May Month Notes — Infinite insights
In the spirit of working in the open and continuing with regular blog posts here’s my second instalment of my month notes. Each update I’ll include a general reflection for each month, a digital and sustainability section and wrap up with achievements
Mental health at work — supporting staff who show up wholeheartedly
May was also mental health at work week. Creating a workplace environment that supports colleagues mental health is something I’m passionate about.
So it was great to get Swiscot colleagues signed up to become mental health firstaiders. Just like with physical first aid, its important to know how to support colleagues during the tough times we can go through. This requires care and sensitivity in approach.
Taking time to learn techniques that help build resilience in the team is a vital skill we need. I can say I’ve seen first hand when a manager is ill-equipped to support a colleague experiencing high-levels of stress and anxiety.
Digital
Having come from a Customer experience and digital optimisation background. I naturally focus on how we can improve the customer journey on the site. But it’s important to remember the vital role social media plays in your online presence. I have been having fun with TikTok content creation to promote our Hudi brand.
Agile Manchester talk
Also in May I delivered a talk at the Agile Manchester conference. I was really nervous about this as I’d not spoken to a large in person conference crowd since Mind The Product back in 2020! I asked for feedback afterwards on LinkedIn and got this gem back. It really lifted my spirits as you forget all the little details that go into making an engaging talk.
“throughout the whole event as well as enjoying your content I felt your presentation style was the right mix of formal and informal, on slide and off slide if that makes sense. Not everyone manages to do that and make it look so easy, great job”
Sustainability
The other focus of my role is building out our sustainability strategy across the business. There’s lots to learn in this space. At the start of June I am attending the growth company net zero training course which I am really excited to go on. I’m just as excited to meet and connect with other businesses going on this journey.
In May I started the ground-work to help us understand the opportunity to support industry efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.
TSA Sustainability committee — collecting benchmark data
As a member of the Textiles Service Association (TSA) I have joined their sustainability working group. The aim is to help share our journey of developing our sustainability strategy. As well as collaborating across suppliers and laundries to reduce our collective carbon footprint.
There is an opportunity to develop a hospitality linen carbon calculator. As flat linens like sheets and towels are manufactured in different ways to garments. So at the moment there isn’t a benchmark for understanding the carbon footprint of hospitality linens. It’s a work in progress as with complex supply chains and data access challenges we’re on a journey to get the data to help inform our choices.
TSA Infinite Textiles
I also got to have a tour of the Salvation Army aggregating site in Kettering. This was an impressive facility that processes a huge volume of garments to be reused or repurposed. The visit was to learn more about the TSA infinite textiles scheme.
You can see a video of the site here: https://youtu.be/IuiEL2OvapQ
The TSA has teamed up with UKHospitality, WRAP and PCIAW to launch the Infinite Textiles scheme. The scheme will see commercial laundries partnering with their customers to recycle end of life linen and towels from the hospitality, healthcare and leisure industries, with the aim of saving tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon and billions of litres of water every year.
https://tsa-uk.org/infinite-textiles-greener-linen-for-hospitality-and-healthcare/
Achievements and recommendations
Reading this month
- Belong by Radha Agrawal https://belongbook.com/
- This was on my friends coffee table and as soon as I read the blurb I was like I need this book in my life
- I am exploring what sort of communities I want to connect and engage with. As I’ve moved industries and role, this has left me feeling a little adrift with where my tribe is. This book explores a range of topics, activities and ideas to help you tune into what you’re looking for from a community.
- I have also started a small book club with some friends to go on this journey with too.
Podcast this month
- I’m a little biased but i also launched the Better in Tandem podcast
- You can check it out on our substack https://www.betterintandem.com/
Running distance
- I did my first 5km run this month so I am creeping up to the triathalon run distance of 6.2km
- Though I need to get up 10km as I will have to run after completing a 24km bike ride!
- I am also making sure I am looking after myself as turns out my achy knees are common for female runners. Something called patella-itis. So adding in lots of extra conditioning activities to build strength and reduce injury risk.
