I’m going to be rewarding my employees for sleeping in 2019 !
and why I think its a great idea. ( It really is !! )
As a startup founder at Alore.io, I’m quite open about the good, bad and ugly of startup life.. Entrepreneurship is anything but silk roads and forever sunny skies.
As a CEO I may dream and envision ideas but they aren’t worth a dime if they aren’t executed well.. and who does that? — our talented team of employees of course !
Alore employees are like family to me and I find it impossible to not look after their well being. I may have fumbled in the earlier stages in learning this but I understand this extremely well today.
I refuse to pass on stress as a legacy or have it exist at Alore at all.
To this I have decided on a three-pronged strategy to ensure Alore employees are more than just working.
1. Reward sleep
Without enough sleep we all become tall two year olds !! — Jojo Jensen
Sleep is super important when it comes to avoiding stress. I know it because I almost had a panic attack once in mid 2018 after months of sleeping for 3 hours a day. (Not proud to admit this !)
So while i worked on my own self to spring back to physical and mental fitness, it was also important for me to have everyone around at work and home be fit and well rested.
At Alore we gifted the entire office fitness trackers. At the end of each week, we each share who slept well. In fact, it’s not about who slept more number of hours but about the consistency in sleep hours and timings that matter. Even the remote team members happily participate in this.
This encourages all of us at Alore to be more mindful about our sleeping patterns and ensure we’ve rested well. Yes, you may say that I’m being selfish here. Of course I know that well-rested Generals conquer wars. However, I also don’t see Alore employees as “just” employees.. they are friends and people I’d like to hang out with even ten years from now and it matters to me if they’re happy and healthy!
We donot limit it to just sleep in fact. We each share our weekly activity stats like calories burnt, average steps per day etc. It’s a small step to having these superstars be a fitter and finer version of themselves each day and have them be more intentional about their fitness.
2. Encourage responsibility and care
At Alore we are a hard-working team looking at the same stars. We each believe in a larger goal than just being a tech solution provider. We want to genuinely help small and midsize businesses to increase their revenue velocity and achieve their dreams!
It’s easier said than done. To achieve goals we each need to learn to take on responsibilities and own them like a pro. We’ve gamified this subconsciously by having each employee own a plant at work. Yes, you read that right!
Every weekend we compare who’s plant looks happiest and blooming the best.. It sounds like a silly small idea but trust me, this little act teaches them to be responsible for things beyond themselves.
The act of caring for a living being however small brings about a calming effect to the mind and helps de-stress.
The team also learns the values of patience, care, balance, nurturing, ownership and responsibility. The earlier they learn that in life, the brighter I see their future shine.
3. Pick a hobby
I’m an avid reader myself and it would truly delight me to have everybody at Alore have reading in their DNA. However, I’ve come to accept that it’s actually about “different folks different strokes”. The happy high I get from reading a nice book, my colleague Akshay gets from going on a good run or Kamlesh gets from closing his eyes and enjoying some music.
The aim is to have them do something that refreshes and rejuvenates them. When the mind is happy and the endorphins plenty they will feel good about doing whatever it is that they’re working on. The math is simple — Happy employees always have happy customers.
So in a crux what I’ve figured out is this. For a business to grow:
- Physical fitness and a well rested mind are super important in life and at work. Encourage employees to sleep better and take breaks to do things THEY love.
- Work with people you’d love to hang out with a decade from now
- Instil the idea and values of responsibility and ownership in your team to have them think beyond.
Would love to hear how you nurture the team or some other cool ways to have employees be a better version of themselves
