Austerity: Why mental health training should remain a priority, especially in times of hardship. By Jane McNeice
I reall the recession of 2008-9 and my attempts to convince senior management teams that mental health training should be a top priority. This sat alongside efforts to influence General Practitioners and other health care practitioners to discuss return to work with their patients as part of mental health recovery and because work is extremely protective for our health. This was at a time when businesses were facing financial hardship, and their worries centred around preserving funds to pay...
Read MoreGetting the most from Training
In the last two years we have seen some great opportunities to access learning in a flexible way. Previous face-to-face only courses have adapted to offer online alternatives. This has created some great benefits for learners and trainers alike, and has allowed messages to reach new audiences, including overseas delegates and those in different time zones, and with less cost to our carbon footprint. But is it the case that learners can still gain the same quality of learning from online...
Read MoreThe challenges for Autistic people at Work, by Jane McNeice
Most adults will consider themselves extremely lucky if they successfully traverse their working lives without ever encountering a time when they don’t feel supported, under too many demands, or other challenges. Anyone who faces these issues often feels stressed, and some develop related health conditions – mental, physical, or both. For Autistic adults, the likelihood is greater still. Some Autistic adults might find it incredibly difficult to sustain gainful employment in...
Read MoreTo Open Plan, or Not to Open Plan? by Jane McNeice
The case for and against open plan offices continues to be debated and I truly feel the reason for this is because we believe it must be one or the other, and in some way, one will win out. What is more unusual is that we expect the black or white outcome. Why would we? Human beings are all different. I could find you one person who will make a very convincing case for open plan workspace and the benefits of this, and I can find you another who could make an equally good case for a more closed...
Read MoreWhy are People Rude? by Jane McNeice
Definitions of rude centre around behaviours that are not regarded as acceptable, pleasant, or are ill-mannered. Given global and cultural differences, some of this can be defined as what is acceptable within the culture in which we reside. Outside of what we accept in our culture, we regard as rude. There are a few other considerations in this picture. It isn’t just in the delivery, i.e. the person being rude to us, it is also about how we are feeling at the time and how we have chosen to...
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