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4 steps for navigating bereavement in the workplace

4 steps for navigating bereavement in the workplace

Employees could be faced with the passing of a colleague, family member, friend or even, someone they provided care for. It could be from a long-term illness, an accident, COVID-19 or perhaps from a sudden and unexpected health condition. For many employers it can be difficult to know how to respond and support employees through bereavement, you’ll probably be asking yourself, how do you support your employees? For some people, work is an important coping mechanism. It can be a distraction and provide a sense of routine during distressing times. Whilst work may be part of the coping process, it’s important for line managers to understand that they may not be able to perform at the same level straight away.…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 17, 2020
Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Don’t take it personally

Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Don’t take it personally

In the people professions we will often come across people who are distressed, agitated or otherwise in a bad place. Often this will result in their being unkind or worse towards others, including ourselves – even though we may be doing our best to help and support them. They may swear at us, insult us or even physically attack us. Now, while such behaviour is not acceptable and should therefore not be condoned, we should also recognize that we would be wise not to take such matters personally. It is much more likely that they are taking their frustrations out on the role we occupy or the organization we represent or, ironically, may be venting their dismay and/or wrath in…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 4, 2020
International Men’s Day in the UK

International Men’s Day in the UK

International Men’s Day in the UK is on 19 November every year (Thursday this year) – it is celebrated around the world in at least 60 countries. Every year, International Men’s Day in the UK is marked by more and more women, men and organisations across the country. Across November in the UK there is a Parliamentary debate, policy launches, employer days, community events, health days, business events, debates, student events, political events, gigs, conferences, competitions, comedy nights and charity fundraisers – the most anywhere in the world. There were over 200 events in 2018 – and even more in 2019 (plus #internationalmensday was the biggest Twitter trend in the UK on the day). 2020 will be even bigger! Click…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 4, 2020
Awe walks can boost positive emotions among older adults

Awe walks can boost positive emotions among older adults

After the age of about 75, people tend to feel more anxiety, sadness and loneliness, and less in the way of positive emotion. Strategies to prevent or at least counteract these deteriorations are badly needed, and new research by a team in the US, published in the journal Emotion, has now identified one apparently promising strategy: so-called “awe walks”. As Virginia Strum at the University of California and her colleagues note, awe is a positive emotion felt by people “when they are in the presence of something vast that they cannot immediately understand”. A walk through a desert, a beautiful piece of art, a wedding — all of these things, and more, can lead to feelings of awe. Earlier work…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 4, 2020
Judith Turkson-Baidoo, autistic woman and fine art graduate

Judith Turkson-Baidoo, autistic woman and fine art graduate

Black History Month celebrates the enormous contribution Black Britons have made to society. This is an important time to highlight black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) autistic people’s stories – and the double discrimination so many face trying to get the right support and services. With this in mind, we caught up Judith Turkson-Baidoo, autistic woman and Fine Art graduate. Judith currently works for a charity that provides educational support for children and young people. We chatted to Judith about her experiences as a black autistic woman and what Black History Month and the Black Lives Matter movement means to her. Judith also shared her diagnosis story, responding to being told ‘you don’t look autistic’, and why being weird is…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 4, 2020
Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Aim for adult-adult

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Aim for adult-adult

Transactional analysis, or TA for short, is now often seen as old-fashioned, but good ideas have a tendency to endure beyond fashion. TA teaches us that we should aim for interactions with others that are characterized as adult-adult (that is, based on mutual respect and consideration) rather than parent-child (based on dominance), parent-parent (a power battle) or child-child (neither person taking ownership of the situation). This is a very simple framework of understanding, but it can be very useful in a variety of circumstances. For example, supervision at work can be very effective and empowering when it is adult-adult, but can create resentment and distance when it is carried out on a parent-child basis. So, are you relating to people…
Dr Neil Thompson
October 20, 2020