It's been 336 days since the pandemic started (at least in my world). It has shown the immense resilience we humans have. We've been "agile". We've "pivoted". We've "adapted". Bottom line we're still getting sh*t done. But at what cost?
I spend time with entrepreneurs and leaders day in and day out. Almost all are reporting their team members are working more and at all hours. We've officially blurred the lines between our personal and professional lives. While I'm not advocating we go back, I'm not sure that it's healthy for the dining room table to be a home office, classroom, craft table, and mess hall.
It has been liberating and at times joyous to see colleagues' children, partners, and pets pop-up and say hello via Zoom. We've pulled down the curtain, and I'm officially outed as a working mom. And not just any working mom. A working mom who clearly on some days does not have it together. We can no longer collectively keep playing pretend. LIFE. IS. MESSY. and it's on Zoom for all to see.
Because life is messy and is now on display to the world we've all become more work-obsessed than ever before and our mental and emotional health is suffering. This is where leaders need to rise to the occasion.
It is now our #1 priority, in my humble opinion, to create strong, non-negotiable boundaries for our employees that support mental and emotional wellbeing.
Let's face it, there is an ROI (return on investment) every employer is looking for out of their employees. Right now, that ROI is at an all-time high. People are scared of perceived "slacking", of failure, of losing their jobs and health insurance. So this increased ROI we are seeing is temporary. Our teams are heading for burnout. Which means our businesses are in peril. If we don't start setting clear boundaries that support our employees holistically everyone is in jeopardy.
At this point, are you thinking to yourself, "that's a great idea but I can't even create boundaries for myself, how can I do it for my team?" It's simple. Add it to your job description. Create two new bullet points under your key duties/responsibilities:
Be a leader by example in pioneering practices that support my emotional and mental wellbeing. Practices could include: set communication period standards, scheduled mental health days, saying no, being vulnerable....
Develop individualized holistic wellbeing plans for my team members and hold them accountable for their plan.
As a leader, if these are your first two priorities, you are ensuring that the ROI you and your team are generating is sustainable, and I could argue increased over the long haul.
I'm curious, have you or your company set up any new support structures for your team during the pandemic? What's worked? What hasn't?
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