Chris’ year of helping others and himself

As well as getting NOW Group and its participants out of a difficult situation, Chris has made sure to stay on top of his own health

Well deserved: Chris with his birthday cake in 2020

When NOW Group moved to working from home in March 2020, we all faced some new challenges – not least Chris, our Office and Systems Administrator. Chris had to support the whole organisation in learning how to use Zoom and Microsoft Teams to replace our face-to-face meetings, while continuing to offer his full range of IT support to staff – all remotely.

Luckily for NOW, Chris rose admirably to the challenge and soon everyone was working highly effectively from home. Just as important, however, was that Chris managed to find ways to strike a good work-life balance.

With the support of his Workable NI support officer, Niamh Rainey, Chris got involved in wellbeing initiatives like the Strava challenge. He also used his home-based time productively by taking part in NOW Group courses such as Money Management and Cisco’s Introduction to IoT (Internet of Things).

Best of all, Chris has actively encouraged others to get involved in activities and has been a stong advocate for social inclusion. He runs a social group for NOW Group participants, and he moved this online promptly to ensure that others were not feeling socially isolated during lockdown.

The weekly Wednesday Zoom meeting continues to provide peer support, gaming nights, quizzes and bingo, and Chris is helping others to thrive just as much as himself.

Interested in learning more about our support services? Give us a call on 028 9043 6044 or drop us an email at admin@nowgroup.org. Our team is ready to help you into work in 2021.

This project is part funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014 – 2020 and the Department for the Economy.