West Craven

The latest from West Craven: Business continuity and our top tips whilst staying at home

Welcome to our April Newsletter from West Craven Insurance. This month we provide some helpful advice on how to navigate through these difficult times.

First up we share some advice on how to maintain business continuity whilst working remotely so that service levels and morale can be continued. Next we share the NHS volunteering scheme and how you can participate in this. There has been a fantastic response to this so far with a whopping 750,000 volunteers signed up. Finally we offer some of our top activities to do at home whilst self isolating, and also some tips on keeping the kids entertained.

Maintaining Business Continuity Whilst Working Remotely

Now that those of us who are able to work from home have transitioned to doing so, businesses face the challenge of maintaining their service levels and continuity with a remote workforce. We have looked into the ways in which you can continue to operate with minimal interruption in order to maintain your client base through the Coronavirus period.

Cloud Storage

Whilst some providers such as Google offer cloud storage when you sign up their email service, other cloud-based storage providers may charge to hold your information online, however this invaluable to ensure that all of your staff members have access to the right information at the right time. By sharing documents in cloud storage multiple users can view, edit and update documents which will help all of your business in working together.

Video Chat Software

One of the key aspects to effectively working remotely is maintain lines of communication at all levels through your business – from senior leadership through to the team members themselves. Video conferences are a great way to ensure that your teams are working in the right way and catch up on any information necessary; holding them first thing in the morning also ensures that everybody is logged on and working as per usual. Popular applications include Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom, all of which can also be downloaded to your mobile phone.

Clear and Measurable Targets

Whilst you are not in the office to be able to oversee teams, ensuring that everybody is crystal clear in terms of what they have to achieve each day is imperative to ensure that you have confidence in your workers, but also to keep them motivated. Ensure that KPIs, goals and targets are clearly documented and that team members are checking their own performance against these, you can then address any issues at an early stage.

Morale

The Coronavirus is a pandemic which is totally unprecedented, and as such there is a lot of uncertainty around timescales and consequences. Your staff members are now already living day-to-day with changes due to this virus and working remotely can mean that some people are totally isolated – maintaining team morale is essential here. If your staff members are going to remain productive whilst they are in the comfort of their own homes, they have to be motivated – speak to them regularly and try to diversify conversations outside of just the business, drop them a “good morning” and “good evening” message so that they know they are still being counted on.

What Is The NHS Volunteering Scheme And How Can I Help?

The Coronavirus pandemic has touched all of us in one way or another, and as well as the well-publicised scenes of panic buying and empty shelves there have also been huge acts of kindness and altruism. The NHS volunteering scheme is a great example of the manner in which people have pulled together during a truly unprecedented time.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is looking for 250,000 volunteers in order to help the most vulnerable who are shielding themselves from the virus by self-isolating, totaling around 1.5 million individuals.

After a single day of online registration being available, Hancock’s target had been met – with a quarter of a million volunteers in under 24 hours which shows how keen the country is to band together and help one another.
Volunteers will be key in order to keep the NHS from becoming overcrowded and overworked, as they enable the most vulnerable to stay out of harm’s way.

Example volunteer tasks will include tasks such as;

Delivering medicines from pharmacies
Driving patients to appointments
Taking them home from hospital
Making regular phone calls to check on people isolating at home

If you would like to sign up to be an NHS volunteer, you can do so by visiting https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS

Safe Activities To Get You Through Self Isolation

Whilst self-isolating, one thing a lot of us will have gained is some time. A lot us will not be used to spending so much time at home, so here are some activities that can be done safely, to curb any boredom:

1. Board games
Its’s the perfect time to dust off the family favorites, whether that be Monopoly, Uno, or Cluedo. Board games offer some great household fun and provide a break from electronic devices.

2. Arts and Crafts
Many of us will enjoy drawing or painting but never have enough time to do it. Now is the perfect time to start a new art project. It can be a great family activity to do with your children too.

3. Gardening
With Spring finally here it’s time to pay attention to our gardens and tidy them up. Spending time mowing the lawn, weeding, or planning new bulbs will give you some time to get some fresh air, as well as create a perfect garden. It is also a great time to dig out your outdoor furniture so that you can spend more time outside.

4. Baking
Baking is an activity that all generations can enjoy. Dig out those recipe books or search the numerous cake recipes online to make a tasty treat.

5. Cooking
Now is your chance to get creative in the kitchen and have more time to cook healthy meals. If you’re concerned at not having the right ingredients, there are many websites online that allow you to input what ingredients you do have. That way you can make use of what you have in the cupboards and get some inspiration.

6. Fitness routines
It’s always important to get some exercise each day, but with us now spending all of our time at home, we may need to get more creative. You can go outside for a walk or a run, or do an exercise routine at home. There are plenty of resources on social media and online that you can follow along with. You could even do this in your garden to get some fresh air. Some examples are Joe Wicks or the NHS Fitness Studio exercise videos.

7. Film days
We can have some well-loved lazy days on the sofa watching some family classics, or entire seasons of favorite TV shows. We all deserve the time to binge watch some TV.

8. Spring cleaning
Now is the perfect time to be house proud. A good spring clean is a positive way to stay motivated. When you enjoy your environment you often feel happier, so why not try and improve your living space.

9. Going for a walk
With spring finally upon us we have brighter days. Going for a walk can help to break up the day and get some vital vitamin D and exercise.

10. Online Resources
There are so many resources that can curb boredom online. You could learn a new skill using sites such as Future Learn or turn to YouTube for some video tutorials. Alternatively, you can spend time listening to music or some podcasts. There are endless options available to suit any preferences so there will be something for everybody to enjoy!

Ideas For Keeping The Kids Entertained

With schools now essentially closed across the country, many parents are having to care for their children whilst also working from home. During these unusual circumstances, it is essential to keep your children’s minds active, as well as ensuring that they exert some physical energy. We have compiled a list of resources and activities which should help fill the days…

1) Joe Wicks PE lessons – Joe Wicks, known as “The Body Coach” is streaming thirty minute PE lessons for kids every morning at 9am from Monday to Friday. You can either follow the workout live or catch it on his YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ

2) Carol Vorderman’s maths resources – since the Government chose to close schools for the masses, Carol Vorderman’s online maths resources have been made free for all to use. You can visit the site at https://www.themathsfactor.com/ and there are plenty of resources to keep your children busy, all of which have different levels of difficulty attached.

3) TES.com – You may never have heard of https://www.tes.com/ but if you are a teacher or work in education then it is a goldmine of resources. You can sign up free and then in the “Resources” section you will find literally thousands of lesson plans, activities and ideas that teachers upload to the site and often form the basis of their own lessons. With TES you can search for a specific topic and there will often be multiple resources – if you are looking to keep up your child’s scholastic habits during the school closures, this will be a real lifesaver.

4) Audio books – David Walliams’ children’s books have proved to be extremely popular and for the next month a new audio story will be released each day totally free of charge. Just head to bit.ly/AudioElevenses each day for the latest story.

5) Twinkl – Twinkl provides professional educational resources from early years upwards and often puts together some of the most imaginative learning resources around. During the Coronavirus period, they have made many resources free of charge and are offering free guides to help you with your child’s education https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resources/covid19-school-closures

6) Teach them to cook – If you are looking to teach something extra-curricular then why not start in the kitchen? Teaching your children a few basic recipes will eat up the time, as well as teaching them valuable life skills. You can start with baking basic recipes that require few ingredients, to them helping you with dinner for the evening.

7) Learn a new skill – With the internet, there is no excuse for avoiding new skills and has there ever been a better time to do so? With your child, you could learn how to knit – order the tools online – and could watch videos together, whilst helping one another with the intricacies of the craft. Other popular crafts to learn include crochet, needlepoint and cardmaking.

8) Practise yoga – In the current climate, it is easy to feel overwhelmed with world events, and children are extremely sensitive to our own behaviours. One activity that you can do together and is mutually beneficial is yoga – there are plenty of apps or YouTube channels which you can use to guide you through the process, and it should help with your whole family’s wellbeing.

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