Thanks to Tracey Robinson for updating us on the new provider of Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) services to the University at our Staff Fora last week. TELUS are a Canadian company, who provide counselling and other support for UC staff and their whānau.
As promised, these are the details of the programme: https://ucliveac.sharepoint.com/sites/IntranetWHOurPeopleCultureDevelopment/SitePages/Wellbeing/EAP.aspx
Kia ora koutou
Working from home is no longer new to us and most would have designated a spot as “the working space”.
Here is a brief checklist for your home workstation:
Your chair: ideally an office chair, if not be creative in adjusting the height, a cushion may be good to sit on or support your back.
Your feet: ensure your feet are flat on the floor, if not you may improvise something as your foot rest.
Your screen: either a laptop or desktop, position the top of your screen at about eye level and about an arm’s length away from you.
Your eyes: a break away from the screen is good. Eye yoga or the like is recommended. Or the 20/20/20 rule, after 20 minutes on screen, give your eyes a 20 second break by looking at something 20 feet away!
Your mouse & keyboard: it is recommended to have a separate mouse and keyboard if you use a laptop.
Your breaks: take regular breaks, keep up your hydration and physical movements.
Here is the video on how to set up your desk but you might have to change it to suit your home environment.
Do discuss with your manager if you need further support.
Ngā mihi
Swee Hoon
You may have seen the email from UC yesterday about the snappily titled UC Omicron Response Framework. The eagle eyed among you may have noticed there wasn’t a framework.
UC will release this shortly. In the meantime, this is the Library bit.
Red is split into 3 phases to match the government approach
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 |
| · Online services available (e.g. chat service; consultations)
· Library access o Central: 700 capacity o EPS: 150 capacity o MB: 35 capacity · Community access at Central, and MB on request · Te Rua MakerSpace in person
|
· Online services available (e.g. chat service; consultations)
· Library access o Central: 700 capacity o EPS: 150 capacity o MB: 35 capacity · Community access until 4th March at Central, and MB on request · Te Rua MakerSpace in person and online |
· Online services available (e.g. chat service; consultations)
· Library access: o Central: 100 capacity (for priority students) o EPS: tbc (priority students) o MB: Closed · Book postage services and digitisation of teaching content available · Te Rua MakerSpace online |
As always this is subject to change. For more detail, drop me a message or post below!
Throughout February University of Canterbury will be hopping on our bikes and riding towards a cleaner, greener, happier Aotearoa New Zealand! Plus, we’ll be riding to build up points and win prizes!
But we need your help. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t ridden in years or you’re a committed commuter, everyone’s welcome. Ride to work or just around the neighbourhood, every ride you do counts!
Register before 11:59 pm on Christmas Eve and you could even win a brand new eBike worth $3,999! Register now at Aotearoa.bike.
PLUS, exclusive to Greater Christchurch riders, be in to win awesome local prizes including passes to Nostalgia Festival, Uprising bouldering and yoga, He Puna Taimoana hot pools, a food box from Green Dinner Table, Metrocards with $50 pre-loaded credit, and local goodies from Mumma Bear muesli and Bellbird Baked Goods. Check out the details here!
Posted by Helen on behalf of The Aotearoa Bike Challenge Team
Aotearoa.bike
So the new traffic light system goes live at 11.59pm on Thursday. The proposed guidelines for our services and spaces are shown below. These will be tweaked over time so if you spot a problem/challenge/error, shout out!
This is an evolving situation and everyone is still trying to get their heads around it. It is okay to feel a bit anxious. It is not okay to feel anxious alone, so do talk with your manager/colleagues.
Beneath the guidelines are implementation notes, again if you have suggestions or comments, please speak with your manager.
| Green | Orange | Red |
|
|
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| QR code scanning mandatory Masks Recommended No Vaccine Certificates |
QR code scanning mandatory Masks Highly Recommended No Vaccine Certificates |
QR code scanning mandatory Masks Mandatory Vaccine Certificates mandatory |
Ergonomics while working from home can be a challenge for many of us. Some tips below.
Take a br eak
S T R E T C H
Get some exercise –walk, cycle, yoga, dance
Change position – the best position is the next position
Take a br eak
S T R E T C H
Get some exercise
Change position
Repetition on purpose – to emphasise you need to do these things often!
Also found this list of easy mood busters for those days when you’re just not having a good day, which happens to all of us.
The H&S SharePoint site has first aiders listed for the whole campus. Library staff with first aid Certificates (or staff in the library buildings) are as follows.
| Expiry | |
| Kiera Tauro | 19/05/2022 |
| David Lane | 8/10/2021 |
| Saharu Shoji | 8/12/2021 |
| Brian McElwain | 06/10/2022 |
| Swee-Hoon Goh | 06/10/2022 |
| Jacqui Cain (Financial Services) | 07/04/2023 |
| Lisa Davies | 4/12/2022 |
| Kim Hall | 10/09/2022 |
| Susan Lloyd | 8/10/2021 |
| Rebecca Fisher | 21/11/2021 |
| Jessica Ritchie (Academic skills) | 21/11/2021 |
| Julie Wuthnow (Academic skills) | 4/12/2021 |
| Theresa Buller | 24/7/2021 |
| Nicole Moffat | 10/06/2021 |
| Kerry Gilmour | 25/09/2021 |
| Isabella Stainthorpe | 10/02/2023 |
| Gabrielle Faith | 04/12/2022 | Dale Wang | 02/02/2023 |
First Aid Refresher training courses for the rest of the year are on 5th August (currently full), 7th October and 7th December and can be booked in UC People.
Anyone wishing to gain a first Aid certificate will need the approval of their manager as the library currently has the required number of first aiders.
Tim O’Sullivan
Minutes of the most recent library health and Safety Committee are saved on SharePoint: https://ucshare.canterbury.ac.nz/management/dep/dep002/Papers/Forms/HealthSafety.aspx
Thanks to the Library Health and Safety Committee reps, Swee Hoon Goh, Dave Lane, Kathryn Andrews and Tim O’Sullivan. And thanks to the Chair of the Committee and Library Departmental Safety Officer, Sara Roberts.
Thanks also to the DPI group who are currently running sessions to keep staff updated. Ergonomic issues are probably our highest risk at work as the main tools of trade are computers so this is an important job that the DPI committee undertake on our behalf.
Tim O’Sullivan
Getting enough sleep is an important part of preventing discomfort, pain or injury (DPI). This link from Canterbury District Health Board | Te Poari Hauora ō Waitaha has tips for sleeping well and will describe what sleep hygiene is.
H & S Induction
Wednesday 16th February at 11.20am will be the first Health and Safety induction for new staff for 2021.
This is in two sections. The first is walk around the PJH building to think about the work environment when the need arises to evacuate the building and, secondly, Health and Safety for completely new staff.
Most staff participated in the refresher walk arounds last year but there may be people who missed out last year or would like another session so please feel free to come along.
Ergonomics
Ergonomic issues are a risk for library staff but with good use of desks, computers, keyboards and mice, the risks are easy to mitigate. The UC online ergonomic assessment tool is a good guide to the basic requirements for being comfortable at your work station.
Earthquake
Monday February 22nd is the 10th Anniversary of our 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Wikipedia has a big page on the Christchurch Earthquakes and there are a lot of books in the library about the event.
Tim O’Sullivan