Workplace Wellbeing

Transcript

In this episode, we’re going to be talking about workplace well being.
Hello, and welcome to this episode of so what’s up today I am with Morgan. And we’re going to be talking about workplace well being. It’s a topic that is quite prevalent at the moment with more people talking about it than ever, especially with Coronavirus and the rise of burnout. And Morgan is probably the best person on our team. And she is the most balanced and well out of all of us, I would say. So welcome, Morgan. And thank you for coming on today.
I have no problem. Thank you very much for having me on.
So Morgan is very into her wellness. And she does yoga on the side of working here at So marketing webinars. And I thought it’d be great to get her involved with this podcast because she has so many tips and she’s just really knowledgeable about all things well being and how we can take that well being and incorporate it into our working lives.
Excellent. Yes, I am a huge advocate for him, moving our bodies on exercise and making sure we’re looking after ourselves in every way possible.
So I think first of all, it will probably be best to talk about burnout as a topic, really, and how I guess because of Coronavirus, more people are talking about this in our person. Have you have you ever struggled with burnout Morgan.
And I have definitely in a previous role from this, it’s a very, very stressful job, and I’ll say tends to get to you and gets a bit too much. And yes, definitely ended up with a burnout from my job. So coming over to so marketing has been a huge change. Definitely, in my personal mental well being definitely,
I can second that as well. And I think with burnout, it’s something that can almost creep up on you at times. And I guess what we could start with doing is talking about maybe some of those signs and signifiers about like how you might know that you are starting to feel a little bit burnt out and what you can put in place to try and stop that. So my signs of burnout really IRM when I am when I’m not sleeping very well, when I feel like I can’t get up in the morning when my eating habits just go completely to part. And I just kind of lose the will to live. Like nothing is enjoyable. And I get super irritable and just snap at people. And it’s not a version of myself I like and I usually feel very guilty and beat myself up about it. So I try and look after myself as much as possible and not let that show to both family, friends and also at work as well. Because no one wants to work with people that are miserable.
No, don’t do it. Yeah, like you say, I think we’ve probably all suffered from those kinds of things in our life. And it’s just about noticing, when they creep up and learning how to deal with them.
I think it’s quite tough as well, sometimes with jobs where you’re, you feel like you’re constantly being pulled from pillar to post. So in both of our roles, really, Morgan we’re quiet. We talk to a lot of people on a day to day basis. And we’re both clients and internally, moving projects along and making sure that they’re staying on track. And also as well, just being quiet Sid entry and setting for long periods of time. But you’ve got some you’ve got some thoughts on that habit. Yeah,
I have indeed. So obviously, we work in an office and office space role, which tends to be incredibly sedentary, we tend to be living more very sedentary lives at the moment anyway. Obviously, coupled on top of that, if you’re working in an office job, you don’t tend to be moving around a lot during the day you are sat down in a chair in front of a computer. And obviously our bodies are designed to move. So we need to kind of remember that and then put some little measures in place to make sure we move our bodies during the day.
Yeah, my Apple Watch is constantly telling me to stand up and breathe.
Yeah, all those little reminders,
basically on how to function. But you’re what’s always struck me as you’ve always been quite active and you make quite a concerted effort as well to be active and break your day up. So do you want to talk a little bit about your routine and how you managed to stick with that?
Yeah, certainly. So whenever I’m in work, I always make sure I get outside on my lunch break. So that can be there just a quick 20 minute walk or if I’m compelled to be outside for the full hour then I’ll be outside for the full hour. I’ll either go for a walk or a run. But just making sure I’m moving my body and getting outside at the same time, we all hear about all the healing powers of nature, it’s constantly remind you to is what it does definitely make make a big difference. And the biggest motivation for me is just the way that it makes me feel. I know that I feel a lot better if I’ve moved my body and I’ve got outside. And then I will be much ready. Much more better prepared for the rest of the day. Yeah, go ahead.
And you also, you also kind of like stick to it through like the wind and the rain as well. Don’t
you do? Indeed? Yeah. Whatever the weather. I am out there. So we’ve been out in all sorts of weather in hail, sleet. Many rain storms have been out there, out there for a run.
And where do you find that motivation?
I say it just comes from the way that it makes me feel. I know I will always feel better if I have done something. I know recently, the other week, I couldn’t get outside on my lunch break. And by about three, four o’clock in the afternoon. I was definitely feeling that afternoon slump. Feeling like I want to take a little nap. And I know that’s because I hadn’t been outside so it is purely just for the way that it makes me feel. Get all those endorphins buzzing around the body. Yeah, no,
that definitely makes a lot of sense. And we’re quite lucky here and that the company does it does cater, I guess to that kind of flexible lifestyle. So we’ve got a we’ve got an onsite gym in our offices. We’ve got showers and facilities for us like so Morgan can go out in the wind in the rain and get incredibly mucky and Yeah, exactly. So yeah, I guess it’s it’s definitely something that companies can think about, like how can they make it easier for their staff to have that active lifestyle and just encourage them to basically feel better because the better you feel physically, the more in tune you are mentally with what’s going on? And it’s a lot easier I would say to just feel more productive and get things done in less time and be more efficient. If you’re physically feeling well to the best of your ability.
Definitely yeah 100% agree definitely.
I get it quite a bit where like, especially like with carbs and stuff I have like quite a car be lunch then like by three o’clock I I feel like I need a nap. Yeah, and they’re always like writes me off for those final two hours of work and I always feel so annoyed with myself when that has been a thing so one thing that I’ve started to do is like try and think about kind of like the food that I’m eating during the day making sure that it’s like healthy and nutritious and it’s also like the meal prep at the start of the week so like I’m more likely to stick to it and almost kind of gives me something to look forward to knowing that I’ve got like a really tasty healthy lunch yes like I’d be like in the fridge or yeah just ready and waiting for me to go but yeah, it is quite it’s quite tempting sometimes being in leak and having goals the nice eateries just around the corner yes and we’ve got a chip shop next door is
a temptation workplace well
being tip number one do not go to the chippy for you
definitely
um but yeah, I guess you’ve got some other notes as well about like other things about kind of like helping you to kind of set properly and the importance of that too.
Yes, definitely I think we’re probably all aware of RSI is that can be gained from obviously, if you’re doing something for repeated length of time, it’s going to come up with some kind of certain injuries in the body. And that can be something as simple as sitting at your desk in the wrong place that you have monitors not at the right heights kind of slightly or get into that hunched, hunched over office position, neck down, shoulders forward, and it’s making sure you’ve got the tools in place to make sure you can know sit properly and obviously in so marketing they have recently bought some like monitor stands to make sure the monitors at the right height and just making sure you set properly with right back support on an office chair.
Yeah, definitely I go as far as to say as well like even just thinking about your eyesight as well. So one thing that I’ve noticed with kind of like getting a little bit older and just the amount of time that I spend in front of a laptop screen all day is I’ve recently needed glasses and how you can make sure that you’re not like having a string gain for regular checkups with your eyes and really looking after them because when you are kind of looking at artificial screens all day and there are things that you can do so and I know a lot of people um, use like blue light blocking glasses. I always turn the saturation down on mine so I don’t have to do like combing through and then I only turn it on when I’m helping like proofread or if I’m checking like kind of final designs that sort of thing for clients and making sure that everything is tipped up in that order. Obviously, if you’re a designer, you probably can’t really do anything that’s going to mess with the
colours. Yeah. But it’s definitely something that can we look forward to look to towards doing in the evening as well. Just switching off that blue light later towards the evening to help you sleep better sleep better at night.
Yeah, definitely. And I think one of the other things as well, that we were quite lucky with here is the measures in place to almost let staff plan their work around their life, instead of like planning their life around their work. So something that you’re you make use of is you you only work Monday to Wednesday, and then you, you obviously have the rest of your life and your yoga business that you’re starting off as well on the side of that
do indeed, are very fortunate in that obviously, the part time working came from looking after my daughter. Obviously, she’ll be starting school soon. So hopefully, on a Thursday or Friday, we can start doing some yoga classes.
And like the other guys as well, like I particularly make use of the more flexible working practices. So I’m not always in the office. So I work from home quite a bit, depending on the task. And then when I do come into the office, it’s usually to just like work the guys into shape and make sure that they’re getting me what I need on time, and collaborating with the team. And then I go home and kind of do a lot of my deep focus forts and the work in a place where I don’t really have that many external distractions, and also flexible working hours as well. So we haven’t transitioned back to that normal nine, five, and sometimes start at 10 o’clock and finish it like seven o’clock at night, just depends on what I’ve got on that day and how I’m feeling. And that works for me. Whereas some of the other guys are really structured and leave soon come back into that night till half five with an hour for lunch, because it it suits them. And that’s what they wanted.
Exactly. It’s just good to know you’ve got the option. Yeah, definitely. And
I think we’re seeing a lot of talk at the moment as well about the, how the office is dead, and how everyone’s always going to be working from home at the moment. What are your thoughts on that, Morgan?
When we’re in lockdown, I really struggled with working from home purely from the social connection that you get from working in an office with other members of staff. Yeah, obviously, it has its benefits, like say around flexible work, and you can fit the hours around your personal life. If you’ve got certain things in your life that you need to fit around, then it does work. But I did definitely miss the social interaction between my colleagues, which you don’t have at home, you don’t have to ease anyway, even though it’s the end of a phone. It’s not the same as just being in the office and being able to just sit next to somebody at your desk and have a chat with them.
Yeah, definitely. And I think a lot of people, a lot of companies are seeing it as a way to save money to cut down their overheads or to pay rent anymore. And offices of people like it because they don’t have that commute time. I’d counter that and say that I actually really like that definition between like work and home. Yes. Quite like having a commute. Yeah. I mean, in previous roles, my commutes been like an hour each way. Whereas now it’s like only 12 minutes.
Yeah, I like a 10 minute commute
to help you like switch off at the end of the day and like kind of transition from like, home to work. Yeah, we’re home. Yeah. And it just helps you kind of like decompress really does. Yeah.
Having that work life balance and being able to switch between the two.
Yeah, definitely. And I think also as well, what I would say with the office is yes, it may be an effective way to cut costs, but then you’re going to have to reinvest that money elsewhere. because how else are you going to engage staff, like you’re just going to be at just gonna end up if you don’t have that. And if you don’t focus on culture and retaining people, you’re going to have such terrible churn of people. And if people don’t, if people can’t differentiate your culture and like your way of doing things from another, workplaces, then why should they be loyal to you almost in a way, that’s the way I see it. If I’m just kind of sat at home on a laptop, and I’m getting tasks come through to me, and there’s no kind of, there’s no sort of camaraderie really is that culture is not there, there’s no loyalty and it’s almost like Right, okay, well, I might as well just go to the person that’s paying me the most because that is the only true differentiator Yeah, if you being that task orientated about it, and I think we’re gonna start seeing now a lot of research and a lot of money going into, I guess, companies He’s trying to overcome these battles when they’ve realised that kind of they need an element of that culture there, I guess. Yeah. But yeah, I think I prefer working in an office. I like working from home sometimes. But the way we have it here is good. It says it’s very good. Yeah. Yeah. And I guess as well, a big one of our things as well, that we kind of have implemented with workplace well being is unlimited holidays.
Well, that’s always a bonus, isn’t it? Yeah.
I know, a lot of people are really sceptical about unlimited holidays, because they say that it’s a way for companies to look really good. And they like them. People don’t actually take all of their holidays. But I joined in July last year. And I think I had about 20 days worth of holiday in the back half of the year. And I can honestly say I’ve never been as productive in my life, despite having more time off than I ever have done.
I think obviously having that break, it probably spurs you on. Once you get back into back into that routine and back into work.
Yeah, I guess as well. It’s just me, it just makes you feel like you’ve had sufficient time off and you’ve recuperated, and it makes you almost look forward to coming back into work as well. How do you find the unlimited holidays? Do you feel like it’s something that’s worked for you?
I would say yes. Obviously handy with having a small child at home. If there is something that crops up and you do need the odd day here and there because something that’s you know, something’s happened with school or more snow, even the school holidays, it’s definitely comes in very useful and useful for that. Yeah.
So back onto the topic, then of burnout and workplace well being. Do you have any top tips for people that if they do feel like they’re starting to struggle with burnout? How can they recuperate themselves and get back on track as quickly as possible?
First of all, if you do start noticing problems with burnout, I’d probably say talk to somebody. And make sure it’s somebody that’s quite supportive, and somebody that will listen to you, because talking is always good help and sharing those things, because other people have probably experienced them as well. And we’ll have other tips to share with you. I would also again, make sure you’re getting plenty of rest, plenty of sleep, and good quality sleep, not just get good quality sleep. And just getting that little bit of movement in throughout your day, just get your body movement, get your body moving, get outside in nature, will always always help.
And the reason I’m going to ask this question is because you’re very into your yoga, and it’s, um, I’m quite naively going to say it’s quite a gentle way to get your body moving. That’s probably not the case. But what is it about yoga that drew you to it? And how does it make you feel more well in life?
Very good question. Yes, I mean, there’s different types of yoga. So there’s definitely gentle yoga out there. But there’s definitely a lot more hardcore yoga out there as well. The main thing, the main benefit I gain from yoga is it just gives me a clarity of mind and just helps me prepare for for daily tasks just the day in general. Again, it gives me it works on my strength, flexibility and my mobility throughout my body. You can move in a multi plane of movement. So you move in like forwards, backwards, side to side twisting around. So your body’s working in every way that it should do. But the main benefit is just it gives me this calmness and clarity of mind, which definitely helps in day to day tasks,
especially with how busy you are trying to organise yourself and Mike.
Yes, yeah, definitely we need we need some clarity there.
And one thing that we’re super excited about like the wider team is we’re actually going to get Morgan to do a yoga class with us soon on our lunch break and it’s it’s definitely going to be beginner’s yoga. Yeah, she’s had strict instructions not to make it and we’ll we’ll we’ll pull it back and see how that’s gone on as well because it’s something that the guys are all looking forward to as well. We’ve managed to convince a studio full of guys and a few of the girls here as well that it’s going to be super fun. And just to basically test out how it works and I know that a lot of us have struggled with Coronavirus and everything that’s been going on because my kind of my favourite thing used to be going to the gym and moving that way and I know a lot of people feel the same way again like Lucas for example used to go to his like martial arts practice. And Jim misses the gym as well. So does John and it’s it’s been a super tough time really because everyone’s been closed route. teams have been messed up. I think the only person that’s kind of done well out of it all. It’s been James with his peloton.
Yes, exactly. Got his palace around and off he goes.
Yeah, I guess it’s yeah, it’s been tough. And I think with everything starting to open up now and things be more positive, we’ll start getting back into our old routines or maybe you have new routines that we have created. And we’ll try and share more of that with you as well so that we can hopefully inspire you or give you some ideas of some things that you can try as well from a workplace well being perspective. But yeah, I guess Thank you very much for listening. Thank you very much for joining me, Morgan. And problem Thank you for having me. If you have any tips or any questions, just get in touch was at Hello at so marketing.com