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Supporting NHS trusts, employees and their families in remote working

Words provided by Skillsoft, editorially reviewed by National Health Executive

The shift to remote working has been sudden and dramatic for many people over the last few months. Before social distancing measures came into force, a large majority of the UK workforce had limited experience of working from home on a long term basis. Since then, they have been faced with navigating the many associated challenges - some of which are less obvious than others.

This is an area where Skillsoft would like to help - by offering free learning and training services to all NHS staff and their families. As we all adapt to the ‘new normal’ with limited - or no - physical access to the workplace, Skillsoft is working hard to continuously innovate and evolve to meet the needs of those working remotely, whatever their goals, circumstances or aspirations.

Unleash new possibilities

The video below outlines one of the single greatest challenges with working remotely as a ‘virtual team’ member: Time Management. This is an example of one of the many courses now freely available to NHS staff and their families, which Skillsoft hopes will be more valuable than ever in these challenging times.

Key to time management as a remote worker is balancing the hours you are working with ‘no work’ hours. Without a physical office location or the mental separation of the commute, the boundaries can quickly blur. It can be easy to let work intrude on sleep, relaxation and family time. Of course, deadlines must be met - but so too must personal needs and obligations.

Skillsoft’s time management courses give you the skills you need to work with your team to set priorities and expectations, and tools to help you structure your working day. Key areas this course covers include:

• Establishing your own peak performance times - most people have periods of high and low activity during the day, which depend on things like personal energy levels and family commitments
• Scheduling breaks - studies suggest breaks help regulate the levels of dopamine, which plays a role in energy and motivation
• Ensuring your schedule is adaptable - flexibility is key to working remotely. There will always be unexpected events, deadlines and changing priorities

The next generation of learning

Remote working can be challenging - taking the time to review best practice and learn new ways of working effectively will pay dividends in terms of performance, productivity and your own mental health.

To help you build learning into your remote working schedule, it’s important to use the right tools. We have so many learning resources available to us, the choice can be overwhelming and this makes it difficult to progress in any particular area. The right tools can curate the very best learning resources and provide the right content you are looking for - just as you need it.

Many NHS Trusts already take advantage of Skillsoft’s online eLearning service to help their employees enhance and acquire new commercial skills.  Now, Skillsoft’s award-winning eLearning platform and content is available to all NHS staff and their household family members, including:

• A personalised homepage with the ability to create playlists
• Vast catalogues of resources so you can choose how you want to learn, whether via videos, books, audio books, an exclusive collection of MIT Sloan Management Review articles or on-the-job application guides to help create a habit of learning and keep you moving forward
• The ability to quickly discover useful information and content that aligns with your interests

An award-winning, easy to use platform

Skillsoft’s platform is intuitive and simple to use. It is modeled on the consumer web experiences people have come to expect with a simple interface, personalised playlists and one-click access to content. Think Netflix, for example. The platform also caters to people’s busy schedules by delivering micro-learning (three to five minute videos) plus a mobile app so learning can happen anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

There will be no cost and no restrictions on access to the service for the duration of the offer. Simply put, this is Skillsoft’s way of saying “Thank You” to everyone in the extended NHS family for the heroic service you are providing to this country.

Anyone interested in registering for this offer on behalf of their NHS organisation, can do so by visiting: Free access to online learning for NHS trusts, employees and their families