In some recent coaching conversations with leaders, they have shared insights like, “I’ve never worked harder in all my life”, “In over 30 years, I’ve never worried so much about the safety and well-being of my people”, “Everyone is just so tired.”

Gallup reported that, “Employee wellbeing is foundational to performance, engagement and longevity at work. Yet, employee wellbeing has been dismal throughout the pandemic with 2022 being no exception. Three in 10 employees in the U.S. reported being burned out ‘very often’ or ‘always’ at work. Four in 10 employees revealed that their job had a negative impact on their mental health in the past six months. And individuals with poor or fair mental health missed nearly five times as many days off work as those with good mental health in 2022.”

People are exhausted from balancing work, parenting, being a carer, annual reviews, budgets, planning, projects, submissions and more.

“Gallup reported in 2022 32% actively engaged employees with 17% actively disengaged. The stagnation of employee engagement is one of the biggest threats to organizations and entire economies in 2023 and beyond”.

As leaders, we need to take the time to acknowledge where our team members are at (in more areas than just work!) and also provide clarity and insight towards what the most important work priorities are at that time.

Leaders need to explore and determine aligned clarity with their teams to ensure the key things are completed and their well-being is maintained, or better still, enhanced.

“A recent Gallup study shows that engagement is highest among fully remote workers — and lowest for fully on-site workers who can perform at least a portion of their job from home. Similarly, remote workers report lower levels of burnout, while fully on-site employees have the highest levels of burnout.”

This small action can have huge benefits for our team’s mental wellbeing and stress, especially when it comes to burnout.
Hybrid (remote) work opportunities should be considered where possible. It is reported that, “Remote work isn’t just better for business — it’s better for employees too. Remote employees often have higher engagement and wellbeing than fully on-site workers who can do at least portions of their job remotely.”

The benefits of this is that, “A hybrid office can empower employees to develop a better work-life balance, giving them control over their time management and wellbeing. Having the option to go into the office can help employees be more productive and feel more connected with their team and organization.”

Below are some questions to reflect on and explore with your team:

  1. What is absolutely essential to be completed this month/quarter?
  2. Whose strengths and skills can help us best right now?
  3. How can work be shifted around the team or organisation?
  4. Where do people need clarity on priorities & reassurance of them?
  5. How do we celebrate the small wins and progress?
  6. How will we look after ourselves and each other?

I invite you to regularly review priorities and also engage your team in ways to make the execution more efficient.

Quotes and statistics from:
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/468173/workplace-findings-leaders-need-navigate-year.aspx
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/316313/understanding-and-managing-remote-workers.aspx#ite-396839

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