Nike recently<\/a> following similar initiatives from the likes of LinkedIn, Bumble, Mozilla, and Hootsuite). We’ve even been giving a few Fridays off for staff at HFS to allow them to take long weekend breaks. However, we won’t be very effective businesses if we grant our staff 6+ weeks of PTO each year! <\/p>\nIn short, mental health at work is a massive<\/em> issue, and something employees need to tackle head-on. Employers can offer as much support as they can, with time off, counseling, good management, and good resources, however, there comes a point where staff have to figure out how to keep themselves<\/em> motivated. Let’s be honest, we’re living in a world where your work experience runs the risk of becoming yet another digital channel to fit alongside Facebook, Netflix, Instagram, and whatever else consumes your digital time these days.<\/p>\nThe Bottom-line: 10 ways we can re-motivate our careers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\nPrioritize non-Zoom time to focus yourself.<\/strong> At HFS we have “no meetings Wednesdays” where we insist staff use the time to get their written \/ cerebral work done without the constant distraction of video meetings. It’s impossible to execute well on your work when you don’t have chunks of time to focus your thoughts. We used to use plane time\/hotel time a lot for this type of work… not we need to carve it out. If your employer won’t sanction a no-meeting day, then create one for yourself and block off you calendar. If there is push-back, you should seriously question the mentality of your leaders and whether this is a company adapting to the virtual economy.<\/li>\nEmbrace change and explore new roles with your leadership.<\/strong> Many people are discovering\/developing new skills in the virtual economy – things they thought they were bad at, they are improving dramatically at. The fear of change is dissipating from so many, and the ideas of trying new things are so important today. Careers can go stale and this environment may have accelerated your sell-by date for doing a certain activity, and it’s time to freshen it up. So talk to your bosses and your mentors… have a look at jobs going in other firms. It’s time to embrace change and put yourself in a position to do new<\/em> things that could energize you and refocus your skills<\/em>.<\/li>\nMeet fellow workers and clients local to you.<\/strong> Nothing is more energizing than merely seeing faces familiar to you from 18 months ago… just do it. And don’t sit in an offering staring at PowerPoint, go to lunch or dinner. Start enjoying meeting folks local to you where there is little stress, and the time investment is minimal.<\/li>\nOrient your work effectively around your family commitments.<\/strong> It’s been a hard time for so many Moms (and Dads) taking care of our families, and some have been amazing at finding the time to become more focused, efficient, and flexible to get work done. The nice-to-five is over folks and we need to find times like late evenings \/ early mornings where we can deliver. The key is to make sure your employer gets this and judges you on outcomes… not simply that you were online during “office hours” every day.<\/li>\nSpread meetings out over longer periods.<\/strong> The lockdown intensity of packing your calendar with 10 back-to-back Zoom meetings all day have to end. You will burn-out and become a jabbering idiot. It’s OK to book meetings 3-4 weeks out, and you must<\/em> create mental breaks for yourself during the day. We aren’t robots and if we don’t manage our time better we will start to become them.<\/li>\nKeep learning new things.<\/strong> There probably hasn’t been a more critical time to stay ahead of market developments, new business models, new technologies etc. You must find time to read and network.., the only two ways you will keep learning.<\/li>\nKeep networking and stop making virtual excuses.<\/strong> The excuses of “I can’t develop relationships over video calls” are done. If you can’t, then you’re toast. Find time to keep in touch with key people and also to get to know new folks who can help you. <\/li>\nGet a decent webcam.<\/strong> If your laptop camera sucks then buy a webcam. You can get one for $25 on Amazon for chrissakes. And get rid of the up-nostril view… please.<\/li>\nKeep exercising and keep healthy.<\/strong> Sit on a yoga-ball all day… buy a Peloton. The days of lockdown are over and you don’t have excuses for the expanded girth, the excessive booze consumption, or whatever bad things you do to keep yourself amused. Poor physical health eventually means poor mental health and your employer giving you mental health breaks won’t cut it forever.<\/li>\nReevaluate your own goals and stop living off past glories.<\/strong> I know so many people clinging onto their past work glories, which may never return in this very different work culture. Trying to cling on to an inflated salary is not a strategy – it’s potentially asking for trouble down the road if you’re failing to innovate your capabilities and value to your organization. The cost of living has changed for many of us – we don’t need two cars in the family, we save a lot on commuting and eating out… on all sorts of things. So why not evaluate what you want to do with your career, the type of organization you want to work for, and whether you can afford to rationalize short-term earnings to chase future opportunities for yourself? <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The days of everyone talking about the “new” culture of working from home are so over This isn’t new, it’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,833,858],"tags":[103,104],"ppma_author":[19],"yoast_head":"\n
Don\u2019t let digital burn-out kill your career - Horses for Sources | No Boundaries<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n