{"id":9546,"date":"2021-07-27T03:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T02:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=9546"},"modified":"2021-08-19T10:25:17","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T09:25:17","slug":"z-is-for-zoom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/z-is-for-zoom\/","title":{"rendered":"Z is for&#8230;Zoom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Love it? Hate it? We\u2019re pondering about some things we\u2019ve learned from online working, and giving you three top tips for re-entering the world (of work). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>This week our manager went to a real-life conference, so we gave her some tips: \u2018Don\u2019t forget to wear work trousers rather than PJ bottoms!\u2019 \/\/ \u2018Don\u2019t forget shutting your eyes isn\u2019t the same as turning your camera off!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We really are a caring bunch with our handy tips! But it did get me thinking\u2026 have you been pulling silly faces under your mask? Have you been experimenting with some incredible multi-tasking whilst you\u2019ve had your camera off in a meeting? \u2026 have you loved this time at home, or are you raring to get back into the office? \u2026 &nbsp;and therefore what will the return to the \u2018real world\u2019 be like for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m going to be honest, I wasn\u2019t a fan of working from home at first. I didn\u2019t have a specific work space, and I couldn\u2019t shake out how the influx of new technology worked. I was confused with work and home being in the same space, and ended up working too many odd extra hours as a result \u2013 I felt guilty for clocking off when no one had been able to see I was there. I didn\u2019t feel I\u2019d ever be able to connect with people as well via video call as in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, I am a total convert. Well, almost total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve grown to embrace the flexibility of working from home, but also to rebuild my boundaries for this space. But what I\u2019ve also learned, is that it\u2019s even more tempting to multi-task. To write an email whilst in a meeting\u2026 to draft a blog whilst listening to a webinar\u2026 it\u2019s far too tempting for this efficiency-geek. One of the things I\u2019ve been actively concentrating on is single-tasking. Really giving the person before me the time and space and focus they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know that as we enter the post-Covid world (is it post-Covid? What does that even mean?)\u2026 as we re-integrate into society, if there were three things I could remind myself, or you, they would be these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\"><li>Everyone is different. It sounds obvious, but it\u2019s worth remembering quite deliberately. Some are introverts or extroverts. Some have been hugely traumatised by the pandemic, have been bereaved or burdened, and some have found great comfort in it. Some cannot wait for big hugs, and some cannot bear them quite yet. So, as community comes together again in your workplace, try and be community to those around you; who\u2019s struggling? Look out for others, and for yourself. It\u2019s ok to ask someone how you can best support them, and it\u2019s ok to share with others how they can best support you. People may have changed. I know my body shape has changed, for others it\u2019s their outlook or their confidence. Let\u2019s be kind to one another.<\/li><li>Like the vaccine, it might hurt a bit. After a long cold dark winter on the sofa, there might be an initial sting. It might be that small talk and conversations face to face are a bit more effort and don\u2019t come as naturally, or it may be that the physical increase in exercise is exhausting. Build up slowly if you can, and don\u2019t worry if you need to take a 5 minute quiet time to re-energise. Like (I assume) marathon runners train, the more you do it, the better at it you\u2019ll get. But, as per my earlier point \u2013 single-task. You\u2019ll thank me later. Overload is real, and if you slow yourself down, and do one thing at a time, especially at work, it\u2019ll help. I\u2019m practicing by being fully in meetings and webinars. Just sitting and watching. It becomes such a challenge \u2013 no phone checking\u2026 I dare you. Today. Do just one thing for 20 minutes. Garden without also listening to a podcast. Read a book without checking your phone\u2026 do anything without checking your phone! Allow your mind to wander, to wonder\u2026 and watch your creativity sky rocket.<\/li><li>Celebrate every little victory. All of them. Every single one. The firsts as you are able to do things again; each step forward you take towards or within your career. Celebrate plans and celebrate opportunities. Pre-pandemic I thought you could only celebrate the big obvious things that others would want to celebrate with you. But you don\u2019t. Have a personal little dance each time you get closer to where you want to be. Be thankful for where you are. Know that you\u2019re moving, changing and growing, and celebrate in the you-ness of you.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>So, everyone is different, remember it might sting at first, but celebrate every little victory. We, as your careers team, can\u2019t wait to support you as you venture towards your future. Help us help you \u2013 email us with your questions or concerns, book on to a 1:1 appointment or come along to a workshop in the new academic year. We can\u2019t wait to meet you and to see you succeed!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Love it? Hate it? We\u2019re pondering about some things we\u2019ve learned from online working, and giving you three top tips for re-entering the world (of work).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122230,"featured_media":8446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[457],"tags":[461],"class_list":["post-9546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-z-of-careers","tag-a-z-of-careers"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"authorName":"Susannah Gilbert","featuredImage":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/506\/2021\/01\/Blog-Banners-6.png","postExcerpt":"Love it? Hate it? We\u2019re pondering about some things we\u2019ve learned from online working, and giving you three top tips for re-entering the world (of work).","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122230"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9546"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9738,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9546\/revisions\/9738"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}