Healthy connecting – managing demanding workplaces
March 17, 2015 . 4:47 pm
When the workplace can make 24 hours a day demands on you how do you switch off and manage to hold onto reasonable expectations of yourself and your colleagues? Questions like this are beginning to filter into contemporary working life. Our flexible ways of working are actually making us feel more trapped than the rigidity of a 9-5 work day. Now we can work whenever we feel like it, many of us are finding it harder to carve out reasonable
The right way?
February 23, 2015 . 9:23 am
Enraged by the radio after just a few minutes I switched off and listened to my thoughts. What had enraged me? Yet another politician talking about “the right way”, the “right thing to do”. Refusing to discuss the issues being raised and bull headedly keeping to their script. Is this the way to engage a disillusioned electorate? It reminds me of past leadership failures when a totalitarian viewpoint was promoted and those that differed were “wrong”. After so much focus
What I am known for!
February 2, 2015 . 7:30 am
“You’re the trainer who insists we take a lunch break”. I was delighted to be greeted by this in the introduction to one of my recent courses. Yes I hope I am known as the trainer who insists on self care. My passion is quality of services available to those who need them and equally passionately I believe that having a workforce that values and cares about itself is an essential ingredient for good quality services and compassionate care. When I qualified
Signs of Spring v. Bleakness
January 26, 2015 . 5:00 pm
Today you may notice there are just the first signs of spring appearing. The snowdrops have been blooming in my garden for a couple of weeks; the catkins are beginning to show and the shoots of daffodils and hyacinths are coming. However this time of year is also associated with bleakness and a reality check about whether your life is where you want it to be. The return to work after the Christmas /New Year break is often associated with
Space
January 26, 2015 . 12:00 pm
Recently I’ve been reflecting on space. How do we conceptualise space? Boundaries around space and spaces have been gradually eroded; the office is shared and usually there will not be enough desks for every worker. This is a deliberate policy.The idea that we use space to symbolise our identity and make our desks our safe working base has been removed from many workplaces. Space in which professionals see people has become a premium; patients are left on trolleys in corridors
Great news
January 12, 2015 . 5:05 pm
I am delighted to announce that The House of Health and Beauty has joined with Pendrew Limited in the Renew Youathon taking place in March 2015. All participants on the Renew You women’s development course on 16th March at the George Albert Hotel will be offered a voucher from the House of Health and Beauty in Dorchester. A day focusing on you and your goals for the year followed by the opportunity to explore the treatments on offer at the
Gobbled up by the machine
January 12, 2015 . 4:54 pm
Returning to work as well as the events in France this week have provided space for some thoughts to coalesce around some ideas which I will explore in the next few blog posts. For me there is a mirroring of events on the global stage and issues arising for social care practitioners. Because of this mirroring, I suspect these issues reach beyond those working in social care and resonate for many of us as we think about the quality of
Making new habits
January 7, 2015 . 7:42 am
Apparently it takes 28 days to change a habit. Sounds manageable doesn’t it? What resolutions did you make last week? How are you getting on with them? Changing a habit requires an idea of what you want to achieve and things that motivate you in getting there; especially at the point when you want to revert to a familiar and comfortable way of being. Which habits would you really like to change and what support do you need in order
Renew You 2015
January 5, 2015 . 6:30 pm
I love the New Year. It’s time to take stock, review my goals and decide in which direction to head. I love the spring time when the promise of new life emerges increasing expectations. I love the autumn and the dedication of another academic year when achievements can begin and learning challenges embraced. You’ve probably got the message by now; I like to reflect on my dreams and aspirations. However they need to lead to actions and a sense of
Welcome to Pendrew blog
January 5, 2015 . 4:45 pm
The Pendrew blog is a way of communicating my thoughts and sharing them with those interested. You’ll see from the other web pages that I am a trainer interested in many aspects of personal and professional development. Although my background is in social work and training in social and health care, there are parallels with the business world in providing attentive and responsive customer care. Resourcing yourself is an important part of providing compassionate care whether professionally or in personal
