Here at Lancashire Mind we're entering our fourth week of working from home, and I'm not going to lie, the return to ‘not so normal’ work after the bank holiday weekend has been a little tricky. I am sure I echo the thoughts of many others when I say I'm missing the daily office routine. Whether it's descending into fits of giggles over something daft one of us has said or sampling the baking skills of one of our many talented team members, normality (is there ever actually such a thing?) beckons. The novelty of being 30 seconds away from my home fridge is wearing a little thin!

That being said, I have also found myself reflecting on how lucky we are to be part of the supportive Lancashire Mind community. During this tricky time, it is more important than ever to check in with those around us. While this may no longer be possible in a physical sense, the merits of modern communication have become more recognisable than ever, allowing us to take our community virtual.

Here are some of the ways we have been keeping in touch with each other, whilst following social distancing measures:

Wellbeing Champion activities

At Lancashire Mind we have members of staff who have taken on the role of Wellbeing Champions, which amongst other things involves hosting wellbeing activities for the full staff team. One of these activities has been our Friday Five O’clock Pub Quiz! The quiz has proven successful, and it has been lovely to not only see the wonderful faces of our colleagues, but cameos from members of their families too.

One real positive that has come out of this odd period is feeling like I’ve got to see a more personal side of my co-workers. This is especially true for those who work in different teams, and I haven’t had as much chance to get to know.

Virtual team meeting

When it was first proposed, the plans to take our full team meeting online left me curious as to how well we could bring everyone together and ensure that connections were made across our team of over 30 staff members. By some clever planning and utilisation of skills within the team, we were able to take part in a packed schedule of work and wellbeing. This included lunchtime yoga with Wellbeing Coach Kirsty and a skill building British Sign Language lesson with Operations Manager Amy. A personal highlight of the day was our ‘Storytelling Through Objects’ session, which involved funny, moving and fascinating stories from our co-workers.

The past month certainly hasn’t been an easy one, but it has highlighted the importance of connection, and reminded me what a fabulous group of people I get to share my days with year round.

Amy

Lancashire Mind is a company limited by guarantee (company number 3888655) and a registered charity in England and Wales (registered number 1081427) at 80-82 Devonshire Road, Chorley, Lancs, PR7 2DR. Lancashire Mind are registered with the Fundraising Regulator. For all enquiries, call us on 01257 231660.
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