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Calvin is one of our team leaders, managing a team of grants officers who consider applications from the people who turn to us for help. Calvin has shared a day in his life, working from home – an insight into how his team has adapted to keep supporting you.

I am woken up…

…between 5:45 and 6am by my very excitable puppy, Tod, who is always desperate to go outside! The current rules allow us one allocated slot for exercise, so we use this early start to take a big walk around our local park. At that time it’s always empty, and it’s a great way to start the day.

I get home…

…around 7:30, have a shower and a well-earned bacon sandwich. I’m ready to sign on for work at 8am, nice and early.

I am currently working…

at the dining table in my kitchen. My wife is also working from home and because we both need to do a lot of video conference calling, we try and make ourselves scarce whilst one of us is on the phone – I end up in the bedroom a lot of the time.

I start my day…

…by checking in with the other team leaders to let them know my plan for the day. I then contact my team for a status update on their workload and to see how they’re generally getting on. We have one member of the team who has contracted coronavirus and is self-isolating, so I check in with them each day to see how they’re doing.

I have a video call with…

…my grants manager to discuss certain applications or policies and raise any questions from the team. Wherever possible, I have regular calls or video meetings with my team about the people and families we are supporting to ensure the most appropriate outcome for each person. We have a few new members of staff, so I spend time answering their questions and reviewing their work.

I’m working on…

…a big project to help us keep in touch with our beneficiaries who are coming up to their annual review of support. Usually, this takes place in the person’s home but because of the current situation, we need to find alternative ways of completing these reviews. Staff members from other departments who have found themselves less busy have been drafted into our team to help complete these reviews over the phone.

This extra help means my team can focus on looking at new applications and providing continuous support for those we are already helping.

After work…

…I focus all of my attention on trying to train Tod in our garden! I then cook dinner with my wife and spend the rest of the evening video calling friends and family – we’ve played a lot of interactive quizzes over the last few weeks!