Personal and professional development
Our mental health and wellbeing have a significant tie to job or career satisfaction and personal and professional development. Here we have listed a number of ways we could move forward in our career or personal lives to improve our mental health – both in the workplace but also at home!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Career development: Thriving at Oxford has compiled a brilliant list of resources that support career development in the University, including self-diagnosis tools, development in your existing role, short and long courses, and leadership and management training. You could also have a poke about the People and Organisational Development (POD) pages to find out more about what’s available through their provision.
Coaching and mentoring: If you are interested in coaching or mentoring (whether that’s becoming a coach/mentor or getting one!), it’s worth checking out the People and Organisational Development (POD) pages to find out more about what’s available at the University. Coaching and mentoring provide alternative and highly effective development opportunities for staff to work through knotty issues, gain insights and achieve goals. Departments/faculties/colleges may also have mentoring or coaching programmes, so it’s worth checking with HR or your manager/supervisor if you want more subject or area-specific support.
Developing others: If you are interested in learning more about how to support your team or group, there are lots of resources on the POD Developing Others pages, from people development plans to supporting new staff. Visit the HR pages to remind yourself of the University policies too.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Wellbeing Champions: Through Thriving at Oxford, Wellbeing Champions are volunteers from across the University who are passionate about promoting a culture of wellbeing. Their role is to raise awareness around health and wellbeing within teams and signpost to resources and support services around all six domains of wellbeing: health, work, values and principles, social growth, personal growth and financial wellbeing. You can either find your local Wellbeing Champion or explore becoming one!
Mental health awareness training: Some areas of the University have cohorts of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs). If you are interested in becoming an MHFA, you need to check with your local area if there is an existing cohort and if further training is planned. There are, however, several masterclasses that are available to all staff – find out more information on this Thriving at Oxford page.
Training: There are so many training workshops or short courses that you could sign up for as a member of the University. Some of these will be highlighted in the Career Development section above, but there are lots of other trainings that develop different areas. POD have a range of training courses, as does IT. If you are interested in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, MPLS offers an annual ED&I training programme which covers anti-racist and intersectional allyship, supporting disabled and neurodivergent staff, self-care and resilience, and more (a new programme open to ALL for 2024/25 will be announced over the summer). The central Equality and Diversity Unit also have a range of training, including implicit bias, race and cultural awareness, harassment and bullying training.
Further learning and looking after you: There are lots of other ways to think about personal/professional development, including lifelong learning, giving back to the community and developing hobbies. See a list compiled by Thriving at Oxford to think about this a bit more.
Stress and imposter syndrome and building resilience: If you experience stress or feeling like an imposter, remember to read/watch the resources shared on Day Two of Mental Health Awareness Week 2024.