Newsletter 62 – September/October 2011

Welcome to the Autumn edition of In Equilibrium
The leaves may be falling from the trees, the nights may be drawing in, we may not have had a summer to speak of but hopefully you can rely on In Equilibrium to bring you a balanced round up of what’s new and interesting on the personal and professional well-being front.

In this edition you can:

• Find out about our new course which provides an intensive introduction to Emotional Intelligence
• Dispel the myth that Shakespeare’s work has no relevance to society today
• Read our stress tip which illustrates the importance of social interaction
• Peruse the advice given to a reader who was experiencing difficulties working with a colleague who may be on the autistic spectrum
• Download a booklet offering advice about looking after your mental health using exercise

In Equilibrium News

Emotional Intelligence Course – we have recently introduced a new one-day course designed to provide delegates with an intensive introduction to this fascinating subject.  By the end of the course delegates will have discovered how to achieve greater balance, empathy and influence in their workplace by understanding and managing not only their own emotions but also the emotions of those around them.

“To be or not to be” your next training course? – we are delighted to be able to offer a fascinating new course entitled “Shakespeare at Work”.  Gillian Bridge delivers this one-day workshop which is designed to help an organisation, team and/or individual function and communicate as effectively as possible in today’s difficult and rapidly changing conditions.  As one happy Chief Executive Officer commented “… the views of many of the participants who have highlighted it as the most enjoyable and effective piece of personal development they have undertaken for years.”  You can read a brief history about the development of the course and how it may be of benefit by clicking the link above.  Please note that no prior knowledge of Shakespeare’s work is required to fully benefit from this workshop.

Mental Health Awareness course testimonial – we have been delighted with the popularity of our Mental Health Awareness course since its inception little more than a year ago.  We recently received some very positive feedback from the Health & Safety Consultant at the RAC, where the course has been delivered, and thought we would share it with you here.

Course Title Adaptability  – we are increasingly finding that clients like to alter our course titles to something more personalised for their company or engaging for the attendees. We aim to give our courses titles which are as informative about their content as possible, they are therefore not stuck in stone and we are more than happy to work with you to personalise course titles or, indeed, course content.

Stress Management Tip

“I like being on my own but I don’t like being alone.”
In this edition we look at the link between social interaction and health and well-being.
Read our stress tip here

Ask The Expert

We were recently contacted by a reader who posed a question regarding a colleague’s behaviour.

Question
“I have just started working next to a guy and I am a bit confused by his behaviour.  Although I am a really friendly person, he refuses to share the equipment on his workstation with me and he won’t even look me in the eye when he is talking to me.  He doesn’t come on the team nights out and he is really inflexible.  Someone in the department said he may have autism – but does that mean that he can’t make an effort to get along with his work colleagues?”

Answer
Here we provide a short explanation and some useful suggestions to consider if you are, or suspect you may be, working alongside someone who is on the autistic spectrum.
Read the answer here

If you found our answer helpful, you may be interested in the following course:
Mental Health Awareness Training

Amandas Column

Big changes were afoot in Amanda’s household earlier this month, she prepared others for them but did she prepare herself?
Read Amanda’s column here

Resources

Managing Presenteeism
This short discussion paper, produced by Business in the Community and the Centre for Mental Health, explains the advantages to be gained and suggested actions to be taken in order to manage presenteeism which, from mental ill health alone, is estimated to be currently costing the UK economy £15.1 billion per annum.  If managed correctly, not only could money be saved but an engaged and productive workforce could be the result.

Several In Equilibrium courses could be helpful in this area:
Mental Health Awareness Training

Training in Resilience

Managers Managing Well-being

How to look after your mental health using exercise
This short booklet, which can be freely downloaded or bought in bulk from the Mental Health Foundation’s website, explains how exercise and physical activity play a vital role in how individual’s feel about themselves and their lives.  It illustrates the benefits of an active lifestyle and includes suggestions as to how to get started and stay motivated.

Health and well-being at work research published
The Department of Work and Pensions has recently published 4 reports which examine GP, employer, employee and working age population attitudes to health and well-being at work.  The results provide some interesting reading and will be used to provide baseline data when measuring and monitoring progress on health and wellbeing at work in the future.  To access links to the reports, click on the link above and scroll down to the entry of the same title posted on 2 August 2011.

Quotations

“This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
William Shakespeare, English dramatist and poet, (From Hamlet, Act I Scene III), (1564 – 1616)

“We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”
Lee Iacocca,  American Businessman, (1924 –

News from the Outside

One in three likely to skip lunch breaks
The results of Aviva’s Health of the Workplace 2011 report find that 30% of employees are unlikely to take a lunch break due to work pressure, even though 43% are encouraged to do so by employers who recognise the value of a good work/life balance.  However, of those employers who offer food, 38% mainly offer unhealthy options.

Leeds Metropolitan University saves £75,000 a year by tackling workplace stress
As a result of a scheme introduced two years ago, the university is not only enjoying a large saving in their wages bill but their rates for both stress related absence and accidents have also been reduced.

Study reveals laughter really is the best medicine
Not only does laughter produce feel-good endorphins but some recent research at Oxford University has found it may increase our pain threshold and even play a role in groups bonding and working together better.

… and finally …

Therapy dogs offer stress relief at work
If you share our sense of humour and love the idea of a dog having an official entry in a University Library Catalogue under anti-depressive agent (amongst other things), then this article’s for you!

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter.  We are always delighted to hear from our readers, so if you would like to share your comments or suggestions with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us at : training@in-equilibrium.co.uk.