Articles From the Team
Good habits - working together to stay engaged & motivated
In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote:
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose – the more things change, the more they stay the same…
What a start to 2021! We are all still huddled away at home with very little by way of things to do/people to see, things to look forward to for a little while, and home working can really take a toll on our mental well-being. Our normal outlets of friends coming over, drinks at the pub, weddings, parties, sports have all for now, in the main been suspended, so it’s crucial we all find ways to keep the motivation and positive things coming!
I thought it might be helpful to put together a few ideas, to offer some guidance to those of us who may be in need of a motivation and energy boost.
From a work point of view:
Setting up a regular routine with colleagues/managers/clients is a good starting point. Set up a zoom where you can all have a chat and openly share your experiences, thoughts and feelings. It’s amazing how quickly the lively chat of colleagues, a smile and a wave over zoom can instantly lift you up when you’re feeling isolated.
This is something really helpful that BCL have been doing, and it’s lovely to see people and be able to keep in touch. We've had calls where we’ve cried, laughed vented our frustrations. We are all human and go through the same processes and we need to share! It’s an important way of re-centring ourselves and renewing our sense of purpose and focus.
Another recommendation is to try to establish good habits. These might include:
- Going for a 30 minute walk before work to get some fresh air
- Making sure you take a proper lunch break and stepping away from the laptop and taking 5 when you need it
- Keeping a good sleep routine - going to bed at the same time and waking at the same time, to keep yourself feeling refreshed
- Staying hydrated during the day - I’m guilty of living off coffee, but try and keep some water to hand to sip whilst on calls. It’s a lot of small little changes that do help.
- Checking on your vitamin levels - again a really small thing, but lacking in Vitamin D and Zinc can affect concentration - something to keep and eye on until we're all out in the sunshine more
As much as it’s important for us to try our best to keep ourselves healthy and motivated during this time, work places have had to adjust too.
In Brandon Hall Group’s 2020 Employee Engagement Study, organisations reported these were the most important steps to improve engagement and keep employees motivated:
- Create a sense of belonging
- Enable teamwork and collaboration
- Recognise and reward good work
- Show employees that their work is meaningful
- Give employees the freedom and authority to make decisions
View the full article here.
I think these tips are important for us all. There’s never been a more vital time to be an uplifting influence on your colleagues; manager/director or not. Pick up the phone, check in on people and really show how important the team strength is.
Let’s keep going a little longer and hope we are turning the tide…