June Updates
Welcome to my June newsletter. The end of May brought a heatwave that absolutely wiped me out. For several days, I seemed to spend most of my time trying to manage my temperature, apologising for sweating through meetings and attempting to keep my brain functioning in an office that was far too hot. By the […]
May Updates
The last month or so has been a bit of a lesson in capacity, whether I wanted the lesson or not. My fatigue has been noticeably worse recently, and I’ve managed much less work than I had optimistically planned. The last couple of weeks in particular have been quite difficult. If you’re currently waiting on […]
April Updates
March has been a very full month. I’ve spent much of it travelling, getting out of my “office” (i.e. house), and into rooms with other people. That has included conferences, roundtables and sector events, and a lot of conversations with both new and familiar faces. I am someone who really enjoys that side of the […]
March Updates
You may have noticed there was no February newsletter. That was not because there was nothing to say about Access to Work. Quite the opposite. I was knocked out by a virus for large parts of January and February. Just a virus, but an unusually bad and long-lasting one. Because I already live with an […]
January Updates
I hope you had a decent break over Christmas and New Year, or at least found a bit of breathing space somewhere. I went into the holiday with very ambitious plans to catch up on all sorts of work projects. Inevitably, my fatigue had other ideas. After a few days of properly stopping, resting and […]
December Updates
As we head into the end of the year, I’ve been reflecting on just how full 2025 has been – for Access to Work (AtW), for our community and for me personally. It has been a demanding year of change and advocacy. I’ve had my own challenges to navigate, too, including ongoing health issues and […]
November Updates
I’m writing this with a mug of tea in hand and paint samples scattered across the kitchen – but after months of chaos, the renovation is finally (almost) done. Soon I’ll have a proper working space again (and perhaps fewer takeaways…). November is shaping up to be a busy and exciting month before I sneak […]
October Updates
Well, September has been quite a month! I’ve given what feels like a million talks, attended my first full day at uni for my coaching and mentoring training and had my kitchen ripped out (they are installing a new one, don’t fret!). I’ve also really struggled with my own health this month – seeing my […]
September Updates
I’m swapping iced coffees for course notes as I start my ILM5 in Coaching and Mentoring, and I’m excited to bring those skills into my work. In this edition, you’ll find a quick tip on requesting an escalation when timescales put your job at risk, clear steps for taking a complaint further, and fresh FOI […]
August Updates
Like many of us, I spent much of July hiding behind closed curtains with fans on full blast – though the co-working space air-con was well worth the sticky commute. Access to Work still threw up its usual hurdles, but there are real hints of progress: a new stakeholder group the DWP seems ready to […]