Joint statement from the Director of Human Resources and the SU President

This joint message from the SU and the RCS highlights the need to be aware of each other at this challenging time.

Some staff and students will be dealing with complex arrangements at home; the juggling of family/caring responsibilities, being partners of key workers, responsible for the shielded etc. These are just some of the challenges that are being faced on a personal level.

Add to that the differing circumstances and differing facilities at home which impact on our activity to deliver teaching or to receive and fully participate in the learning on offer.

Staff are reporting feeling pressurised to deliver as near a full programme as they can and students are reporting feeling stressed by the expectations on them to be as fully receptive as they would be in class.

It is good that we acknowledge the stresses and strains on everyone at this time.

We need to recognise simply how tiring dealing with all of this can be and to give each other some time and space to deal with it all.

With that in mind, the importance of treating yourself and others with kindness can’t be understated.

We would ask that staff and students take stock at the moment of what their expectations are of each other- that students recognise that staff are feeling the strain of moving quickly to on line delivery and their desire to provide as much teaching and individual support as possible and that staff recognise the impact of the different form of delivery of lessons, the impact of the loss of their class based support and fellow students.

It would be really helpful if students and staff within departments could find opportunities to discuss what they are finding challenging together, as this may facilitate finding ways to reduce screen time and the associated stresses and pressures for all involved, without compromising the learning experience.

We all need to give each other some space and time as we move forward.

Please give consideration to each other at this time.

Your home ‘office’

At work you’ve got the necessary equipment for a good work station and your H&S team on hand to help you out but at home, you might be at your dining table on an uncomfortable chair. Some key points are summarised below but please review the info-sheet prepared by our Health and Safety Team for detailed guidance.

Your chair: As it is unlikely that you will have an adjustable chair you can try to get into an ideal sitting position using a cushion or pillow (folded in half) to sit on and a rolled-up towel against your lower back for lumbar support. Make sure that your feet are planted on the floor. If you can’t do this use a biscuit tin, Tupperware container or similar as a footrest.

Your screen: Raise your laptop/tablet up using books, biscuit tins etc. as best you can. You may not achieve the ideal position but aim to raise your laptop/tablet by a minimum of 15 cm. Your eyes should naturally hit the top third of your screen when you are looking straight ahead. Even a small height adjustment should help. The goal is to avoid dropping your head as much as possible to try and avoid neck and shoulder strain.

Mouse and keyboard: If you are raising up your laptop/tablet use an external keyboard and mouse so that you are not working with your arms too high. If you don’t have these just keep your laptop flat on the table but take regular breaks (every 15 mins) as your arms will tire.

Screen glare: Try and use natural light as much as possible.

Check out this LinkedIn – Setting yourself up for home working. article for some additional information.

 

Hints and Tips

Try the Pomodoro technique to help you focus and work more productively during lockdown. The timer below will help you keep track as you work for 25 minutes and then break for 5 mins over a 2 hour period.