“ACHIEVABLE SMALL STEPS LEAD TO SEISMIC CHANGE”

He told OT that the latest NHS survey found that around half of staff are experiencing work-related stress.

“For nurses, doctors and optometrists, anecdotally we have found that there is reduced burnout when there is a green space. Plants can provide psychological comfort and awaken your senses. They provide a chance to practise mindfulness,” he shared.

Focus On Inclusion Within Local Optical Committees

~~us ONINCLUSIONWITHINLOCALOPTICALCOMMITTEES

The Local Optical Support Committee Unit has published a report examining equality, diversity and inclusion within local optical committees (LOC) The report is based on survey data from 205 LOC members who answered questions on protected characteristics as well as how effectively EDI is currently promoted within committees Most respondents said they did not face barriers in joining a LOC and they felt empowered to contribute to discussions However, one in four respondents did not believe their LOC was representative of the local population. Recommendations made as a result of the report, included removing barriers to joining the LOC, supporting diverse leadership and actively creating a culture of equal opportunities.

The Local Optical Support Committee Unit has published a report examining equality, diversity and inclusion within local optical committees (LOC). The report is based on survey data from 205 LOC members who answered questions on protected characteristics as well as how effectively EDI is currently promoted within committees. Most respondents said they did not face barriers in joining a LOC and they felt empowered to contribute to discussions. However, one in four respondents did not believe their LOC was representative of the local population. Recommendations made as a result of the report, included removing barriers to joining the LOC, supporting diverse leadership and actively creating a culture of equal opportunities.

The full report can be viewed online: bit.ly/3JofuLh

The full report can be viewed online: bit.ly/3Jofulh

A 2018 study, published in the American Journal of Critical Care, found that taking daily work breaks in a hospital garden could help to mitigate the risk of burnout among nurses.

Ghadiri also advocates for the benefits of artwork in clinical spaces. While working as a junior doctor in the east of England, he recalled the impact of seeing illustrations and paintings.

“As I was rushing between wards or clinics, I started appreciating how much my own mood improved and my stress levels went down when I saw some art on the walls,” he said.

Ghadiri acknowledged that optometry practices have greater restrictions on space than a hospital environment. However, he emphasised that ring fencing even a small area can have a significant impact on staff and patients.

“Even single plants can make a lot of difference. They provide a link to nature and integrate the natural world into what might otherwise be a sterile environment,” he said.

Wall art, frame displays or a mini historical exhibition can be used to enhance the atmosphere of a practice, Ghadiri added.

“Art can provide a pleasant distraction from the stress and anxieties of work. It can be something to think about or quickly practise mindfulness with,” he said.

Step Change

In January, Dr Keith Diaz and colleagues at Columbia University published new research investigating the effect of small

“exercise snacks” during prolonged periods of sitting. For five days, a group of 11 older and middle-aged adults completed periods of light intensity walking over an eight-hour day where they were otherwise sitting down.

On each day, the group would take a different type of walking break: either every 30 minutes for one minute, every 30 minutes for five minutes, every 60 minutes for one minute or every 60 minutes for five minutes.

On the fifth day, the group spent the eight hours sitting down with no walking breaks.

Speaking to OT from New York while walking, Diaz shared that walking breaks had a significant effect on blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

“I think we expected to find that walking breaks would have some health benefits, and that it would offset some of the harm of sitting. I was surprised by how much of an effect there was,” he said.

Taking a walking break for five minutes every half hour reduced the surge in blood sugar after eating by 60% – the same kind of reduction you would see with a diabetic receiving an insulin injection. This type of walking break also reduced blood pressure by four to five points, an effect that you might see after going for a run, swim or cycle.

The other unexpected result that Diaz observed was the benefit of very low doses of walking. For example, taking a one minute walk every hour still reduced blood pressure by four to five points.

While the most effective dose was a five minute walk every half hour, Diaz acknowledges that this type of break may not be practical for people in many workplaces.

The next study will investigate the effectiveness of 25 different strategies, with the aim of providing tailored solutions that will work for most individuals.

“If you are someone who is a truck driver, your job will not allow you to take a walking break every half hour. What do we do for those situations?” Diaz shared.

“Our belief is that there is not going to be one solution for everyone – there will be multiple solutions. A person would be able to pick and choose based on their lifestyle and workplace,” he said.

Turning to his advice for employers, Diaz highlighted that there is a growing body of evidence showing that sitting for extended periods is an occupational hazard.

“The simplest thing is to structure your workers’ day so that it allows them to have movement and walking breaks away from their desk,” he said. He emphasised the importance of managers within the workplace leading by example, as they are the ones that set the social norms.

Diaz observed that during previous interventions encouraging employees to incorporate movement into their working day, one of the common barriers was a sense of awkwardness.

“When we ask people why they did not act on a reminder to take a walking break, one of the things that people say is that it would have been uncomfortable or it is not socially acceptable,” he said. “You have to work to build that workplace culture where it is socially acceptable to have a walking meeting or you can stand up in the middle of a conversation,” Diaz added.

Beyond Gyms

Diaz highlighted that people who have sedentary jobs and then complete periods of intensive exercise still need to consider how to incorporate activity into their working day.

“It is not as simple as ticking off a box and saying ‘Oh I exercised today – I’m done.’ The reality that we are learning is that your body wasn’t designed to be idle for long periods of time,” he said.

“What we are realising is that exercise is the tip of the iceberg. Even if you did 30 minutes a day, that is 2% of the day. What you do with the rest of your day, the other 98%, also matters,” he said. There is office furniture that can help employees to become active – such as treadmill or cycling desks. Simpler interventions may be to take a smaller water bottle to work requiring more frequent refills or to get up from your desk to ask a colleague a question rather than sending an email.

Even though Diaz is an expert in the science behind sedentary behaviour, he also has days where he struggles to incorporate as much activity as he would like to.

Part of this is driven by a culture where sitting is the default position.

“Since the time you are old enough to go into school, our culture has said ‘You are supposed to sit’,” he observed.

“But when we are kids that is not our default position – we like to move and we can’t sit still. We have trained our bodies to think that sitting is the natural state and it can be hard to break free of that,” he said.

Fostering Flexible Workplaces

Across many professions and industries, there was a shift to flexible working following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working patterns that were initially introduced to stem the spread of infection have lingered following the easing of restrictions. Within optometry, there are roles and tasks that are incompatible with home working, while there has traditionally been an expectation to work weekends in many practices.

Hakim Group talent acquisition manager, Jennie Fowler, shared with OT that the pandemic has seen team members assess their priorities.

“We believe the pandemic acted as a great reset for the candidate market, with multiple employee wellness surveys finding that staff value work-life balance above salary,” she said.

Post-pandemic, Fowler has observed an increase in people discussing work patterns that suit their lifestyle at recruitment stage.

“We’ve also seen an increase in people looking for part time opportunities at all stages of their career,” she said.

Ross Campbell, an optometry partner with Specsavers practices in Northallerton and Swaledale, described COVID-19 as a “seismic event” when it came to work-life balance, but his practice has always promoted a balanced approach.

Staff at Specsavers in Northallerton and Swaledale work full-time, part-time, school hours only, term-time only, and variations in between.

“We’ve always engaged optometrists on contracts that work for them,” he said.

Optometrist, James Carolan, works from Wednesday to Saturday at Specsavers Wilmslow.

Having a three-day weekend enables the Cheshire optometrist to visit his family in Northern Ireland regularly without taking annual leave. “For me, flexible working is one of the benefits offered by optometry and I've found it generally makes for better career satisfaction,” he said.

Retail manager at Specsavers Wilmslow, Rob Cox, shared that some staff within the practice work Monday to Friday to fit in with other family members’ schedules, while other staff only work at weekends to align with childcare commitments.

Tackling Discrimination In Practice

In 2021, the Muslim Doctors Association (MDA) published a report exploring the experiences of 150 healthcare professionals.

Excluded on the Front Line: discrimination, racism and Islamophobia in the NHS reported that four in 10 survey respondents had received verbal abuse linked to their religion, while eight in 10 had experienced negative assumptions related to their religion. Four in 10 respondents felt like they needed to compromise in practising their faith at work. Almost half of those surveyed said that they had considered leaving the profession.

“These were really concerning findings – that colleagues felt they had no option but to leave,” chair of the MDA, Dr Hina Shahid, shared with OT. “In the current climate, of workforce crisis and shortages, retaining staff is something that we need to focus on,” Shahid emphasised. Within optometry, around one in five dispensing opticians and optometrists is Muslim (18%). Close to four in 10 (38%) optometry students are Muslim.

The MDA was established in 2004 as a small community organisation. It has since expanded to undertake regional, national and international projects with a focus on health promotion, health policy and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion within the NHS.

As well as doctors, a range of healthcare professionals are included within the MDA membership – including dentists, optometrists, psychologists and pharmacists.

Following the pandemic, the MDA wanted to understand what healthcare workers were going through on the frontline.

“We did quite a lot of work to look at how Islamophobia was showing up during the pandemic,” Shahid said.

“We wanted to understand what these chronic daily stresses and experiences of Islamophobia were like,” she elaborated.

Experiences uncovered through the 2021 survey range from workers feeling overlooked or isolated because of their religion, to physical and verbal abuse. “In general, the report showed that Muslim healthcare professionals face prejudice and microaggressions that targeted multiple aspects of their religion and beliefs,” Shahid shared.

Respondents reported hearing derogatory remarks about different aspects of their faith –from prayer breaks and fasting, to saying no to alcohol and pork.

Shahid emphasised that Islamophobia presents on a spectrum within the workplace.

There are more obvious aspects – such as direct discrimination, harassment, bullying and abuse – but there are also more subtle forms of Islamophobia, including stereotypes, prejudices, assumptions and biases.

“A lot of the day-to-day experiences of Islamophobia are under the surface. They are not visible,” Shahid shared.

“Colleagues may say they do not feel included and welcome when they start a new job. A lot of networking may take place in environments where alcohol is served and that can influence career progression,” Shahid said.

She highlighted that experiences of discrimination can make healthcare workers feel like they do not belong. “Time and time again there is the feeling that you have to go over and above to prove yourself, because there

I WttAT CAN YOU DO?

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Four strategies for intervention when you witness discrimination

four strate~ies for intervention when you witness discrimination

Directaction:directly intervene, for example, by asking the person to stop. Call out negative behaviour, explaining why it is not appropriate.

Direct action: directly intervene, for example, by asking the person to stop. Call out negative behaviour, explaining why it is not appropriate.

Distraction:indirectly intervene, for example, by interrupting to change the focus or subject. Useful if direct intervention could be harmful to the target or bystander.

Distraction: indirectly intervene, for example, by interrupting to change the focus or subject. Useful if direct intervention could be harmful to the target or bystander.

Delay:wait for the situation to pass and check in with the individual. Take action at a later stage when you have had time to consider what occurred.

Delay: wait for the situation to pass and check in with the individual Take action at a later stage when you have had time to consider what occurred.

Dele~ation:inform a more senior member of staff who has the social power and authority to manage the situation.

Delegation: inform a more senior member of staff who has the social power and authority to manage the situation

Source: Imperial College London

Source: Imperial College London is an assumption that you are not competent. The burnout and the stress that this causes is a recurrent theme,” Shahid observed. plan (bit.ly/3xDzWkJ) details practical advice for employers in reducing Islamophobia within their workplace.

Shortly after Shahid began wearing a head scarf, she was walking back from a home visit when a patient poured alcohol over her.

She contacted the police about the attack but ended up dropping the case. “You feel like you have a duty of care for patients but then you end up being mistreated – how do you balance those two aspects?” Shahid shared with OT.

The 2021 survey found that three in five respondents had experienced discrimination from patients.

Respondents described patients who would refuse to be seen by a Muslim healthcare professional.

Recommendations include implementing an Islamophobia zero tolerance policy, reforming recruitment policies and celebrating diversity within the workplace.

“How inclusive is the social culture in the workplace? Can Muslim colleagues take time off for prayer and religious festivals? These are some of the things that employers and organisations can think about,” Shahid shared.

Positive Change

On an individual level, Shahid highlighted the importance of being aware of assumptions that people may have about Muslim staff and challenging those assumptions.

Shahid is happy to answer questions about her faith as long as there is respect and openness on both sides of the conversation.

“I have had colleagues who are genuinely interested in my faith and why I do certain things – why do I wear a headscarf? Why do I fast?” Shahid shared.

Four in 10 respondents felt like they needed to compromise in practising their faith.

Shahid highlighted that there is a mental burden if people have to hide parts of their identity when they come to work.

“We want people to bring their whole self to work – to thrive and flourish in a job that they love. It takes the joy out of working if you have these experiences of discrimination,” she said. Within the 2021 MDA report, a 12-step action

“The last thing I would want is for people not to ask out of fear of being politically incorrect. I think you can ask questions with compassionate curiosity,” she emphasised.

Shahid encouraged optometrists who are Muslim who experience discrimination to prioritise their own wellbeing and seek out support – either formal or informal – if needed. “It is important to understand that those experiences, even if they are covert, are real,” she said.

Brownie Badge

Selected by optometrist, Peter Frampton

“After the local Brownie Unit visited our practice to find out about recycling, they gave each member of staff an honorary Brownie badge. I wear mine with pride on my Sea Shepherd cycling jersey. In return, we gave each Brownie a recycled environmental key ring”

Thai Batik Artwork

Selected by optometrist, Claire Ranger

“This is a picture I have on the wall in my office that I bought when I went travelling in 1993. It is so colourful that it lifts my spirits every time I look at it. It makes me smile when I enter and leave my office and my stresses just melt away”

Phone

Selected by optometrist, Patrick Friis

“I work in multiple settings and my phone allows me to keep in contact with the different teams I work in, wherever I am physically sat that day. I know how everyone is doing, who has passed exams, whose birthday it is, when we have had good days or challenging days, and this allows us to support each other which is the biggest factor, for me, in a positive work environment”

Selected by optometrist, James Carolan

“This lovely pen was a leaving present from a team I worked with until last year. It’s engraved with my name and is a thoughtful memento of my time working with them. Not only that... it’s a great pen I use every day”