Lancaster agency groups up with photographer to make use of smartphones positively at work

A Lancaster firm has created a ‘Gratitude Gallery’ to assist workers discover the positives in on a regular basis life.

ICS Accounting has turned on a regular basis smartphones from distraction and stress enablers into the important thing to lifting the temper at work.

Participants take spontaneous smartphone snaps capturing casual moments of appreciation: a favorite view, savoured cup of espresso, or household dog-walk.

The accountancy agency, based mostly at Lancaster Business Park off Caton Road, invited Ginny Koppenhol, skilled photographer and former occupational therapist in NHS psychological well being companies, to deliver one thing completely different and significant to their worker welfare programme.

Ginny was impressed throughout lockdown to search for methods to make use of images to advertise psychological well being and optimistic wellbeing.

“It was clear people were struggling to cope and connect,” she mentioned.

“By using our ever-present smartphones to capture positive micro-moments, we create space to breathe in the middle of our working lives- and train our minds to look for more of them.”

A 12 months of rolling workshops coordinates with ICS’s present Social Values programme, the place inter-office groups work collectively on native volunteering, consciousness and fund-raising tasks.

“Understandably, some were unsure at first- I, too, was worried my pictures wouldn’t be ‘good enough!’” mentioned Helen Callaghan, ICS Accounting HR Manager.

“But Ginny quickly put everybody comfortable.

“This isn’t about judgement, competitors or the right picture, however merely capturing a second. Sessions rapidly develop into filled with laughter, tales, and home windows into each other’s lives.”

Favourite pictures chosen for printing now gentle up the workplace.

“The atmosphere is so much more congenial and supportive; people are sharing more of themselves, and the sense of connection across teams is stronger,” mentioned Helen.

“Colleagues inform me they now take an additional second on walks to search for at timber, the sky, hug their household, and really feel a lot happier for it.

“This funding in our Gratitude Gallery reveals how our administrators worth their workers: it’s already made such a optimistic distinction past something we envisioned firstly. I like to recommend it to everybody.”

Established in 2002, ICS Accounting specialize in offering accountancy and payroll options to assist unbiased professionals, recruitment businesses and enterprise house owners. 

The firm was just lately positioned within the high 25 of the celebrated Financial Times’ high 500 UK’s Best Employers.