Shall we just slow down?

It’s been something of a unique and difficult year for everyone. Key workers (thank you!), those on furlough, those having to pause what they’ve been doing, or taking on different roles temporarily. For those of us continuing to work, remotely, from home or anywhere else that is different from ‘normal’ it has no doubt presented many challenges both personal and professional. More topically, we are also negotiating the overlap between the old and new financial year: we have to close down sales, review old and pitch new projects, build up roadmaps, carry out appraisals, set goals/targets and ‘re-set’ for the year ahead. So does this mean simply ‘reset’? Press play, pick up where we left off and continue hurtling down the road at breakneck speed? Business are doing everything they can to maintain success (and profitability), to keep their employees happy, healthy, compensated, rewarded and motivated. Yet after the year that has been, show us one person who isn’t even a little bit ‘burnt out’ from negotiating challenges that the global pandemic has put in our way. We’ve had our patience tested, our health challenged, our social interaction curtailed, our home and work life turned on its head. The word ‘balance’ has gone out of the window! Yet as some of us come out of lockdown and begin to adopt some semblance of ‘normality’ — albeit a reduced version — there are many other countries still facing ongoing difficulties.

So in order to try and re-set ourselves and our teams in a sustainable, potentially more effective way would it be totally wrong to simply SLOW DOWN? Reading Lara Hogan’s recent (and very topical) blog post We need to talk about your Q3 Roadmap we are encouraged to think about how to meet pandemic exhaustion and burnout head on. As Managers and leaders choose for ourselves what’s got to give, before the choice is made for us. Can we as businesses relax our roadmaps? Reduce the ‘must haves’? Get less done, but better? Can we encourage employees take time off, reduce pressure and expectations on them, or grant additional vacations or team ‘down time’? The term ‘burnout’ means different things to different people: some are burnt out and exhausted by the sheer volume of work. Some are depressed by the lack of social interaction in their working life. Some perhaps are simply tired from not having enough to do, and less mental stimulation that they are used to. Correcting and supporting team-member ‘burnout’ is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but as Laura discusses here, taking the time to do something is better that ignoring the fact that it’s a real phenomenon. Left unaddressed it will continue affecting our teams’ productivity, value, and well-being. Being a good People Manager means really noticing what’s going on around you. It means understanding what a positive difference, however small, your actions can make to your team (who after all are your greatest asset!).