‘There's too much f**king perspective now’:

Working - with friend. Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

I wrote this article for the Arma magazine, The Protagonist, in March, at the beginning of the lockdown. Three months on and the shock of adjustment has softened somewhat, but the advice still stands. The Canadian government's wrote that you're not 'working from home', but rather 'at home, during a crisis, trying to work'. It's a subtle but important difference, and one I try to convey in this piece. 

'The Triumphant Demi-God'

A research administrator in action (photo: Tilemahos Efthimiadis, CC BY 2.0)

ARMA HQ. Hamish MacHamish is flicking through proofs of the Association's newsletter, 'Newsletter of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators'.

H MacH: Stephanie! Stephanie!
Stephanie MacBales (for it is she): Yes Hamish?
H MacH: I've been reading the new newsletter.
S MacB: Isn't it wonderful! Some excellent articles this term.
H MacH: Yes, yes. Very good. The only trouble is, well, the name.
S MacB: What's wrong with it? It says exactly what it is: 'Newsletter of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators'.
H MacH: Well there's no denying that.
S MacB: What more do you want?
H MacH: Well we're a thrusting new professional organisation now. We've got guiding principles. We've got a Strategic Plan and Implementation Framework. It's got five key pillars. Not four, not six. Five. Which I believe is just the right number. We need a thrusting new title to reflect that!