following resources will help you set yourself up for success:

Get moving during breaks - look online. Some gyms are live-streaming classes. Joe Wicks is doing a great online PE class. YouTube has some great yoga videos – start by searching Yoga With Adrienne.

Principle 3: Connection

Once you’re set up, we recommend taking a few minutes to focus on your communication priorities: Which people are most important? What channels are most important? Which resources will you find most helpful right now? Who needs your contact the most? (e.g. an isolated colleague, an elderly family member). It’s tempting to join every online meeting and group chat, but we also have to preserve our energy for the long haul. This is likely to be a marathon rather than a sprint.

While we are adapting to the new work styles, whether you’re using Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts or Whatsapp groups, short check-in calls with colleagues at the start and end of the workday are a great way to maintain a social connection. If you usually meet with others regularly, set Q&A sessions at specific times for colleagues to dial in and chat through any concerns or queries, they have about working from home.

Virtual social sessions - turning your morning or afternoon coffee break into a video or phone coffee break with a friend or colleague is a great idea. Get on video calls or phone with friends. Say “Hi”, and share your workspace.

The central message: social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation. Hence, whether it's Microsoft teams or Whatsapp groups, connect, stay in touch, and maintain your wellbeing.

You can join the Yammer group Remote Working Wellbeing to find tips and resources and share what’s working for you and your team.

Physical wellbeing

Mental wellbeing

Leading and managing remotely

Support for parents and carers

Professional Development

Grief and loss

Recent circumstances have led many of us to experience feelings of grief and loss of freedom, access to friends and family, and easy access to the familiar community of our workplace. Some of us have also experienced illness, grief and loss of financial security given the challenging health, social and economic circumstances. It is understandable if we find this difficult and tiring; there is a combination of what may be natural in our lives and has been incredibly unusual on a rapid and worldwide scale.

No loss is ever easy – the circumstances require us to adapt, change and apply resilient behaviours to address personal challenges. For others, such as the loss of loved ones, there is no way to resolve or ‘fix’ what has been changed practically; we need lots of self-compassion, support and patience. We can recognise the resulting emotional upheaval of all losses in the Kubler-Ross change curve. Mental and physical signs can exhibit and be addressed, much like the signs of stress, anxiety or depression. We may also experience survivor guilt if we perceive others to have had a more challenging time than us.

Managers and individuals need to understand that we all have different responses to loss, depending on our backgrounds, personalities and current situations. Research on post-traumatic growth has shown that humans can adapt and learn to find meaning and things we value, even in the most challenging circumstances. Often, the most helpful thing we can do is be willing to ask and express, what will help us, but you may wish to access further resources and support:

External resources include:

Life. Death. Whatever. (@lifedeathwhat) - in this community, grievers of all kinds share stories of what they've learned from love and loss.
The Grief Gang (@thegriefgang) - download podcasts for many heart-hitting interviews, advice for grief supporters and host Amber Jeffrey's hard-relate experiences.
The Dinner Party (@the dinner party) - sign up to be matched with a table near you and join a like-minded group expressing how they feel about death over dinner.
Let's Talk About Loss (@talkaboutloss) - with 20 active groups across the country. They host monthly get together for the bereaved 18 to 30 years old - from pub trips to ten-pin bowling.
Cruse Bereavement Care - Cruse's free national helpline is staffed by trained bereavement volunteers, who are available to offer emotional support five days a week.
The book: Grief Works by Julia Samuel - features a range of real-life stories. Grief Works provides comfort and clear advice for those facing loss and those helping them through it.
What's your grief - A website and resources run by mental health professionals to provide hope, support and education to those affected by a loss.