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Working in a Crisis

As the current global situation develops, and increasingly people have to work from home, it is more important than ever that people take time to look after themselves and the work they do.

The Academic Careers Office are committed to supporting the research community at this difficult time. We are pulling together resources together that will help navigate the challenges posed by working remotely for the forseeable future. This will be a work in progress and we are always open to hear about any resources you have come accross. If you want to get touch, drop an email to our Programme Officer Alex via a.teale@ucl.ac.uk. 

Support from UCL

  • UCL Support Services during COVID-19 outbreak has been created by UCL HR services and Occupational Health and is packed with details on general wellbeing, the Employee Assistance Scheme and details of how to register for the online CBT programme, SilverCloud.
  • Remote, not distant at UCL is a hub of resources dedicated to advising staff on how to work from home, and support their colleagues. 
  • PACT is the UCL specific website offering support to staff and students who are parents or carers and need advice on how to balance these responsibilities with work. They have created a specific Microsoft Teams chat for people to stay in contact and share relevent infomation at this time. If you would like to join, the link is here.
  • Academics Need to Talk is a brand new global networking initiative which hopes to keep Academics and Researchers in contact with each other. Open to all regardless of instituion, career stage or discipline. 
  • Managing the transition to home schooling is from the IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society and covers all aspects of how to adapt your child to studying at home. 
  • COVID-19 Impact on Research Funding provides infomation for anyone whose work is funding-based and needs clarification on what implications are emerging. 
  • The Freedom Trap is a study conducted at UCL about remote working and what measures you should take in order to make the most of it. 
  • Professor Anna L Cox, a Vice-Dean at UCL, also wrote a really informative blog post about working from home based on research she had looked at. 

Mental Health and Wellbeing 

  • Sanctus is a website dedicated to promoting better mental wellbeing in the workplace. They have created a dedicated blog post around how to work from home, while still looking after your mental health and being productive. 
  • The British Medical Journal have published a blog piece on their opinion page focusing on the wellbeing on NHS Doctors and how it is now more important that ever that they look after themselves.
  • Hintsa have created a webinar discussing the merits of remote working and to optimise the work you can produce while at work. 
  • MIND the mental health charity have also created a dedicated section of their website to supporting your mental health during this current pandemic.
  • Every Mind Matters is the dedicated website from the NHS about looking after your mental health during this COVID-19 outbreak. 
  • The CDC has also got a great deal of infromation about coping with stress and anxiety.
  • The Charity Finance Group have also compiled a webpage of signposting to useful resources relating to coping with the current pandemic.  

For Parents

  • BBC is channelling a lot of effort into their online presence at the moment to help people who are isolating. If you are a parent, they have lots of activites and ideas on how to keep your children occupied at this time. 
  • TodaysParent also has a great blog post on how to keep children active in the house.
  • The Scouts have started a new incentive called 'The Great Indoors' which they have released for free on their website. It is packed with various activities you can do with children indoors.
  • Child Trends have also pulled together a number of resources designed to help support childrens mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak. 
  • Huffington Post has spoken to a couple who have been isolating in China with small children. They have some great tips on how to manage the isolation, children and schooling. 
  • Young Minds are also offering advice on how to tackle talking to your child about the COVID-19 crisis in a sensible, practical way. 

Keeping Active

  • The Guardian have also been pooling a list of online resources to help you exercise and keep fit while working from home. 
  • The NHS also has various exercise videos on their website describing various workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home.