| Wow. It's September and 'la rentrée' begins. I'm a big fan of the French way of doing things. Shut up shop for August to concentrate on family and adventures, with a return to normalcy signalled by September and la rentrée. La rentrée is more than the return to school, which is a big deal in most cultures. It's a time to catch up with friends, clubs and work. It's about getting back to real life. It's usually a time of optimism and opportunity, and I imagine thousands of UK parents will be gleefully corralling their kids towards the school gates this week. This year there is of course increased anxiety too. People have lost their jobs. Those still in jobs are anxious about what the future holds, and questioning their own futures. The government seems to want us back in the office, whilst most of us are only too happy to retain at least the flexibility of choice about where we work for the medium term future. Old stereotypes around presenteeism risk coming to the fore, despite many of us believing that the Great British Work from Home experiment had all but proven we are able to work effectively where we want to, thank you very much. Parents have had a particularly tough time with many kids at home for over 5 months now. Their difficulties will continue as wrap around care is next to impossible to source right now, and kids are likely to be told to stay at home with minor coughs and colds. Plus there are those with weakened immune systems for whom this period presents a very real health risk. This morning, sat at my desk, looking out at the beautiful weather (sunny but with a chill in the air - my favourite kind of day) I am feeling optimistic. However I've had days of feeling very low about the prospect of spending the next four months in this room without much face to face interaction. Belonging is a fundamental need of every man, woman and child and I see creating a culture of belonging without face to face interaction as one of the biggest challenges businesses are facing right now. Finances are hard in most businesses right now, and yet inclusion work is absolutely vital. Learning is one of mental health 'five a day' and needs to stay on the radar. We also need to make sure we don't lose our hard won ground on creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace - and I fear that parents are not going to come out of this well in terms of career progression. So what are we doing to support you in recharging for La Rentrée? |
| Affordable support package We've put together a programme of webinars and coaching, with different themes each week. We'll be kicking off with 'Managing your energy and motivation when working from home'. Individuals can sign up, or companies can buy bulk places. It's £15 for a webinar, £35 for group coaching and £85 for 1:1 coaching. Here's a video to explain it further. Click here to book your space"Consciously making time to discuss mental and emotional wellbeing made me a better employee and teammate. I left each session I attended with a stronger sense of self and peace, which translated to better working outcomes, patience with teammates, and better ideas while collaborating." |
| E-learning Our e-learning diversity modules are now up on the website. Hurray! We have seven modules ranging from Racial & Ethnic Diversity to Neurodiversity. Again, individuals can purchase the courses or you can bulk buy for your company (with discounts in place for buying 50+). They are a great way to encourage independent learning about the diversity issues we are all grappling with. Click here to find out more"The racial and ethnic diversity module put together by the Hobbs Consultancy is both quick to engage and thought provoking. The content has been curated really well into a structure where users can learn at their own pace and dive into more detail if they want to. I really enjoyed completing the course and learnt so much from it. I would highly recommend that all businesses invest in it to educate their team members as part of a drive to create more inclusive workplaces." ~ Aliya Vigor-Robertson, Founding Partner, Journey HR |