Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we’ve have to adapt to some drastic changes to our normal way of life. For colleagues who are working parents, the biggest change will most likely have been home-schooling.
Juggling the demands of a working week alongside daily school work has been a challenge for many, and however you adapted to manage the two tasks, be proud of what you’ve achieved, no matter how big or small that achievement might be.
As term time draws to a close, the prospect of occupying children during the school holidays may be just as daunting as home-schooling was when lockdown first began. Your health and wellbeing remains our number one priority so below you’ll find a few suggestions and resources that will hopefully help to take the stress out of the school holidays.
Book annual leave
It’s really important to book leave as being able to focus on family time supports good mental and physical health for you and your children/dependants. Although travel restrictions are still in place (check the UK.Gov website for full details) more and more holiday destinations in the UK and abroad are reopening. But you don’t need to have a holiday booked to have a holiday from work. Plan days out, organise activities at home and visit friends and family; remember to adhere to the latest government guidelines of course!
Note: During our period of reduced working hours, you’ll retain your full holiday entitlement based on your full time hours. Read page 5 in our Focusing on the Future guide for how to manage your holiday leave in myHR Portal.
Webinar – Surviving the Summer: Family, Work and Mental Health
In this 60 minute webinar from This Can Happen, a company dedicated to empowering workplace mental health, guest speaker Dr Judith Mohring, Consultant Psychiatrist, presents ‘Surviving the Summer: Family, Work and Mental Health’ in which she discusses how we all cope with our previous expectations of what we can deliver at home and at work, and how to adapt to current circumstances. Watch the webinar here.
Find out more about This Can Happen and view their other resources here.
Work flexibly
We’re proud to be able to offer an inclusive environment for our people that aligns to our Core Values, empowering everyone to be at their best with the support of flexible working. During these unprecedented times we’re continuing to encourage teams to explore ways of working that benefit both the business and each other – read more here. If you need to flex your working pattern over the next few weeks, have a conversion with your line manager – find out more about flexible working conversations here.
Printable activities
Our Youth Team have a well stocked library of printable activities that have proved popular with children in the kids’ clubs on board. They’ve shared 50 of their favourites for everyone to access and print at home. Activities include cooking, crafting and colouring and are suitable for children up to approximately age 11. View all the printable activities here.
Government guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic
As the current pandemic continues, the school holidays will feel very different for your family. To support ongoing conversations about Covid-19, the UK Government has produced guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing as, regardless of their age, this may be a difficult time for them. Some may react immediately, while others may show signs of difficulty later on. Read their resources and guidance here.
WHO information leaflets
WHO (World Health Organisation) has created a series of practical information leaflets covering a whole host of topics relevant to family life. Covering all ages and family types, they provide bitesize advice for both parents and children. Click on the links below to read more.
- One on one time
- Keeping it positive
- Structure up
- When children missbehave
- Keep calm and manage stress
- Talking about Covid-19
- Keeping children safe online
- Family harmony at home
- Family budgeting
- When we get angry
- Learning through play
- Parenting in crowded homes and communities
- Tips for children with disabilies
- Parenting a new baby
This Can Happen recommend that we all ACT during the holidays; really simple steps to help you manage your school holiday situation:
ADD: some sunshine, outdoor time, camping, crafts, play dates, kids social time, wild swimming etc.
CHANGE: location, routine, self care schedule, activities
TAKE AWAY: work (turn off devices for the holiday)