Welcome to the May 2020 Newsletter

Welcome to Week 11 in the Big Brother House… sorry, my bedroom… rather, my home office… eh, my remote working facility.  We are in the ‘new normal’ now, though what an unfamiliar, unpredictable and uncertain version of normality it is.  Have you had that Zoom experience where the other person on the line suddenly seems to be listening to your precious words with rapt attention… and then you realise your connection has glitched… and you have been talking to yourself… again?

Here at Work Smarter Together we are still keeping an eye on some of the things you might be interested in hearing about – colleagues working smarter together, all across the campus and in homes and apartments around the Dublin area and, in one case I know, from Sligo.  Now, perhaps more than ever, our ability to create and collaborate, and find new ways of working, is being called on, with colleagues dealing with all sorts of challenges, in their personal lives as well as in the work context.   On our own UCD scale, everyday we have reasons to be thankful for the people we work with, thankful for what they are doing to make the ‘new normal’… just thankful.  Tell them.

Work Smarter Together emerged in 2014 from a bunch of committed folks who wanted to show off and celebrate the good things we do.  We still do that.  You can tell, and read, stories through this newsletter, gather with us for the summer school in July, or maybe share something you have done that others might gain from through the WST Smart Cards.  They are a great (and low effort!) way of recognising good stuff that is being done – you might have something to share yourself (“this is quite useful – maybe it might help”), or you might have a colleague where you go “that was brilliant – other people should hear about that!”.  Check out http://worksmartertogether.ucd.ie/ucd-smart-cards-gallery/ for what’s already on display. 

Enjoy the June holiday weekend.  See you at the summer school in July.