Last week I was invited to a series of talks put on by The Stress Management Society. The day was all about taking companies and individuals from stress to de-stress.

I envisioned hearing the usual stuff… like offering a gym membership, buying fruit, making sure that employees take time off when they’re sick and so forth.   Well…I was pleasantly surprised because the talks were far more enlightening than I expected.  After leaving I felt that the future workplace is destine to be far better than it has been in the past.

Overall, the people that presented explained that the top companies are now looking at employees as a whole – not just their work life.  Organisations like Google, FaceBook and Apple want employees to enjoy work, feel healthy and have a great home life.  One company offers flexible hours – work any 40 hours you want during the week.   Google has several ways for employees to burn off steam – they have something like 15 outdoor volleyball courts at the GooglePlex.

The best companies of the future will be ones that really care about the people – not just in their work hours, but also their outside life.

When I heard this I thought that it sounded not only logical…but the only true way to ensure bigger, brighter, more innovative companies.  With the Internet forcing prices to become standardised across brands, companies are going to have to survive through innovation and creativity.  And if you want creativity, you need people that are able to function to the best of their ability…that means that they need to have a clear mind, good stress, healthy bodies and a balance between work, home and ‘me’ time.  They need to be happy, empowered and eager to go to work…

Organisations that carry on thinking they can crack the whip, cajole people into working more than 40 hours/week, apply unhealthy competitive pressures and make people feel so bad that they come in when they’re sick are going to fall into decline.

I imagine the history books will note that in the 1990’s / early 2000’s the work ethic started to change.  The dictatorial MD would slowly be forced out to be replaced by inspirational leaders advocating work-home balance schemes and green initiatives.  Not only is it about making the lives of employees better but also looking after the world too!

Getting down to the individual level, the company ‘Inside 80’ presented a very compelling solution to declining energy levels. The presenter explained that over the course of a day/week/month/year we go through natural periods of work and recovery.  For example, during the course of the day you’ll work for a bit and then take a break (perhaps get up for a stretch) and then you’ll work some more and then take lunch and so forth.

The presenter explained that most of us fail to recover as much as we need to before going back into work mode.  And since we’re not recovering, our ability to work becomes more and more impaired.  By the end of the day, we’re exhausted rather than empowered.  (I know that feeling!!!!)

In contrast, when looking at how athletes train, we can learn a lot – they work at managing their energy.  They work to a peak and then take a well thought out rest and then work again to a peak and on it goes.

Visually, an athlete is on a trend where their energy goes up…they’re always getting better and better.  People like us (workers) are on a trend that goes down…we’re always burning the candle for too long and collapsing in exhaustion – either at the end of the day or when we finally take a holiday.

Inside 80 work with people to put them on a routine that is similar to an athlete – they figure out how long you should work (for example, short bursts of 20 minutes or long durations of 3 hours) and then work with you to determine what you need to do for the relaxation bit of your day/week/month/year.

It could be as simple as taking more breaks – just getting up to get a glass of water more often…or phoning someone that gives you energy.

Each person works to a different pace and once you know how you work best, you can ensure you recover in a way that gives you more and more energy…so that by the end of the day you’re not too tired to play with the kids or take your partner out for a nice meal.

Sounds great to me!  Since hearing the talk I’ve made a mental note about what gives me energy (drinking water, eating good food, talking to a friend, doing yoga, mediation, taking a walk, etc) and I’m adding more and more of them to my daily routine.  I’ve also stopped sitting at the computer when I’m tired or ineffective. Making these changes has increased my energy massively!

Give it a go – start listening to your body and take more breaks!  When you do take breaks, do things that give you energy…

If you want more information on Inside 80, check them out at: http://www.inside80.co.uk

The Stress Management Society has some cool tests you can take and some good information on the site.  Check them out at:  http://www.stress.org.uk/

Right – that’s it for me today.  Remember – if you want to get my updates in your inbox, simply leave your email address on the form to the right (and up).  Every time I write something you’ll get a little notification letting you know.

Until next time, I hope you are enjoying your journey.

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