For some of us, uncertainty is a walk in the park. For others, it’s an angst-inducing journey into the darkest reaches of the soul. Some days you’re on the crest of a wave, other days you feel like the wave has dumped you in deep water and carried on without you. In the ups and downs of these stormy times, Working Voices invites you to take a virtual look around our Safe House, an online place of calm advice and practical support.
In the Safe House, we’ll share stories of difficult experiences, we’ll offer tips and help, and we’ll give you free resources. Feel free to dip in and out, and take what works for you. In troubling circumstances, it’s easy to feel alone. If you’re reading this, wondering what the future will bring, know that others are doing the same.
We train people from all walks of life in a range of professional skills, in cities around the world. We know how to put some zing back into your batteries. Whatever 2020 brought, together we can help ensure 2021 is about new beginnings. You might feel alone. In truth, in here you’re not.
Finding inspiration
The Safe House part of our website contains plenty to choose from. Everything is divided into four ‘rooms’. In the social room you can join like-minded people and take part in interactive Masterclass webinars, or get all your questions answered by experts in our live Q&A sessions. We’re making many of our Masterclasses freely available, including:
- How to rock a virtual interview
- How to look good on camera
- Building your online brand
- How to use optimism
- Getting productive in 2021
- Building virtual relationships
Over in the movie room, you can browse Learnflix, our online eLearning platform – choose from thousands of bitesize videos and watch our expert trainers in action. Here you’ll find clips on dozens of different topics, for example mindfulness for dealing with anxiety or tips on building your confidence. We’re offering free access to our Communicating Virtually course, available 24/7.
When you’re looking for a little inspiration, sometimes it helps to hear other people’s stories. You can find plenty to choose from in the room of hope, where you can read and watch interviews covering the challenges and solutions that other people have experienced in recent months. And when you fancy a break, head across to the games room and discover Curv, our daily self-development app for the young at heart.
The hidden, human story
Across the economy, business resources and personal finances are becoming dangerously stretched. For some, contracts have been loosened, terms altered, salaries have been reduced. Uncertainty in the furlough scheme in October led to job losses, contributing to a record rise in the number of redundancies – which have reached levels not seen since the economic downturn of 2009. Many employers may yet decide they can’t afford to keep their staff on, redundancy figures are likely to continue to climb. This comes at a time when there are 40% fewer job vacancies than a year ago.
The most recent unemployment rate, published in November, stood at 4.8% – with 1.6 million people registered unemployed. Between September and October, 2.6 million people claimed unemployment benefits, (either because of unemployment or low income), according to the government’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility. The OBR has previously predicted unemployment could peak at 11.9% this year and may climb to 13.2% in early 2021 – with four million people out of work. Perhaps inevitably, 70% of adults in Britain are very or somewhat worried about the effect of Covid-19 on their life right now, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. The Safe House is about the human side of these numbers.
Managing uncertainty
In great moments of change, anxiety can have a debilitating effect. The Safe House will help you find inspiration, help you manage concerns, learn new skills or find your mojo. Uncertainty can be deceptively optimistic, inducing the feeling that ‘things are tricky now but they might settle down soon’, or ‘I’ll wait to see what the future brings’. This type of thinking is about holding on.
As an alternative to holding on, long-term peace of mind comes from finding a sense of control – which is hard to do amid uncertainty. Safe House will help you make a start. Find us online, dip in and browse around, reclaim a little more control in your life. Welcome to the Safe House. Times are difficult now, but the future is yours to create.
