It’s ok not to be ok – The four things I learned about employee wellbeing by taking time to reconnect

The four things I learned about employee wellbeing by taking time to reconnect

by Dale Smith

Mental health and employee wellbeing is more on the agenda than ever before, but we still have a long way to go to ensure that this issue is better understood. With an estimated 137 million working days lost due to sickness or injury in the UK in 2016. From this figure, 11.5% cited mental health issues (including stress, depression, anxiety and serious conditions). This is a staggering number and one that I believe could be better supported with more awareness and prevention.

Not long ago I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Portugal at a mindfulness, meditation and yoga retreat. The objective of the retreat was to find more compassion for both self and others and it took us on a journey to a collective community of happiness and contentment. This was my first retreat and I definitely had to go with an open mind and a willingness to embrace a personal transformation. I wanted to share some of my experience in support of others who are working toward creating a wellness culture in their work environment.

The retreat began with a welcome meeting and meditation and set the tone for the week ahead. It gave all participants the information needed and an opportunity to feel comfortable with both the agenda and the community of people that we would share the experience with.

Learning #1:  Don’t forget the importance of a great induction programme, as it too plays a massive role in the way employees start their connection with the community in which they will be working. This is their first step to feeling supported and it often sets the pace as they mean to go on. Having worked on various induction programmes I have always been a huge advocate for striking a balance between a clear company overview and allowing employees to feel excited and supported by the brand. It should delve into the values of the company, give insight into the culture and community and give participants a sense of belonging.

The introduction to the retreat left us with a sense of compassion; this allows employees to experience a deeper connection with the company. This is best placed in the live environment while new starters learn their role at a pace that allows them to feel more at ease. The pressure to get things right from the offset can continue to build throughout the earlier days of employment and impact of employees’ perception going forward.

I went into those early meditations with so much work stress and chaos in my mind that I felt like I was on the verge of exploding. I pushed myself so hard to try to meditate and master it quickly, that it just added to the pressure. The harder I pushed, the further I got from achieving what I desired. It was not until I discussed this in our open group session that I realised that I was not alone and that it was okay not to be okay. The community’s support and openness allowed me to be safe in my vulnerability and gave me the reassurance that it would happen when it was right. The intent of the group was pure and in that I felt more relaxed and less pressure to succeed. From this state, success was easier.

Learning #2: Create a more open and supportive community – one where it is okay not to be okay. The retreat aimed to show individuals how to have more compassion for self in a more productive and healthy manner. The compassion of the community gave me the calm and the wiliness to relax and ride my stress wave in a very different way. Stress and depression are debilitating and a negative spiral can further exacerbate a pre-existing condition. Whether it is physical, like an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise, or mental in terms of negative thoughts and self-talk – all can be better managed with the support of others.

I feel truly blessed that I was able to take this opportunity and I am still astounded by what I achieved in such a short period of time. My ability to manage many areas of my life were positively impacted; finding a more focused and honest approach to my own emotions and stress levels.

My time at the retreat allowed me to stretch both my mind and body in new ways but it was all connected to a higher sense of purpose and support of self and the community. Days began with 8 am yoga, breakfast in silence, three hours of meditation and group work, followed by an additional 90 minutes of yoga and meditation before bed.

Learning #3: Support future work by building more high-functioning and supportive teams. Prior to the retreat, I often struggled to find the time or energy to make it to the gym or yoga class, however, within the retreat culture, I never missed one session. It was within this collective that I found the desire to find a higher sense of commitment.

I truly loved the mindfulness aspect of the week and took great solace in our breakfast in silence. This even extended to a full 24 hours of silence and ban on all communications (including verbal, physical, and technological, such as email and phones). At first, the mere thought of this challenge occurring while the team in London was caught up in a busy workweek was almost debilitating. But I made it through – and it was phenomenal. If you are ever given the chance, try it. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Learning #4: It is impractical to think that we can run a business where we can choose to be silent for the day. However, it is not without question to introduce more mindful moments to our work life, whether that is self-led or set as a company directive by introducing sanctuary space that allows people to just be for short periods of time.

Something happened during that week that is very hard to explain, however it was clear that a transformation had taken place. I reached a state of happiness and calm and my brain was clearer than it had ever been. Emerging neuroscience reveals that following your passion and doing what you love makes you happier and stronger; mentally and emotionally – and from a chemical rather than philosophical view. Two of the brain’s most powerful neurotransmitters – dopamine and oxytocin – are connected in rewarding and reinforcing the exploration and connection required in the pursuit of passion.If I could rebalance these two chemicals to go from the stressed individual that entered the retreat to a smiling, calm content person in just a week – then just imagine what could happen if we started looking at more long-term sustainable solutions that support employees every day.

I’m not suggesting we have to go away for such an intense or extreme tune-up. If organisations made even small changes to the way they view and support the mental health of their employees, we could better the lives of many people. It could mean matching the parallels that I experienced with practical solutions: guided meditation, coaching, mindful meals, downtime sanctuaries, yoga, encouraging more exercise and healthy food in the workplace. The culture also needs to give employees the license to not always be okay, to let them know that there is a compassionate and caring organisation open and willing to support them.

Great businesses are run by great humans, and humans are at their best when they are supported by great communities.

Unleashing the power of your people in a post pandemic era

Connecting your brand and your culture as two sides of the same coin means that we are forging two powerful forces together as one. This symbiotic relationship is needed if we are to find strength and stability as we move forward out of one of the most turbulent times in recent years.

The brand is vertical with tiers of hierarchy and levels to give it the structure that is required to support its ever-reaching goals. It requires various levels of management, processes and procedures that allow it to function in an ever-changing and dynamic environment. As one of the two sides, it adds consistency and direction to the union and acts as a guide for the business and its people.

A culture is a culture no matter how you view it: dynamic, flat in structure and in constant flux. To function at its best all cultures require a basic value structure such as trust, respect, unity, support and commonality to name a few. However, in organisational culture, this is then made slightly more complex as the community is ask to also live the externally agree values of the brand. In some cases, this demand is on the company’s terms and does not consider the voice of the culture and how its people see the world.

As we move into a post pandemic era this voice has never been more important as organisations exam the impact that new ways of working and will have on the brand and the culture going forward.

5 tips to take forward into a post pandemic era: building your brand & culture

So – if we consider that brand and culture are two sides of the same coin then each must live in equal harmony with the other. How can we take opposing outward facing influences, and fuse them together to make one coin? I have looked to some of our recent clients for the answers and they have come up with these five top tips to ensure that brand and culture develop a mutual respect in our soon-to-be post pandemic time.

These core actions will allow for better real-time communication and will aim to keep the coin spinning. What these tips show is that whether it be pre or post pandemic the unity of brand and culture still remains a challenge and should be on the top of our radar.

1. Walk the shop floor: In a pre-pandemic world it was clear that management needed to get out of their offices more and spend more time engaging and talking to employees in their space. This was not not a formal meeting; it was an opportunity to informally chat about the business in real time. It was often recommended to spend a day in an employee’s life and have the management team venture out and pick up the tools of the trade and work alongside them. This concept remains the same and no matter the medium, be it face to face or virtual leaders must see the world through the eyes of their team. If your team is working virtual then find more creative solutions to make this happen.

2. Really listen to your people: If communication and active listening is key to our external customers’ experience, then it too must be the foundation of relationship building with our internal employees. By all means, continue with all the usual sources such as employee surveys, but be more creative and relevant with the questions that you ask. This needs to be complemented with live or virtual focus groups that allow opportunities for employees to give feedback and play a part in the solution-making process. The future of our employee wellness depends on their ability to share their vulnerability and concerns with peers and leaders alike.

3. Build an employee brand: During such turbulent times the culture needs to have structure and guidance to drive it forward. Create an internal brand that best reflects the employees as a personality and unites them as one team, one vision with one clear direction to the business. This need not be costly but can be creative, as this branded campaign will form the backdrop to all future development, internal communications and reflect the voice of the culture. It will become the bridge between the brand and culture, allowing the values of the brand to come alive in the actions of the culture. Reward and recognitions also needs to be prevalent to ensure that individuals see the success or their peers and self as a building block of the community.

4. Give power to your people: Give employees more responsibility for the development of the culture and how best they would like to communicate with each other. As hybrid working increases, leaders must endeavour to work with their teams on strategies to unit. Building a community of trust and openness will allow the culture to take on a supportive role and life of its own. Create a culture committee with representatives from all parts of the business to assist in focusing on team building initiatives. Give them the directive to ignite opportunities for employees to share time together; whether it be fun, educational, supportive or just free time. Ensure that the business supports this with allocated time and even put a small budget aside for them to access.

5. Create a brand story that gives rise to the culture: If the last two years has thought us anything it is that our people are more resilient than we could have imagined. Your people are the fabric of your post pandemic brand story and shine light on them. The brand journey must not only be understood by the people but also driven by them. Look at the story from both a historical and futuristic vantage point, pulling out great examples of how the people and the culture of the organisation have come together to overcome diversity and market challenges. Celebrate small stuff and let the team bask in the success of the big stuff.

Final thought: We can never go back, and this is your opportunity to redefine your USP

As a final thought, invest in including your people in the brand journey and make them an integral part of your USP and customer offering. Building great internal communities whether it be virtual or in person is a must and employee engagement is key to our new era success.

The brand comes with a promise and sets the expectations for those who engage with it; however, it is the people and culture that delivers on that promise. Their projected personality and the connection that they have to the brand, its values and the future vision will make all the difference as we move forward.

“Innovation’ is not just a value word – it is a spirit and driving force that fuses two opposing forces together – making them two sides of the same coin.”

About Bridge

As discussed above, it is essential to empower and engage to unleash the power of your people. This is one of the core strengths that Bridge brings to the table for its clients. Our work turns even the most resistant team members into brand advocates that propel your business forward.

The five Bridge values guide our team as individuals and Bridge as an agency. They are a testament to what makes our culture stand out – but we believe our values should be lived in all organisations.

Pushing creative boundaries, sharing knowledge openly, inspiring collaborative energy, celebrating uniqueness always and keeping it real and fun are the foundation stones for all successful businesses. At Bridge, interactions, relationships, work and projects are all driven by our values.

Our process starts by listening to the voice of your people and agreeing on a clear vision. Each step in our engagement path brings our clients closer to building a culture that creates memorable customer experiences. Are you all set to make things better?

To engage with us please contact info@insidebridge.com or dale@insidebridge.com.

Day 33: Work/Work Balance

Today was the final day of 5 days workshop delivery and tomorrow I head off to India to work with a new client on developing an internal brand and culture strategy connected to 5-star service delivery. That is quite a mouthful and as I write this I realise that I must take some time and just refocus and relax my brain. It has been running on high voltage for the past week and now it seems to have just reverted to robot mode and repeat what it knows. During this workshop, we discussed the habitual mindset and how this can alter one’s perception of change. This week has shown me the importance of time to allow the brain to shut off and recharge as this ‘always on’ not only impacts health it also dulls forward thinking and creativity. I am sure it is much like how Buster felt the one time I saw him chase his tail. He did try for about 5 spins and then realised it was not for him. His active brain saw no sense in it and off he went in search of something to sniff or eat – got to love a beagle. I appreciate that some people find solitude in sameness and in routine and that is what makes us all unique in our own way. However, if I was to speak on my behalf and for others with dyslexia or with ways of thinking that need more autonomy and scope of creativity and change, it is important that we look at employees more as individuals. To be healthy we need to feed the body with the correct level of nutrients and hence the mind is equal in finding the right balance of workload. Over the next few months, I plan to monitor this more with myself between my need for sameness, creativity, exercise, social and me time. What I have truly recognised is just how out of balance I am in these 5 zones. It is like I live in excess in 1 or 2  of them till I drain the bucket and then I move to another and with excess, I drain the other. In order for my creative brain to find the nutrient that it needs to be happy and healthy, I must start to balance the filling and draining of these 5 areas with more conscious and forward-thinking strategy.

Mantra: Be kind to your creative brain

 

Day 32: The River Runs Dry

I was back in the training room again today and gave it all to the delegates as if it was for the first time. They are a lovely client. Being a private hospital empathy is naturally ingrained into many of the people as many commented on my commitment to maintaining my energy with each and every workshop. We all are able to pull out a little extra energy and hidden power when needed. Drive is directly connected to the purpose and it is within this that we find that little extra energy. However, overlaying this with Balance, when does one cross the threshold between drive and adrenaline and at what stage does this level become unhealthy? When I allowed myself to turn off in the evening I started to feel quite ill and exhausted. It was if my brain would not stop processing all that needed to be done but in a totally non-productive and unmeaningful way. I am a believer that the energy you give is the energy you receive. However, I want to remind myself again that this must be balanced with the amount of energy you give as some needs to be saved for myself. I keep coming back to one of our sessions where Martin mentioned the damage that the ‘always on’ has on the mind and body as I am now more clear on the impact. Organisations need to ensure that they find the balance with their staff workloads as in many cases the most driven to deliver on the higher purpose might also be at the most risk of burnout and stress-related illness. Even your super hero’s need a sidekick from time to time.

 

Mantra: Be more conscious of the drive threshold.

Day 31: Always on!

After another full day of delivery in the training room, I seemed to have gone into autopilot energy mode. I am mustering it from somewhere and following the last few days, I guess that is from my love of the job, gratitude and higher purpose. This is all great and good and I do believe in all of this however at what point does the body start to push back or break down. My diet has slipped in the fact that I still have been making and bringing my healthy breakfast but not eating until noon. By then it serves as lunch and I drink a few coffees to top up my energy fuel and I push through. I recall in previous sessions with Martin we discussed this ‘always on’ that humans do and feel that currently, I cannot wind down. Hence in our session tonight we explored this further and then in the place of more painful muscle release work or more talking he showed me some great relaxation techniques. It was strange at first as I laid flat and he just rocked various parts of my body and limbs. It was just allowing the body to let go, increase natural blood flow and relax. It really worked and my mind seemed much clearer than it had previous to the session. I wish I could say following that I was fixed but it was one small step forward and the revival I needed to complete some work for my upcoming trip to India at the end of the week. I am sure that the intention was not to give me the strength to pull out a few more hours from the day. It did, however, introduce me to a therapy that is so simple in practice but makes so much sense how it can give benefits. The human mind and body are both complex and fragile and I highly recommend to any organisation that when looking at wellness within their own teams that they reach out to some of these considered alternative therapies. Maybe the rocking might be a stretch too far too fast, so one can always explore opportunities in the way of mindfulness and meditation.

Mantra: Let my energy flow.

Day 30: All Work No Play, Take Two

I think that I have moved into an interesting learning point within this 50-day challenge where all the will in the world does not allow me to do some of the healthy things that I want to do. The nature of my job means that today and for the next few days I just need to ride the wave and get stuff done. So I looked to the positive and the blessings that I should focus on as the ‘poor me’ self-dialogue only further perpetuates more stress and sense of growing mental fatigue. If left unchallenged these negative thoughts can dominate our perspective. So to find power during this busy time I must consciously remind myself that I love what I do. We have some amazing client work starting that I truly believe changes others’ lives and organisations for the better. It is in this sense of higher purpose that we find additional strength and a better mental state to approach the task that needs to be done. It is also important to remind myself that it is ok to push back if the workloads begin to impact our health. I appreciate that sometimes we do not have the luxury as we all get hit with periods of feast or famine and each of these needs their own management system in place. Each is to find balance and to ensure that wellness has a place in it. That is the theory but to be completely honest I am starting to see some cracks the more my personal energy drains and the more my approach to wellness is effected. My advice to all leaders is to be more conscious of these high-stress periods as if not careful you may just allow yourself to stay in that zone for too long and that is not good for you or those around you.

Mantra: Find time to refocus.

Day 29: All Work No Play

Today started a super busy week with full force. I was up really early as I had some work to finish before taking Buster for his walk and then to the office where Lauren – on top of her endless Bridge duties kindly adds Buster care to the list when needed. We launched the first of two workshops with our new hospital client and this meant I was locked in the training room giving my full attention to the delegates and then a late night finishing what should have happened during the day. The day never stopped and I did not have an opportunity for much me time or a proper lunch. However, I did ensure I had a proper dinner and a fresh healthy stir fry that had been on the list to try. I did start noticing that as my energy drained and my body began only driving on adrenaline, my perspective and internal dialogue went from powerful to starting to be the victim. The poor me – no one understands how hard I work began to surface. So as this voice began to speak more I took the opportunity to have a 10-minute meditation on gratitude and thank the universe for giving me the opportunities I currently have and for the wonderful people in my life that do understand me and do support me. I have mentioned others in the Balance team that are sharing this journey with me and today I send gratitude to Lauren, the heroes that manage our back office and to all those who tirelessly juggle many things at once in support of senior leaders. It is her support that allows me the bandwidth to do what I do. Today was a full one as the week ahead looks to continue to be but when you have the support of a good team that you trust and are able to show humility to them, it takes the pressure off – not just the workload. I see many senior leaders faking their resilience in an attempt to look strong and on top of stuff. But we are all human, and some days weak, and we need the power and skills of others to just find the required strength.

Mantra: share your gratitude

Day 28: I want it all, I want it now

Even though it was nice to have a few days of freedom, it was also great to get Buster back. As much as we may think the grass is greener on the other side we sometimes just need a break from something so that we can balance the difference between an emotional relationship with a connection and that of a habit. We all can fall into a rut where we can disconnect from the joy and higher purpose that most aspects of our life fall under. Buster is a great example as when he is not there I truly miss him, with his funny and extremely loyal ways, but need the break to really see and feel it. In looking through this lens at my Balance challenge I have yet to totally connect with it as a much as I would have thought. My relationship with my own wellness is still somewhat fragmented and there seem to be lots of floating parts with some light roots starting. It has been a constant balancing act between time, priorities, intent and actions. However, what it has done is activated my conscious mindset and I am starting to look at myself and the world around me in a different way. I have introduced some new views on my diet and moderate drinking, dabbled in personal training and started to delve into the connection between my mind and body to uncover some of my barriers to my own success. I keep coming back to the point that the complexity of wellness in the workplace is far bigger a subject than I ever thought. What needs to sit at the heart of any initiative is a dual higher purpose connection. One for the individual and one for the collective. These then should be interwoven into a more supportive and forward-thinking strategic plan that has the support and recourses needed from the senior management team. We also must recognise that we need to allow it time to take root in the hearts, minds and ways of our people. Just saying you want it and finding the balance are two separate things. The first step is recognising that you want change for yourself and then finding a natural progression in the following one’s journey that will lead to the desired version of you.

Mantra: Love the Journey

Day 27: Gluten Hangover

Wow, I woke up with a bit of a heavy head today as I broke my eating late at night rule after a few beers in the evening. In my mind, it was not extreme and the whole idea behind Balance is that I am also allowed to break away from my focused diet. One of the food groups that I have had very little of in the past few weeks has been gluten as I have not really eaten bread and drank beer. Throughout the years I have done elimination diets and sometimes question if I have a slight intolerance. I am not jumping on the Gluten-free bandwagon, as I am not sure I could ever live without bread on occasion. However, I did feel a bit sluggish this morning and it made me think more carefully about my diet. One is everything in moderation and two, is all about timing. Victoria our Balance Nutritionist did discuss this with me and how the body needs to break this down and hence it impacts on ones ability to sleep properly. So that even though that late night pizza with extra pepperoni and cheese tasted great at the time – my body had to work hard at it while my mind just wanted to relax and ZZZ. Linking this to employee engagement and organisational change is the importance of timing and when is the best opportunity to introduce new layers to the transformation strategy. People need time to adjust to change and if thrust upon them at the wrong time or it too great a quantity they too can suffer their own version of my gluten hangover. We all have a slight intolerance to change but when delivered well and with clear rationale and participation then it can be made less extreme and without the heavy side effects. Back to my late night pizza for a minute as the other factor that needs to be considered was that I had not eaten since lunch so I was extremely hungry and consumed more that I should have. The Mind said more whilst the Body said enough is enough and I cannot take any more. This is the balance between senior leadership’s drive for change and the front line’s ability to manage it in real-time. They both often work on different priorities and timelines and when senior managers delay delay delay and then push push push it can overwhelm and unbalance the team that will be impacted most by the changes.

Mantra: Be kind to my body.

Day 26: Movie Night

Today I took Buster to Doggie Day Care for the next two days in order to have some ME time. As mentioned in previous blogs, it has been quite the juggling act keeping so many plates spinning and I just needed some free-spirit time. When I am working with client groups I often talk about time management and I do not know how single parents manage to balance a job and children. I struggle keeping on top of Buster’s needs and he is very low maintenance in comparison. This freedom also gave me the opportunity to do one of my favourite things with another great friend – go to the cinema. If I am being totally honest, Buster really does not stop me from doing this as he is very independent and can be left on his own for an evening. I have been doing some work with a client on Limiting Beliefs and the perceived barriers to our success. Looking in the mirror I saw myself and Buster looking back at me. It became apparent just how much I have been using him to reinforce my belief that I cannot do certain things, when in reality, it is my state of mind that has been somewhat depressed and a bit of my spirit that has been broken down.  So my answer to things is to blame work, Buster and any other external commitment for my need to just hide away and rest. Instead of facing my deeper limiting belief in that I do not have the strength to push myself further. It is like when I drag myself to my personal training sessions because I have to. Then like magic, Tom makes me happy and pushes me a bit further than I would have myself. In this challenge, I get a renewed sense of revived energy. By removing my ‘Buster limiting belief barrier’ I have no excuse and get the same revived energy doing something that I love with friends that I adore. The shifting of energy means that Buster and others get a better version of me without the subconscious blame or regret. Hence today I hit a double parallel in that some organisations must support their employee better with more empathy for their personal backstories. Also, we all need a little reality check with our limiting beliefs and the perceived challenges that are holding us back. These barriers, if not recognised, only pull us back from being the happier and healthier versions of ourselves. These should be seen as opportunities to grow from and areas that, with the support of others, we can overcome and better manage.

Mantra: I can do more things for me!

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