One Community Tips

Equality

• Be mindful of the diversity or additional needs of your colleagues and our students, and in particular if there have been any significant changes during the pandemic. For instance, people may have additional or different caring responsibilities that affect their day-to-day situation. Diversity brings strength to our community, so we should seek to harness it and not be dismissive of it.
• The safety of our One Community is paramount, so please ensure you and your colleagues have completed the ‘Reintroduction to site’ form on the Health and Safety pages.

Understanding

• We all think differently, that is the power of diversity that we want to nurture and harness. In order to do this, it is important to take some time to understand your colleagues. If you are a manager of people, have you taken some time to understand your colleagues’ situation and how you can support them at work?
• The University Equality pages are a great way to educate yourself about all things equality – have a look here Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Human Resources (lincoln.ac.uk)

Listening

• Think about how you will coordinate team meetings, as we work in a more flexible way, and how you will involve all colleagues. Having some colleagues physically in the room and some remotely, may be challenging. The chair of the meeting should refer to the colleagues on teams regularly to ensure they are included in discussions. Invite colleagues to use the chat box to stay engaged.
• The end of the year is the ideal time to reflect on the year and look forward to the next one. How about taking some time in your 121s or team meetings to reflect on what has gone well and what some of the opportunities are?

Kindness

• The risk to people’s health and wellbeing through the pandemic has been huge. Many will have experienced challenging domestic situations and will continue to experience anxiety about many things. The Winter months can also be a difficult time for people, for many reasons, so be mindful of any extra pressure or stress your colleagues may be under. The University has a #WinterWellbeing campaign to support colleagues – Your Wellbeing Matters – Human Resources (lincoln.ac.uk)
• The University has an Employee Assistance programme (EAP), where colleagues can access support on a range of topics such as mental health, debt or family issues. Please make sure you and your colleagues are aware of this service – Employee Assistance Programme – Human Resources (lincoln.ac.uk)
• The University also has a network of Mental Health First Aiders to support colleagues – Mental Health First Aiders – Human Resources (lincoln.ac.uk)

Acceptance

• Often, we have different opinions, outlooks and philosophies but it is important to recognise different points of view. Have a think about how you can ensure all voices are heard and respected. For instance, if you are solving a problem as a team, place staff into smaller groups to ensure all points of view are taken into account. Diversity of thought can really help us to be more effective!