Working from Home Manifesto

This month is Feel Good February at Cornwall 365, and we are exploring activities and approaches to improve our wellbeing. In this guest blog Jody Woolcock shares Cornwall Museums Partnership’s Working from Home Manifesto and the ways they are staying connected during the pandemic. 

During the last 12 months, we have all experienced a sudden shift in how and where we work. Lockdown has taught us adaptability, but it has also brought with it many challenges.

As part of its commitment to the wellbeing of its workforce, Cornwall Museums Partnership designed a working from home manifesto put in place to help support the team to continue to work remotely. Some of the manifesto was drawn up from the team’s collective contributions after reflecting on the challenges of working from home during lockdown. Other elements were from research conducted by CMP.

Since the working from home manifesto has been released, the team has continued working remotely. CMP strives to make the working day as easy and flexible as possible, taking into account that a typical 9-5 day does not suit everyone’s circumstances.

The working from home manifesto helped maintain a sense of team and has given employees the opportunity to work in a way that best fits with their day to day lives and lockdown challenges. Team members say, it has brought the team closer together, even though they are further apart.

Having these simple yet effective steps in place has helped to ensure that the charity can continue to deliver its public benefit and protect staff wellbeing. It has created a new working environment that suits each member of the team in a more individual and holistic way.

The Manifesto 

• No one can be productive 100% of the time. Remote working can be draining, and you might find your energy dips. Don’t worry. Take some time away from the laptop to do something which replenishes you – take a walk, do something creative, listen to some music or a podcast. Please share anything you find enjoyable with other colleagues on Slack.
• Take a wellbeing break – If you think your mental health is suffering and you are feeling overwhelmed, please take some time out. Talk to your line manager about taking some extra time off (in certain circumstances CMP can offer additional paid leave for those who need a wellbeing break). Please don’t wait until things get really bad before you discuss this with your line manager.
• Work the hours that suit you – for example it’s fine to start earlier and finish earlier if you want to make sure you have some time outside when it is still light.
• Keep an eye on your hours – Clockify can help you see if you are working too much. If a pattern of excessive hours is emerging, talk to your line manager about strategies to address this.
• Be a proactive communicator – show up to the Monday morning catch up if you can and be prepared to talk through your week ahead and flag up anything colleagues need to know.
• Be sociable: Tuesday and Thursday ‘afternoon tea’ catch ups are open to everyone and Wednesday morning Fun Palace sessions are where you can come and learn something new from a colleague or share your skills with your team members. These sessions are open to all but not compulsory. Try the ‘quiet zoom’ sessions if you’d like to reconnect with colleagues.
• Find a ‘thought partner’, someone who is not your line manager, who you feel you can share and explore work issues or challenges with, and vice versa. Schedule time to speak to one another when issues or opportunities arise and another perspective would help.
• Refer to the Mind Working From Home Wellness Action Plan.
• Try the Yale University Wellness Course for further insights.
• Do the 16 Personalities test and share it if you want to. Reflect on your communication style and that of your team members – what is it like to be on the receiving end of you? How do you like to give and receive feedback?
• Celebrate the small successes (as well as the big ones). You could keep a ‘done list’ instead of a ‘to do’ one, a simple technique to help you avoid feeling overwhelmed. Use the digital postcards to recognise others’ contributions and achievements.
• Take your holiday throughout the year including during lockdown.
• Assume everyone is doing their best (and read up on Brene Brown’s thoughts on this).

 Will you be trying out of these tips? Or perhaps you have your own manifesto? Let us know info@cornwall365.com 

Thanks to Cornwall Museum’s Partnership.