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what new things did you try and what did/didn't work?

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what new things did you try and what did/didn't work?

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what do you miss about the Library and campus? How do we fill those gaps?

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what do you miss about the Library and campus? How do we fill those gaps?

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which new ways-of-working would you want to continue into a hybrid future?

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which new ways-of-working would you want to continue into a hybrid future?

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how can we better horizon scan and share ideas during remote working?

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how can we better horizon scan and share ideas during remote working?

# data[].attributes.headline
whats the biggest surprise about working from home?

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whats the biggest surprise about working from home?

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I have relatively few responsibilities, but working from home does generate some distractions which can sometimes stop me from concentrating on work. Even simple things like the postman ringing the doorbell, remembering to empty the dishwasher, can take me out of the zone! Not sure how those with kids managed during proper lockdown.

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I really like the people I work with! We've taken some steps to replicate the experience of being in the office (daily Teams calls, for example) but it's not the same.

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I've enjoyed being able to be more flexible with my working hours. Obviously it's important for services to be covered, but the emphasis on results, not hours at the start of the lockdown was really appreciated. Sometimes I have a lie down on my lunch break, which is not something I could ever have done in the office.

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Even though I didn't always enjoy commuting working on campus meant that I had a cool down period between finishing work and getting home. WFH means that I don't have that time to myself to transition and switch off properly. WFH makes it easier to work late without even noticing, which is something I never did on campus, and I think is potentially damaging to mental health.

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My mornings are now much more relaxed and instead of a mad rush to get up and get in to the office I have time to have a proper breakfast and do my morning 'self care' routine. I think this has made my morning moods significantly better, where in the past a bad commute can affect my whole day.

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For my whole career in libraries I've lamented the low attendance numbers we (and every other institution!) get at training events. I've been amazed by the substantial increase in attendance at our MRE sessions delivered via Zoom in lockdown, and especially by the increased engagement we're receiving through the chat function. I strongly believe we should continue to deliver training sessions via Zoom post-pandemic, even if we also offer face-to-face sessions, as it seems researchers may value the convenience and are more prepared to contribute to sessions

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I've been surprised by my ability to concentrate while working from home. I was worried that I would procrastinate and find it hard to get any work done, but in reality my time management skills were better than I thought, and I have been able to keep up with increased demand, despite more potential distractions.

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I feel lockdown has provided a genuine work/life balance that was never possible before. I've been easily able to move between work and home life commitments such as nursery pick-up, and continuing to work in the evening if I (rarely) need to, without having to factor in a huge commute and late travel home.

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We've lost the ability to listen in on our colleagues' conversations and meetings which can allow us to broaden our knowledge and understanding of our work and sector. We're considering ways of facilitating serendipitous learning while WFH including open meetings where anyone interested is encouraged to attend and listen in, and scheduling time to just chat!

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I miss socialising and chatting to my wonderful colleagues, outside of my calendar appointed times. GMRS is great and really helpful, but at the end of the half hour I feel kind of sad that it's over, and I probably won't talk to anyone else in a non-work related capacity that day. I think this is made worse by the fact that some people who I would often go and chat with are in a different team to me and don't come to GMRS and therefore I don't see them at all. I don't think there's much that can solve this so I suppose that I just want to say that I miss everyone an awful lot and I hope I'll get to see you all again sooner rather than later.

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If your circumstances mean you can set up a home workspace with some degree of separation from the rest of the house/household, this can help you to concentrate on work better than in a shared office in the Library.

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When morning shower etc. has produced increased energy levels, traditional commute can seem to decrease them again, so being able to go straight to work without having to sit in car or on public transport mitigates this problem.

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As somebody else has hinted, children (much though we love them) can make WFH difficult, particularly when schools are/were closed.

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I think this is one of the main areas that I've found to cause difficulties while WFH, especially when it comes to learning how to complete new tasks that I'm assigned. In an office environment it's so much easier to just go and double-check something with a colleague after you've had an initial training session. The time and effort that it can take to do so over teams/email etc often feels a bit disproportionate, especially when it's only a minor detail that you want to ask about.

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Because there's no pressure to sit at my desk 9-5 I can make sure that, if I'm feeling a bit drained, I fit in exercise and other wellbeing activities which ultimately help to increase my productivity.

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I'm saving several hundred pounds a month from not paying for public transport to get to work, and finally seeing the result of my full pay without a lot of it disappearing on travel.

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As a couple of people have already mentioned, not having a long commute on public transport has given me a lot more time to enjoy being at home, which has different benefits at the beginning and end of the day. In the morning it is a lot less stressful; my morning commute was affecting my anxiety levels substantially and I would often arrive at work stressed and anxious. At the end of the day, I can now go straight into relaxing, catching up with my partner, going for a recreational walk (rather than just trying to get home as quickly as possible), and cooking. This has balanced out responsibilities at home.

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I feel I have more autonomy over my job and what I do with my day because we have been given the flexibility to work how and when works best for us. This has increased my confidence and enjoyment of my role in many ways.

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I don't have many responsibilities (eg. children) at home, but have still found it very challenging structuring my working day around my partner also being at home, struggling with mental health disorders, and finding space for us both to work and relax in a small space.

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There are a lot of things to think about, keep up to date with, and worry about still eg. what's going on at the university, government/covid restrictions, worrying about personal finances and the future of my partner's business. Sometimes this is a bit overwhelming and makes it difficult to fully concentrate on work, and also balance the time needed to read important information.

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I have found that I have lost a level of independence and identity which I found previously from going out to work everyday.

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Not having to work the standard 9-5 means I can take breaks when I’m feeling tired or stressed and work when I’m feeling most productive. It’s also nice being able to have a different routine on days throughout the week depending how I’m feeling, for example starting early one day but later the next, or taking a longer lunch break and then finishing later.

Increased flexibility also gives me more of a chance to focus on my health and wellbeing by allowing me to make more nutritious breakfasts and lunches that help give me energy and make me feel more productive and giving me the time to factor exercise or self-care activities into my day.

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I miss seeing colleagues and having informal chats in the office. Although GMRS is a really good idea and it’s nice to catch up with people, it’s not so easy to have the 1:1 chats we used to have in the office, for example if we were working next to each other or bumped into each other when making a drink.

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I agree so much with all the comments about the many WFH positives and negatives, so I will just say I miss everyone a lot as well. It is the people that make RS and the Library such a great place to work. Even when things are super busy and everyone is stressed out, and you are having a bad day (or week!) I do try to remind myself (especially now) that I'm lucky to work here with all of you. Hopefully back in the Library soon!

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Fewer interruptions and distractions are allowing me to focus better on work and be more productive and creative.

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When meeting online we tend to be more conscious of how time is used which helps focus on tasks in hand.

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Increased time and less stress benefit productivity at work and wellbeing 

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Increased time and less stress benefit productivity at work and wellbeing 

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Strongly agree with earlier comments. At the beginning of the day commuting to work significantly raises stress levels and anxiety. In contrast, working from home allows me to hit the ground running as soon as I begin. At the end of the day working from home also allows me to transition more quickly into home life. I'm using the time saved for connecting with people, exercising or preparing healthier meals.

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Not commuting to work reduces our energy use and emissions. This contributes directly to the University's social responsibility agenda by improving the environmental sustainability of our campus.

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Online training is a success that should continue into a hybrid future

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Online training is a success that should continue into a hybrid future

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Strongly agree with earlier comments. Online delivery is increasing attendance and engagement (whether via 'unmuting' or chat). Online delivery can help us engage audiences that may otherwise be more difficult to reach - in particular the very busy or physically distant (e.g. researchers working at NHS sites, on placements, or studying part-time). Online delivery can be more convenient and efficient for learners and facilitators alike.

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Not having to spend time either driving, or waiting for public transport, has been a joy, especially when combined with the money saved by not having to pay for bus tickets, fuel etc.

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Loss of connection with the wider University

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Loss of connection with the wider University

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Whilst we have been able to keep in touch with direct colleagues and friends via Zoom, Teams etc, I do think that being unable to drop in on colleagues in other areas, or into research groups and labs, has made it difficult to maintain the extended networks we often utilise in our working lives.

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I have been struggling with working from a small flat where I can't separate work and home life. The two naturally share a room, so i cant 'shut the door' on my work day, and fully relax into the evening - it's all the same room so the stresses of work bleed into my home life.

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We were very fortunate in that we'd already transitioned to Office 365 when lockdown happened, so were able to quickly start using Teams to communicate with each other. I'm not sure that moving to remote working would have been anywhere near as successful if we'd had to use a patchwork of different platforms, like Slack, Zoom, emails, etc.

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Before lockdown, participating in video calls would have been my worst nightmare. That initial shock has subsided now, but I do still worry about how to participate in video calls. Am I talking too much? Am I not talking enough? When is a good opportunity for me to contribute? Am I doing enough to make other participants comfortable and confident enough to contribute? We miss a lot of visual cues that would usually give us a good steer on these issues if we were meeting IRL.

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As a relatively new line manager, I want my direct reports to feel supported (both professionally and personally) but also don't want them to feel like they're being pestered 24/7. This is different for each individual, I think. I'm still trying to get the balance right!

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I feel I have so much time back. Maybe it's because i can stick a wash on and hang it out on a break, or

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Although lockdown was scary and stressful on a personal level, the digital nature of our services meant that it was a very easy and smooth transition for us to start working from home. And several of our services have actually got busier in recent months - possibly due to enforced change in researcher behaviour (not allowed in the labs so writing up research) - but crucially we've been able to support increased demand for our services.

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Virtual meetings don't have the same threshold on attendee numbers that face-to-face meetings do, so I hope we'll be able to facilitate increased knowledge sharing and learning by inviting colleagues from across the Library to meetings they may find interesting to find out more about our work in RS.

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Whereas before we were able to meet colleagues across the University and explain things face to face, we have had to become creative in order to explain to them how to use complex software such as SciVal. This has enabled us to
enhance our portfolio of training materials using Medium.