A few resources on use of ICT and teamwork that can help mental health workers teams, with practice changes

With the immediate shift for many of us out of our offices much less, the limits on our community and organizational based everyday work, these resources are meant to help us step back, reflect on our approach to work and then apply to practice.

Please share your own resources, ideas, stumbled upon, ICT resources, that help us in recovery recovery practices.

For me In this crisis, I’m trying to see how to bridge the medical measures, with these Recovery measures: “social connectedness; hope about one’s future, positive identity, meaningful goals and social roles and empowerment.” I think it is a great opportunity to work in this crisis, a crisis for both the clients and providers and keep learning about the recovery process.

(see https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/article/50/1/42/5382193)

With thanks to Stephen Downes website https://www.downes.ca/  for sharing resources on use of the internet for learning.

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Virtual Teams: So you’ve just become a remote team leader … what next? Tips on adjusting

by Martin Hawksey

“… Whilst as a manager you’ll be able to use much of your existing expertise it is worth acknowledging that there are aspects of leading virtual teams that are different. In terms of change management having a week or less notice that you are becoming a distributed team is far from ideal. As such allowing your team to find their feet within a new environment is very important. You yourself will probably be in a similar position of working out some of the practicalities particularly if you are suddenly using new tools. You can use this to your benefit acknowledging your current limitations and inviting members of your team to share their own expertise. …”

Here is the link to the article: https://mashe.hawksey.info/2020/03/virtual-teams-so-youve-just-become-a-remote-team-leader-what-next-tips-on-adjusting/

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Videoconferencing Alternatives: How Low-Bandwidth Teaching Will Save Us All

by Daniel Stanford

“When we try to replicate classroom experiences in an online environment, it’s easy to think of video conferencing as our go-to tool for all sorts of learning objectives—and for good reason. Most of us have participated in a video conference at work or had a video chat with friends or family at some point. We like the idea of being able to see and hear our students while interacting with them in real time just like we do when teaching face to face. But there are two key factors that make this approach problematic. …”

Here is link to article: https://www.iddblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bandwidth-immediacy-matrix-by-Daniel-Stanford.png

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… What can managers and HR professionals do to support employees?

by Center for Workplace Mental Health

With many organizations requiring employees to stay out of the office, it’s more important than ever to encourage and facilitate regular communication with employees. Here are tips for managers and human resource professionals in supporting employees in staying connected to the workplace and each other:

• Show empathy and be available: Understand that employees are likely feeling overwhelmed and anxious about circumstances related to the virus. Make yourself available to your staff to talk about fears, to answer questions and to reassure them about work and other issues that might come up.
• Stay connected with communication and meeting tools: Use virtual meeting options with video, like Zoom or JoinMe, for regular check-ins and to allow teams to connect with one another “face-to-face.”
• Recognize the impact of isolation and loneliness: Working remotely can cause people to feel isolated, making it more important to routinely check in with your team, not only about their work product, but also to see how they are doing. Loneliness can lead to depression and other mental health issues. Be aware of significant changes you may see in your team member’s personality or work product, because it may be a sign that a person is struggling.
• Encourage online training: This is a great time to encourage employees to sharpen their skills with online training. It is also a good distraction to focus on learning rather than worrying about other issues. Find online trainings and new learning opportunities to recommend to employees.
• Check in with your EAP and Health Plan: Check in with your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to confirm their availability and to coordinate support for employees. Remind the staff that the EAP is there if they need support and can connect employees with behavioral health support, if needed. Also, connect with the organization’s health plan(s) to learn what they are offering to support plan members and pass that information onto employees. Be sure to include all relevant website links and phone numbers for both the EAP and health plan in communicating with employees.”

Here is the link to the article: http://www.workplacementalhealth.org/Employer-Resources/Working-Remotely-During-COVID-19?fbclid=IwAR3KQiFYGaFELSkDeew_fD8ZJq7KxMWn1AEofGDBX85DusZlEXxgXJnun2w

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