member

Despite growing up and spending the vast majority of my life living in Norwich, I haven’t really been to the seaside town of Great Yarmouth that many times, despite it being only 20 miles away. I certainly never imagined finding work there. I’ve visited Yarmouth for business three times since Christmas this year, secured one piece of business with a local company and now it’s looking like Naked Element could be securing some more.   I’ve been fascinated by engineering since a young age. From the differential which helped drive the Lego car I had as a child, to internal combustion engines, power stations and large ships and planes, I like to know how things, big and small, work. When I was younger I even wrote to the BBC’s Playschool programme to find out how their clock worked and received a photo and a full explanation in response (I wish I still had them now).   So when a Norfolk Chamber breakfast offered the opportunity to hear from a senior member of Seajacks, who own and run some of the most advanced off-shore equipment in the world, I was very excited. I enjoy the breakfasts and networking at the chamber anyway, the big machines were a real bonus!   After the customary speed networking, which is a great way to mix up the room and help you meet people, and the breakfast itself, John Vingoe, Operations Manager at Seajacks, told us about their largest vessel, the Scylla, and how it would be used to help build the East Anglia One windfarm off the coast of Great Yarmouth between July and October of 2018. The Scylla is a Gusto MSC NG14000X multipurpose jack-up which is home to 130 crew, has a massive deck area of 5000m2, can operate in waters down to a depth of 65m and does up to 12 knots. It’s a beast and will be used to install concrete jackets for the wind farm.   But what’s really great about Seajacks is their commitment to source locally and where they can, they do! There are, of course, some specialist equipment and skills which are not available locally. The East Anglia One wind farm operation will be based out of a port in the Netherlands and although equipment and labour is available in the Netherlands, Seajacks will be flying over its people and supplies from the local area, even though there is a modest extra cost.   The slowdown in the oil and gas industry and its effect, especially on employment in Great Yarmouth, is widely known. Seajacks weathered the storm in a unique way by redistributing its crew around different vessels. John described to us how usually a ship’s company is hired and released as needed on a per vessel basis.   This was Caroline Williams, CEO of Norfolk Chamber’s, last Great Yarmouth breakfast before she moves on to pastures new after 17 years. I’d like to thank Caroline personally for the help, advice, support and friendly engagement she has given me over the last few years since Naked Element has been a Chamber member. I wish Caroline every success in the future and look forward to bumping into her, as I am sure I will!   Networking takes time. It’s not unusual to come away from a Chamber event having started to build some excellent relationships, but without much more than a warm lead. From this Great Yarmouth Chamber breakfast I came away with two solid leads and another demonstrating future potential. A morning well spent!

When equipping an office with new commercial blinds, functionality is one of the most important factors. Particularly vibrant colours are unlikely to be suitable, but it will depend on your office and the environment you’re trying to create. In the majority of cases though, neutral colour schemes and timeless corporate colours are a safe bet.

Points you should be considering:

• Are you decorating for a single company or for a floor which will be host to several businesses?
• Are you looking for privacy?
• How long do you want the blinds to last?
• Have you got any guidelines on style or colour?
• Do they need to fit with an existing colour scheme?

There might be more things to consider as well, but consider these a starting point.

First things first: which commercial blinds will be best for the space. Functionality and the kind of blinds you choose tend to go hand in hand. Typically an office space will use vertical blinds or a roller blind.

Unlike the sorts of blinds you might be purchasing for use in the home, blinds in offices primarily need to keep light out effectively. Glare can affect how well your employees are able to work on a day to day basis. Reflections and an ability to properly see the screen are all part of it. Even if your staff don’t regularly use computer screens, they will still run in to trouble if they’re having to compete with bright sunshine on a regular basis.

Most commercial blinds will need offer a degree of privacy. The amount needed will often depend how visible the office is. For example, you might need more privacy in a ground floor space than you would from a third floor open plan office.

Blinds can also be used in between offices to offer more privacy. Glass walls look stylish but mean your meeting rooms can be quite visible. A simple horizontal blinds are ideal, as they can be adjusted and folded away when they aren’t needed.

For complete privacy and to block out light effectively, roller blinds are often a wise choice. 

Vertical blinds are particularly common in offices. These work well because you are able to adjust the amount of light let into a room while allowing airflow through the panels. Often these are made of a slightly thinner fabric so that the effect is to dampen the light rather than block it out altogether. The soft and natural light will make for a more pleasant work environment than using harsh fluorescent lighting to compensate for the lack of natural light. Offices which are either over or under illuminated can even contribute to eye strain.

Hygiene is also an important factor in a workplace environment. Commercial blinds often have antibacterial and antifungal properties which keep them looking fresh and new for longer. A more hygienic workplace will lead to lower staff illnesses and a higher rate of productivity in the long run.

Norwich Sunblinds offer a wide range of commercial blinds, which can be made to reflect your corporate identity if desired. To get started, contact us to book an appoint for free measuring. Our fitting service is also free, so the price for the blinds themselves is the only cost you’ll need to pay.

You can visit our Showrooms in Norwich or Attleborough, phone 01603 334035 or book an appointment online for a free consultation at your home or office.

A version of this article originally appeared on our Norwich Sunblinds and Cambridge Sunblinds website.

Today [Wednesday 26 April] is known as Administrative Professionals Day, so everyone at Pure would like to give a big shout out to all the fantastic office support workers across the East of England.

We’ve placed hundreds of people in office support roles across the region, and helped numerous organisations find the high-calibre administration employees they need to keep the business running smoothly. Not to mention the fantastic team of administrators we have here at Pure!

We know these positions are integral to the success of an organisation and that those who hold them are often the unsung heroes of many businesses. For organisations looking to expand their administration team we do more than just fill positions. We offer support and advice to both clients and candidates throughout the whole recruitment process. Our temporary recruitment team is also able to offer the highest quality temps, filling vacancies quickly and efficiently.

Office support roles are extremely diverse and, despite misconceptions, provide excellent career opportunities. Our dedicated office support recruitment team covers roles including: Executive Assistants, PA, office management, administration, customer service and secretarial positions.

If you’re looking for your next career move within the field of business administration, get in touch with us today. We don’t just place people in jobs, we also offer advice on your career path and options for development.

For more information on the support we can provide contact your local Pure office or click here to see the current office support roles we are recruiting for.

The launch of Mental Health Awareness Week (8-14 May) and the success of the recent ‘Heads Together’ campaign have inspired me to launch my own blog as part of my business at Feel Well Therapy.

Although I gain great satisfaction from working with patients, I often feel the need to express my opinions on, and support for, a range of issues related to mental health and psychotherapy and a blog seemed to be the ideal way to do so. I am also interested in hearing the opinions of colleagues, clients and organisations – what better way to get the conversation started?!

The Mental Health Foundation is a charity that I admire greatly. They provide outstanding support for patients and mental health practitioners alike. I have been inspired by their new campaign, “Surviving or Thriving?” for Mental Health Awareness Week (#MHAW17) and have been reflecting on what it means to survive or thrive?

During my clinical work, I treat many clients that have survived traumatic events in their lives, such as a road traffic accidents, past abuse or the bereavement of loved ones. Equally I see many clients who talk about struggling with day-to-day life who present with stress, anxiety disorders or depression. Whilst there are many ways that we might learn to thrive in life, for some people this process is achieved with the help of therapy.

Patients often talk about the transition from surviving to thriving when they discuss how they have gained in confidence, how they have learnt to feel more in control of their life rather than being controlled by life, and how they feel that they can move on from difficult issues, or have learnt new skills to cope with challenges. For me, thriving is all of the above, but also about helping patients to live lives that are meaningful to them where individuals learn to value and take steps to achieve positive mental health for themselves.

If like me you would like to follow the Mental Health Foundation’s campaign, then check out their activities here.

Following on from this, the charity also talks about thriving in the context of needing to understand the drivers of poor mental health in society. Stigma is a big factor within this. In the 22 years that I have worked in mental health services, I cannot remember a time that mental health issues has been more in the news in a positive way. Long may this continue!

Destigmatising mental illness is essential to promoting mental wellbeing for all. Princes William and Harry, along with the support of the Duchess of Cambridge, have managed to do this humbly but effectively with their latest ‘Heads Together’ campaign. By revealing the obstacles that they have had to overcome – and the ways in which they overcame – the Royals have proved to be inspirational figureheads for us all, in particular the millennial generation.

So in summary, as we start Mental Health Awareness Week let’s hope that both individuals, clinicians, charities, politicians and society as a whole see this as their opportunity to seize the day, spread the word and talk about mental health, ensuring that future generations are indeed thriving, not just surviving.

In my next blog, I want to consider how teenagers cope with stress and exam pressure. Through my practice, I am well aware of the pressures faced by those aged 15 and over both in life itself and in studying for exams. In the meantime, have a look at BBC Bitesize which provide a practical, supportive webpage for young people called the Mind Set.

For now, wishing you all ‘Good Mental Health’.

Best regards,

Michelle

A number of years ago, when I started to develop a workplace wellbeing plan, someone asked me ‘why?’ It was a good question, and a fair question, and it is one that many companies may be considering now as the subject of employee wellbeing gains prominence, not least during this Mental Health Awareness week.

Why? What are the benefits of supporting employees to protect and maintain their wellbeing? Some may argue that it’s just a ‘nice to have’ which really doesn’t make a difference nor have a tangible impact. But I would disagree passionately – I believe there is a very powerful case for placing wellbeing at the heart of an organisation.

Not least because it can have a very real impact on sickness absence. Stress and mental health are in the top five causes of long-term absence¹. This costs companies hugely in many ways – in lost time, in productivity, in providing temporary cover, and in individual and team morale. And the longer that someone is absent, the likelihood of them returning diminishes. But what if companies took a proactive approach and tried to mitigate some of this absence by offering counselling, for example? Such an approach could stop someone who might be struggling from going off sick. And the upfront investment is minimal – around £35 – £55 per session which totals a few hundred pounds: long-term absence costs UK business £4.17billion a year².   The same could apply for those with back pain or other musculoskeletal problems which prevent them from doing their role. Providing physiotherapy could help people get back to work quicker – which will also have a positive impact on the employee’s mental health.

Embedding wellbeing into an organisation empowers managers to have better conversations. If companies have a culture where it is not only safe but positively encouraged to talk about mental health issues, then managers and their direct reports will be able to chat honestly. So, the phone call coming in saying ‘I’ve got the flu’ because the employee daren’t share the truth will be replaced by pre-emptive conversation that ‘I’m struggling at the moment.’ The latter allows the manager to adjust and offer support which can help the employee at that point when they need it most – and this may stop them going off sick. Managers may need help to have these conversations, through workshops – such as the training offered by Bamboo Workplace Mental Health – as well as guidance about what tools they can access to support the employee.

Having an effective wellbeing programme in place will also help employees to remain productive. According to the CIPD and Time to Change, people who are struggling with stress or their mental health say they have difficulty concentrating, will take longer to perform tasks, and will find it difficult to make decisions. Ultimately it will impact upon their ability to deliver their role. It may not always be obvious straightaway that a poorly performing employee is suffering and so managers must look out for dips in productivity as it could be a sign of an underlying issue.

And wellbeing helps to retain people. If employees feel that they are working for a caring company where their needs are understood and met, they are more likely to stay. It will help with attracting new employees too – after all, who wouldn’t want to work somewhere that is supportive, caring and where it’s ok to say, ‘I’m not ok?’

Workplace wellbeing is more than a one-off activity. It is a strategic and practical programme which impacts culturally. It needs to be led from the top, and leaders must role model behaviours that promote good wellbeing: it’s not good enough to say, ‘we don’t have an out of hours’ culture’ then email direct reports in the evening. It’s about supporting managers to have conversations around wellbeing, and giving them a practical toolkit they can use. It’s about training and development, such as Mental Health First Aid. It’s about communications, and making wellbeing part of the everyday dialogue. It’s about targeted activities and interventions which make a difference. And it’s about having the right HR policies and practices to truly embed wellbeing into the culture.

This week, I am looking forward to running a workshop during Freebridge Community Housing’s Week of Wellbeing. The week offers an opportunity for employees to participate in events and activities that promote wellbeing across a range of themes such as ‘physical wellbeing’. The week is fun, engaging and thought-provoking – but the biggest impact is that it leads to conversations about wellbeing, meaning this is just part of the Freebridge way of working.

So the question isn’t ‘why’ to workplace wellbeing it’s ‘why not?’

For more information about ways to empower workplace wellbeing, I can be found at michelle@engaging-people.co.uk or @engagepeopleco I will be speaking about workplace wellbeing at a Chamber workshop on Friday 9th June from 12-2 at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce offices on Whiting Road.

https://bamboomentalhealth.co.uk/

https://www.freebridge.org.uk/

¹https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/absence/absence-management-surveys

²https://www.cebr.com/reports/long-term-sickness-absence-costs-uk-businesses-4-17bn-a-year/