March 2021

Get fit for Spring - add a bit of activity to your working day

Active travel - such as walking, cycling or wheeling - not only improves your health and wellbeing but helps save you money and reduces your carbon footprint.

Whether you are travelling to work or working from home, there are many excellent resources and tips to help you to get moving more during your working day:

• Beginners Cycle to Work Guide - everything you need to know to get started including links to free online courses.
• M-Check - A simple check for your bike to make sure it is safe to ride.
• A Guide to the best route planning apps - some inspiration for new routes for your Active commute.
• Way to Work have plenty more resources to help you with useful information about cycling, walking, using public transport, or journey sharing.

Council resources and support

Our Cycle to Work staff salary sacrifice scheme, operated by Wider Plan, can save you between 30-40% savings on the cost of a new bike.

More information on this and other resources and support can be found on Connect here. View some frequently asked questions here.

Read more about the 'five tips to wellbeing' here

Regular Sleep; Healthy Future

Friday 19 March is World Sleep Day - an annual, global call to action about the importance of healthy sleep. The aim of the event is to recognise the problems associated with sleep problems and the importance of healthy sleep

Getting enough sleep and having good sleeping habits and routines supports our physical and mental health and wellbeing which affects every area of our lives.

There is evidence to show that people who sleep well - those with a regular bedtime and rise time - have better moods; motor skills to learn about and adapt to the environment; and better academic achievements. Those who suffer from impaired sleep typically have poorer mental health, a decline in physical health and quality of life.

The pandemic and lockdown restrictions have caused changes in routine and greater stress and anxiety for many of us - all factors leading to impaired sleep. Is it time to slow down and refocuses your attention on your lifestyle and sleeping habits?

Help and support

See the 'Sleep' section of our Support Guide for further information, resources and support at Support for Staff / Your support guide - everything you need to know in one place.

Learn more about IDOX - free online sessions

Council family staff, along with staff from other organisations, are invited by IDOX to attend a free training session this month - in live time using Microsoft Teams.

The council has a corporate subscription to The Knowledge Exchange, a research and information service open to all council employees, which is provided by IDOX.

The session will include:

• Overview of the service including topic coverage and how material is sourced
• How to register for a username and password
• Details of the current awareness including the Weekly Bulletin, Topic Updates and personalised Alerts
• Information on 'Ask a Researcher' service.
• A demonstration of the database with hints and tips on searching

Dates and times

• Tuesday 16 March - 11am to 12 noon

• Tuesday 30 March - 11am to 12 noon.

The last online training sessions received very positive feedback from attendees - 100% of customers agreed or strongly agreed that the session was useful, and 93% said they intended to use the Information Service more as a result.

More information / register your interest

Please email christine.eccleson@idoxgroup.com if you are interested in attending.

Find out more about IDOX at www.idoxgroup.com

Workplace Options Online Webinar

Every month, Workplace Options - our employees assistance provider - offers a range of information and resources on various topics - from health and wellbeing to general lifestyle matters.

This month's online seminar is about Planning for Success- exploring the secrets behind being more organised and efficient to help combat and reduce feeling of being overwhelmed. As a result of the pandemic, many of us may have experienced feelings of being overwhelmed.

The seminar is available on demand which means you can view the audiovisual presentation and download all accompanying materials at a time that's convenient for you.

How to access the online seminar - available from 16 March, 2021

• Visit the log-in site at workplaceopetions.com

• click on 'member login'

• enter username: GCC and enter password: employee

• click on 'online seminars'

More information:

You can find out more about Workplace Options at workplaceoptions.com

International Women's Day and relaunch of Lean In Network

The council is once again supporting International Women's Day (IWD) on Monday 8 March - an annual day of celebration where the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women are recognised globally.

The theme of this year's event is to 'Choose to Challenge' - by calling out on gender bias and equality, and to seek out and celebrate women's achievements worldwide.

To celebrate International Women's Day 2021, the council's Lean In Network held their first networking event of the year, hosted by Annemarie O'Donnell, Chief Executive. The online event gave participants the opportunity to discuss the challenges we are all facing during the COVID pandemic and decide collectively how the Lean In Group will support us all moving forward.

Watch a short interview with Annemarie.

Our Lean In Network provides an opportunity for women - or anyone interested in gender issues - to get together and discuss relevant topics, share ideas, insights and experiences. The group provides a positive, supportive environment enabling members to relate to one another first and foremost as individuals.

Show your support

You can also show your support and solidarity for IWD by striking a pose of your hand raised high and sharing it on social media using #ChooseToChallenge #IWD2021. Find out more here

Join the Lean In Network

To find out more about the Lean In Network and what it does for the women across the council family, email leanin@glasgow.gov.ukor follow GCC Inclusive on Twitter: @InclusiveGCC.

Join the #ActiveCommuteClub

The annual Scottish Workplace Journey Challenge, organised by Sustrans, is taking a breather this year due to Covid-19. Instead we are being encouraged this month (March) to join #ActiveCommuteClub.

It's free to join and the idea is to reimagine your commute to suit your current working day.

Whether you're a key worker or working remotely, use the time to be more active, connect with the outdoors and enjoy being a part of a community of like-minded people across Scotland - sharing stories and celebrating each other's experiences.

Sustrans will provide plenty of motivation in the form of their club Spotify playlist, podcast clubs, prizes and Strava group throughout the month. 

The club will be on hosted on Twitter at @SustransScot using #ActiveCommuteClub. with some content also on Facebook.

For more information and resources on how to promote #ActiveCommuteClub at your workplace please visit the blog. 

Don't delay - sign up today and you can start using the app to calculate your carbon footprint!

Our Sustainability Team, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, helped us to launch our bespoke Climate Emergency Training course last year - we were the first council in Scotland to offer this to staff and elected members.

This engaging and interactive course introduces Reshape, a new Carbon Management App which allows you to understand, monitor and reduce your own carbon footprint.  After the course the app will continue to help you reduce your personal impact on climate change through positive lifestyle changes.

By taking the course you can learn more about the causes of climate change and how it will impact Glasgow as well as the strategies the council might implement to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Every member of staff taking the course will be awarded with an official Carbon Literate accreditation upon successful completion of the course.

Gavin Slater, Head of Sustainability, Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability said: "The course is one of the many actions we are taking forward as part of our response to the Climate and Ecological Emergency, helping ensure we understand how we can each respond to the growing risks of climate change, after the council declared a climate and ecological emergency in May 2019.

 "This training will help to establish a common understanding and a common language in relation to addressing the climate emergency. As we head towards the COP 26 climate negotiations in Glasgow, there is an opportunity to take stock of where the city is on its journey to net zero, and reflect on what role you can play in it to inform and take action on the climate crisis."

To take the course:

Register your interest by Wednesday 3 March by emailing Sonia.milne@glasgow.gov.uk

The course will take place online using Microsoft Teams.  It takes 6 hours in total to complete the four weekly modules and you need to commit to one hour of live learning and 30 minutes of self-study on average every week.

Course dates are as follows:

• Monday 8 March  from 2pm to 3pm  - running for 4 weeks each Monday afternoon
• Tuesday 9 March from 10am to 11am - running for 4 weeks each Tuesday morning
• Tuesday 9 March from 2pm to 3pm  - running for 4 weeks each Tuesday afternoon.

Shower your charity with kindness this March

A change is in the air, Springtime is almost upon us. Leaves are turning green; flowers are blossoming, and sense of positivity is surrounding us, so why not, 'Shower your charity with kindness' this March.

To share this positivity and show kindness, any donation to one of our charity partners will receive a match of up to £10 on the first month's donation.

To donate - click here to choose your charity and brighten their day!

Take on the challenge and March the month!

Did you know that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with over 47,000 new cases diagnosed every year?

The good news is that prostate cancer is treatable and, if diagnosed at an early stage, the chances of survival are good.

March the Month is a virtual walking challenge organised by Prostate Cancer UK to raise awareness of prostate cancer and funds for lifesaving research.

Take on the challenge alone or in a team. Whether you're a rookie rambler or a seasoned stroller, March the Month and help save men's lives.

Sign up to the challenge here

Find out more about prostate cancer here