We live in an environment & culture that prizes grit, perseverance and maximised opportunity. As a result, professionals can feel enormous pressure to quit or to take breaks at times. This occurred to a point that the World Health Organization now recognizes burnout as an official syndrome. The pressure has surmounted to an extent that it has blur the line between home and work. Hence, it becomes critical to recognize employee’s need for rest. Few strategies below can work wonderfully.
1. Lighten the Load: While we all are trying to wrap things up at our work each day, we may feel discouraged to take breaks. So see where you can lighten up your load. Whether your employees say it or not, they need to shut off on a regular basis. This could be done for example by cutting short the meetings, having short virtual huddles. The more you push balance, the better your team and company will likely perform in the end, so don’t be afraid to find whatever opportunities you can to help them clock out.
2. Engage with Fun: A Workhuman survey found that 42% of workers felt a sense of loneliness and isolation once a week or more since the pandemic began. Conduct periodic surveys to check with employees about what they are thinking, feeling and doing. What motivates them to keep working in their function with full zeal and vigour? Understanding what your people are going through will give you a much clearer idea about how to go about giving breaks. When we know what our employees are going through, virtual programs followed by gamification of activities makes a lot of relevance thereafter.
3. Encourage health and wellness: In times that are uncertain and need us to be constantly working towards our goals simultaneously, your employee’s health should be your priority. For example, starting a wellness program for your team (30 days of yoga or one month of daily home workouts) while regular and scheduled discussion on mental health goes a long way in keep employees engaged.
4. Make sure employees feel heard and valued: Everyone deserves to be appreciated – even from a distance. Since you’re not in the office to extend a hand-shake or take them out for lunch, find small ways to break free from the usual long-distance virtual call. Instead, send them a gift card appreciating their milestones at work or sharing voice notes of appreciation from the team. This would not strain or take their time. These are ways to hear them out while not occupying them unnecessarily. The studies also suggest that small talk can play an important role in workplace happiness and these casual interactions are the first to “go missing” in the virtual environment.
And as we prepare for this every so changing new normal of working, it’s imperative that we bring innovation in not just our businesses, but also how we break free from our workloads
5. Embrace Technology
While promoting a healthy work culture, technology has helped us in bringing vision to our life. Communication is an essential part of any healthy organization, and you’ll want to invest in technology that makes that easy, especially with remote workers in the mix. Something as simple as a company-wide messaging system will keep your employees engaged.
Other ways to engage your employees to connect and have fun could be Virtual Activities. Include creative elements in your activities like songs, dance, mimics etc which can help employees to unwind and take a productive break! Thought Bulb has continued to invest in programs that encourage employees to bring out their creative sides and connect beyond work!
Check out some exciting Virtual Programs that can be used during these breaks.
