What's working like for you?
Tuesday, 23 June 2020
The coronavirus lockdown has changed the way we work individually, with our own teams and with other teams at the University. Whether we are working from home or are working on the campus, each of us is adapting in our own way to these changed circumstances. Each week, we will share the experience of some of our colleagues.
Luke Cantellow is the Energy Officer within the Sustainability Team. The Team manage the University’s impact on the local and global environment by embedding sustainability across the University.
We asked Luke how the lockdown had affected his work:
“Having to work from home was at first a shock to the system having always worked in an office environment. This was exaggerated for me as I am having to shield because of a medical condition which can lead to feeling a bit claustrophobic. That said, not having to drive has filled me with optimism on the impact that we can have by not traveling. Without knowing it, this has really helped my wellbeing: just having the time to eat a proper breakfast and play with the dogs in the garden has transformed my mornings before work.
“Though working with a fantastic team and some really interesting projects keeps me engaged. This JUMP platform continues to run and as part of this (a first for me) we organised a Virtual Donation Ceremony. This annual event couldn’t be face to face but we wanted to show appreciation for the work colleagues are doing in taking responsibility for acting sustainably. The virtual event was well received by all those who attended. I think that the best lesson learnt from this was to consider people’s working patterns. We made it an open invitation so colleagues didn’t feel under pressure to attend.
“The lockdown also presents a unique opportunity to reflect on what sustainability might look like in the future. Partly this will be down to how we run our estate but also how we change some of our travel practices. Having most of our buildings closed has let us have a real to dive into what our buildings are doing and see if there are any changes we can make to maximise their sustainability. With no international travel possible recently are there lessons that can be learned from this? Are the things that we are not doing now that we can carry on not doing in the future? All of this will help inform the Environmental Strategy which in turn will lead to achieving our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.
“It feels as if some change is inevitable but also that we are all in this together and, working collaboratively, will open doors to new ideas and solutions. One of the challenges we will face this year is to deliver the University’s Green Festival in an interactive and engaging way. Keep up to date with our plans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”
This is part of a series of articles on what new ways of working have been like for colleagues.