Wellbeing and working from home

Since the Covid-19 outbreak our lives have changed beyond recognition. We now know we CAN work from home but are we flourishing? The energy industry workforce is dealing with change on an unprecedented scale. These changes are not

the usual cyclical ups and downs linked to oil price. Instead, the whole industry is having to deal with the impacts of achieving net zero targets whilst also coping with a global pandemic. At the same time, the energy industry is being challenged to meet one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century (other than finding a COVID-19 vaccine). Providing energy to a growing global population while dealing with the climate change emergency requires the best of human ingenuity and creativity.

Achieving this requires a whole new level of innovation, collaboration and resilience. In turn this requires people to have good level well-being levels. Can we achieve this while we’re working from home?

This is a question that Susan Brimmer, an HR professional with 20 years’ experience in the energy industry is asking in her PhD research project with the University of Aberdeen.

“I believe we need to find creative solutions that allows us to flourish in this hybrid working environment. There are many benefits to working from home and we have a chance to unlock greater efficiencies and take some vital first steps towards reducing our impact on the environment, kick starting a return to a greener way of life. However, there are also many challenges to working in isolation. I want to explore this topic thoroughly so we can develop a viable way of working that brings us more time for our loved ones and ourselves while developing a more sustainable long-term energy industry”. Susan explains.

Susan is so committed to focusing on and accelerating the research that she has given up her job at OGTC in Aberdeen.

“I started the PhD part-time 2 years ago and it will take another 4 years to complete it if I continue in this mode. By then the findings will be obsolete and I will have missed my opportunity to help. The world is changing quickly, and I hope that by accelerating the project I can offer robust findings that will support, develop, motivate and realise the full potential of people working across the UK.”

Susan is currently gathering data for the first stage of the research and hopes to have some initial findings to share early in 2021. It’s not too late to take part in the research. The closing date for the confidential, online survey is Friday 11th December. So if you work in support of the UK energy industry and were office based before Covid-19 and home based since, please complete the survey! (See link below)

Learn more about the research project at: https://www.flourishingatwork.today/research-question

If you wish to complete the survey visit: https://viis.abdn.ac.uk/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=160344593483

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE.