Organizational leaders may say they are committed to employee well-being, but unintentional messages and behaviors can signal otherwise, leading employees at all levels to default to their draining routines. How we leverage time and calendars can be a powerful, reinforcing message around valuing resilience and recharge.
Six ideas to get started are:
- Create a daily ‘away from the office’ routine — for example, during lunchtime — to set boundaries and manage expectations.
- Send no email after 7 p.m. local time or opt to use “delay send.”
- Walk as part of your meetings. If possible, skip the video in exchange for an old-school phone call and walk while talking. Build movement into your meetings, pausing every 60 minutes or so for everyone to take a brief stroll or stretch.
- Consider no-meeting Fridays. If that’s too bold, start with no-meeting Friday afternoons.
- Schedule shorter meetings to allow for a rejuvenating “commute” between video calls and meetings. For example, 25 instead of 30 minutes…or 50 instead of 60 minutes.
- Surprise and delight! Give a Friday off, an extra PTO day, or another reward that makes sense for your organization.
Sustained, peak performance is achievable when individuals and organizations prioritize intentional recharging. Burnout is not an inevitable phase of our work life, nor a badge of honor to wear. With intention and attention, we can create the conditions for ourselves and our employees to burn bright.
What are ways you help your employees burn bright? I would enjoy reading. Email us at aha@ahaleadership.com
Excerpts from Chieflearningofficer, February 2021