Wellbeing

Highly Effective Stress-Busters

Apr 12, 2021

April is Stress Awareness Month and we've listed some highly effective stress-busting activities that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Staff absence can often be caused by stress, so identifying the causes is vital for team managers and leaders. Sometimes we don't even realise we are stressed until we take some time off and, in many cases, get ill. Extreme stress at work can lead to you feeling exhausted, disengaged and...

Top 5 Stress Management Books

Apr 06, 2021

April is Stress Awareness Month and we’ll be sharing various articles here on how to manage stress during these troubled times. We thought we’d start by listing some useful books that will help you manage and reduce stress. Me Time: The Self-Care Guide That Transforms You From Surviving to Thriving by Jessica Sanders (White Lion Publishing, Hardback/Ebook, January 2021) This is a wonderfully visual and well-designed guide...

Workplace Wellbeing in Housing Survey - Let Us Know Your Thoughts

Mar 31, 2021

About the survey We launched Housing Technology Wellbeing last year to give our community the opportunity to share their experiences and learn how other organisations are approaching the creation of healthier work cultures. A recent report found that job quality has deteriorated over the last few years and the pandemic has had an even worse impact on people’s mental and physical health. It’s clear now more...

How to Take Control of Your Motivation

Mar 25, 2021

Sam Martin, mental performance coach, discusses the benefits of applying self-determination theory (SDT) to take control of our motivation levels. Motivation is fickle. It often fails to show when we need it most, and even when it does show, its appearance is short-lived. These motivation features seem to have exacerbated over the past year in which millions of people throughout the UK have had their entire work lives disrupted....

Hyde Housing: Staff Wellbeing Q&A

Mar 16, 2021

We interviewed Hyde Housing, one of the UK's leading housing providers, to find out more about their staff wellbeing initiative. Can you tell us a bit about Hyde Housing? We are one of the UK’s leading and award-winning providers of affordable housing in London, the south east of England and neighbouring areas. We have approximately 1,100 members of staff in the team. How was your employee wellbeing initiative conceived? We...

Yorkshire Housing Cuts its Gender Pay Gap

Mar 10, 2021

Yorkshire Housing has cut its average gender pay gap by 8.35%, from 9.5% to 1.15%. The median (middle) gender pay gap, influenced by the distribution of men and women in roles with different levels of pay, has also been cut from 14.7% to -0.94%. Its evolution to a fully flexible way of working, giving colleagues the choice of when and where to work, has helped boost its progress. Yorkshire Housing has also committed again this year to...

Imagination Makes Our World Work Better

Feb 24, 2021

The past year has caused stress, difficulty and confusion for many of us. Much of what we thought we knew or had come to take for granted has been challenged and changed. We all look forward to the end of the pandemic and a return to ‘normal’ but. Meanwhile, we have time to question ‘normal’ and re-set some of life’s less desirable parameters. Do we really just want to wait to see what happens, or be told what to...

As Safe As Houses: Building Resilience

Feb 18, 2021

By George Grant, CEO, Co-founder and Publisher at Housing Technology My earliest childhood memories comprise pictures in my head, randomly coming to mind. I remember being with my dad in his garage at Clapham North in south London and wondering where my mother had gone. It’s all a bit vague, but I do remember a very kind social worker and a lovely nursery school in Surrey. As a single parent building up his business, my dad was...

February Reads: Top 5 Wellbeing Books

Feb 04, 2021

We’ve listed our top five new books that aim to inspire and improve wellbeing during these difficult times. Whether you want to reduce stress, learn how to manage your mental health better, or stop yourself burning out, we hope these books provide some much-needed comfort and positivity. No Such Thing as Normal by Bryony Gordon (Headline, Hardback/Ebook/Audiobook, January 2021) Bryony Gordon —...

Digital Wellbeing

Jan 29, 2021

Technology is rapidly changing and is often used regularly in everyone’s day to day life, even though technology is becoming more integral in everything that we do, this can distract people from what really matters most. Technology should enhance people’s lives, not be a distraction from it. What we experience on a day to day basis both physically and emotionally determines our general wellbeing. Technology has a...

Who's Afraid of the Workplace Psychopath?

Jan 20, 2021

Dr Holly Andrews, Senior Lecturer from Worcester Business School, discusses the benefits and weaknesses of psychopathic traits in the workplace. What is psychopathy? Psychopathy is a personality disorder associated with characteristics such as guiltlessness, lack of empathy, manipulativeness, callousness, superficial charm, impulsivity and an inability to learn from experience. When we hear the word ‘psychopath’,...

Returning to Work and Managing Sleep Deprivation After Having a Baby

Jan 14, 2021

Rachael Wilson, Paediatric Sleep Consultant and mum of two, shares her tips and suggestions on managing the return to work after having a baby and coping with inevitable sleep deprivation. In this article I will be talking about the impact sleep deprivation can have on a new family and how this can affect mental health and returning to work. I have some top tips on how to make these transitions easier for you and some links to...

Work from Home Yoga with Georgie Edwards | Day 5

Jan 08, 2021

In the final video of our five-part yoga series, Georgie Edwards brings together what we've practiced in the last four sessions and introduces us to some new yoga movements. Our yoga instructor is Georgie Edwards, aka The Knotted Yogi, a London-based yoga teacher who trained in the northern mountains of India. Find out more about Georgie and the yoga classes she has on offer here .

Work from Home Yoga with Georgie Edwards | Day 4

Jan 07, 2021

In our fourth video, Georgie guides us through an energetic 'coffee breathing' session - ideal if you're feeling sluggish and need a pick-me-up during the work day. This five-part yoga series is ideal for anyone who works from home at a desk all day. Our yoga instructor is Georgie Edwards, aka The Knotted Yogi, a London-based yoga teacher who trained in the northern mountains of India. Find out more about Georgie here and...

Work from Home Yoga with Georgie Edwards | Day 3

Jan 06, 2021

In today’s work from home yoga session, Georgie guides us through a body scan meditation which is a great way to release tension built up from sitting at your desk all day. Georgie Edwards, aka The Knotted Yogi, is a London-based yoga teacher who trained in the northern mountains of India. Find out more about Georgie here and look out for our fourth session tomorrow.

Work from Home Yoga with Georgie Edwards | Day 2

Jan 05, 2021

In the second session of our five-part yoga series, Georgie focuses on square breathing. This five-part yoga series is ideal for anyone who works from home at a desk all day. Our yoga instructor is Georgie Edwards, aka The Knotted Yogi, a London-based yoga teacher who trained in the northern mountains of India. Find out more about Georgie here and stay tuned for our third session tomorrow.

Work from Home Yoga with Georgie Edwards | Day 1

Jan 04, 2021

To kick off a brand new year, we've created a week-long yoga series which is perfect anyone who works at a desk all day. Our yoga instructor is Georgie Edwards, aka The Knotted Yogi, a London-based yoga teacher who trained in the northern mountains of India. Find out more about Georgie here and stay tuned for our second session tomorrow.

How to Stay Healthy Over Christmas

Dec 18, 2020

Have your cake and eat it – but not too much At this time of year, it’s all too easy to think ‘what the hell, I’ll diet in the New Year’ and overindulge over the festive period but this isn’t the healthiest approach. What you could try doing is accepting that you may indeed overindulge, or at least eat more during this period, but you don’t have to give up on healthy eating and exercise...

Top 6 Healthy Eating and Nutrition Books

Dec 17, 2020

We’ve listed our favourite books that focus on wholesome, nutritious food – ideal if you're looking for a last-minute Christmas gift or a treat for yourself to enjoy after the festivities. 1. Eat Yourself Healthy: An Easy-to-digest Guide to Health and Happiness from the Inside Out by Dr Megan Rossi (Penguin Life, Hardback/Ebook/Audiobook, September 2019) Many of us complain of digestive issues and this book...

7 Day Mindfulness Challenge

Dec 16, 2020

Mindfulness is a technique that requires paying more attention and being fully engaged in the present moment. This simply means paying attention to thoughts, sounds, bodily sensations, and your surroundings. Mindfulness has been found to be extremely beneficial for stress reduction and overall wellbeing. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed during the festive period, you might want to try Rachel Ward-Lilley’s 7-day mindfulness...

Top Wellbeing Tips for the Festive Season

Dec 15, 2020

Sara Smyth from Mama Love Yoga London shares her tips on how to take care of your wellbeing over the festive season. Sara is a yoga teacher, massage therapist and wellbeing writer. Find out more on Mama Love Yoga London https://mamaloveyogalondon.com /

5 Self Care Rituals

Dec 14, 2020

The term ‘ritual’ might draw connotations of sacred ceremonies and spiritualism, but we all have rituals that we perform daily. Just think about it: brushing your teeth, showering or bathing, cooking dinner, cleaning, having a coffee break. These are rituals that we perform without even thinking. They can be mundane and sometimes seem like unwelcome intrusions in our busy lives. Adding intention and mindfulness to these...

Silent Night: Tips for Getting Better Sleep

Dec 11, 2020

A report by sleep expert Christine Hansen, commissioned by Eve Sleep, found that stress brought on by the festive season is one of the main causes of lack of sleep at this time of year, with 27% of women losing sleep because of Christmas-related stress. We’ve put together a list of tips that will increase your chances of having a good night’s sleep. Sleep schedule. Get yourself accustomed to a regular sleep routine by...

Wellbeing at Christmas with Rachel Ward Lilley

Dec 10, 2020

Housing Technology's Heather Grant spoke to Rachel Ward Lilley about how to enjoy and look after yourself over the festive period - watch the video below. Rachel Ward Lilley is a business and educational psychologist and regular Housing Technology Wellbeing contributor. She has worked for many years advising SMEs and her current work relates to issues of resilience, communication, personal development, team building and motivation. Over...

Supporting wellbeing in the workplace