The Positive Energy Workplace

“It’s naive to think in today’s day and age that an organization does not play a part in their employees’ wellness.”  -- Tara Ataya, chief people and diversity officer at Hootsuite.   

Last week's headline (linked above) said 95% of people are considering quitting their jobs in a recent survey, citing burnout and relentless work of the last year as a core reason.

I've worked with my team for years; one member has been with me for almost fourteen years now, another just two. Some vendors for years, some for short bouts. All of them I've learned from -- they've each grown me as a leader in their own ways. Writing this, just fresh off of our Q3 Team Meeting, I am flush with gratitude and also awe at what teaming takes. Whether you are in person (which we are not), or remote (which we very much are and always have been), there are a couple of best practices and beliefs to hold that I've found extra useful.

You're in a conversation with a colleague, maybe on a first date, maybe you're meeting someone on the plane, or you keep noticing that every time you think about this person or that situation, you get a funny feeling in your gut. The context may be personal, it may be professional. The sense may be subtle, if you're lucky it may be really strong. And either way, you might not be able to identify exactly what it is. You just know it's there. What do you do? 

I recently had a conversation with an executive team who wanted to work on ways to make their culture feel better right now. People are tired, they're trying to connect remotely and do their jobs while walking their dogs and managing their kids' Zoom rooms, workload is high, connection is low, and presence is extra tricky right now. This organization was particularly interested in exploring ways to build resiliency and create a healthy culture now in this new business environment.

Years ago when my ex-husband and I completed our marriage, to keep things extra clean and as emotionally easy as possible, we worked with a mediator. Heading into that first mediation session we both knew what we knew. Our intentions were clear, our energy was clean, and we were present to the situation at hand and how we wanted to be with each other and for our kids. We went into the first mediation session, each of us with a Post-It detailing what we wanted our division of assets and agreements to look like. Four months (and a lot of cash) later, we walked out with almost exactly what was on those Post-Its. Having the mediator helped us with the paperwork and navigating some of CA's divorce laws, AND, we knew what we knew going in.