Catherine Mattice's Blog, page 23

When it’s Time to Leave a Toxic Environment

Based on our episode “When it’s Time to Leave a Toxic Environment” with Hilary White

 

When you’re in a toxic work environment, you always feel like you could work through it or that it was your fault. You may also feel stuck in a bad relationship. You always think that you can change the other person. We think that it’s time to quit. In reality, it’s about choosing ourselves. It’s about not abandoning ourselves.

 

Some of the red flags in the work environment:No work-life balance

When all of your time is all about work and you can’t even have a day off or leave.

If you feel really anxious

You feel anxiety on Sunday nights. You feel anxious because you have to go to work and you know your weekend is gone.

Feeling a sense of stress at work 

When you think about work and even when you leave work, it’s still there. 

You start feeling like you are not competent at your job and you start comparing yourself to your co-workers

Oftentimes, if there’s competition on your team or within the company, that can be degrading to your sense of self.

It’s about paying attention to yourself, how you’re feeling and acknowledging that you’re feeling a certain way. That means there’s something wrong, and you should always listen to your gut.

 

Here are some of the things that an employee can do to start to try to change the situation for themselves:Determine the problem

If it’s you, if it’s something that you yourself need to change, or if it’s a company-wide problem.

Research about the company first before applying

It gives you some guidance in terms of the company’s goals, employee experiences, and its focus on building diversity and inclusion in healthy workplace cultures. There are so many resources out there now.

Talk with your manager

 Ask for guidance and provide a general overview of the problem.

Talk to someone you can trust 

If you can’t talk with your direct manager and you can’t even talk with your team members, you should talk to a friend, because if you don’t speak it out, it becomes something of a shame.

 

If you’re holding on to something and it becomes somewhat of a secret and you’re carrying that burden, it ends up frequently becoming a sense of failure and shame. Then, that just kind of begets more shame, and it makes you not want to talk about it. So, if you have an opportunity to be able to talk with someone that you feel you’ve got trust in a lot of times, that will help you process through and navigate through your next steps.

It’s important that you have a community and you’re talking to someone but then also be aware of how they’re responding to you because if they’re helping you go down a path of being a victim, then that’s not the best option. You want rational people who can emphasize but also help you solve problems.

You’ve got to be very choosy about who you share your information with. Most of us honestly very few people that we feel that we can personally trust and it’s important to get feedback that’s neutral because you’ve got to be able to navigate through that and you’ve got to find those trusted individuals.

If you do decide that the next step is to move forward, and maybe look at leaving. Don’t feel like just because you’ve made that decision that you’ve got to act immediately. It’s about looking at how to navigate out of an abusive relationship or a relationship that’s no longer working. That takes time. 

You’ve got to get your ducks in a row. You’ve got to make sure that as you exit, you’ve got some type of plan. That doesn’t always necessarily mean that you have to have a job; it just means that you’ve got to take the steps and look at what it is. You personally need it to allow you to move through it, and then even after that, if you do go, you’ve got to allow time to process through it. Just because you leave doesn’t mean that the emotions behind the experience will go away. You’ve got to also allow time to go through that process of having to make that decision to leave.

The post When it’s Time to Leave a Toxic Environment appeared first on Civility Partners.

Can bullying leaders change? 3 tips for increasing their chances

As a coach specializing in coaching leaders who engage in toxic behavior, I’m often asked if these individuals can really change. 

The answer is YES! If the organization does their part. 

I speak from experience here as sometimes organizations hire me to single-handedly fix something they haven’t been able to fix for quite some time… years even. I appreciate the confidence in my skills, but I am not a miracle worker. 

If an organization really wants to see change, they must do the following three things in conjunction with coaching: 

Before coaching commences, deliver a clear message about their behavior and your expectations for change.

It’s natural to avoid having a direct conversation with someone about their abrasive behavior; they’re seen as valuable and you’re afraid they’ll quit. That never actually happens, so hopefully I can ease your fears. 

During this meeting, provide clear and specific information about how the leader’s communication is perceived and why they’re being asked to change, describe your expectations for behavior and exactly what they must change, and be clear about the consequences if change doesn’t occur. 

Over the course of coaching, check in regularly.  

Checking in with the leader as often as you can shows you’re invested in their success, and it allows you to monitor their participation. You should check in informally as often as you can.

After coaching, continue to check in with the leader and hold them accountable to your expectations. 

Coaching is a moment in time and designed to help bullying leaders develop new ways to communicate and get results. Keeping in mind that they’ve been engaging in the old, abrasive behavior for some time, breaking their old habits and engaging in these new ones will take time.

It’s important for you to continue to check in with the leader as often as needed for as long as needed. The moment you notice some hint of their old ways step in immediately to remind them this change is necessary and required. Accountability is key.

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Over the years, we’ve had much success coaching leaders engaging in abrasive, toxic, disruptive, or bullying behaviors. We know in our heart of hearts that your partnership with us will make a world of difference in their success. 

Always feel free to reach out if you need support. We’re here to help. 

The post Can bullying leaders change? 3 tips for increasing their chances appeared first on Civility Partners.

Improve Your Business Collaboration Efforts with These Tips

As the digital transformation of the workplace continues to progress at an exponential pace, new collaboration tools and platforms are being developed to support a more connected workforce.

Whether you’re a business owner hoping to see improvements in the way your company runs or a business leader looking to integrate collaboration strategies into your organization, you’ve come to the right place. Here are tips for improving teamwork and collaboration in your company.

Promote Open Communication

It starts with open communication. Open communication allows teams to share information and collaborate effectively—it’s the bedrock of teamwork. If you want to see improvements in your team’s ability to work together, start by making sure they feel comfortable talking with each other.

Make sure there’s a clear line of communication within the team so that people know who they can ping if they need help. That includes having clear channels for reporting problems as well as sharing accomplishments.

Moreover, be sure to also set up regular one-on-one meetings between key stakeholders so that everyone is on the same page and understands the priorities for the team.

You can also promote open communication by hosting team-building activities, like team-building games or posting on social media collectively. Getting everyone in the office to take part in this exercise will serve to promote a stronger connection among your team.

Create an Environment of Trust

To help promote open communication, you can also work to create an environment of trust. Trust leads to loyalty, which will improve the ability of your employees to collaborate with one another. That starts with leadership.

As the leader of the team, you have a special role to play in helping to build trust throughout the organization. That starts with making sure that you have regular visible interactions with employees.

It also includes holding regular meetings with your team, so that they can get to know you and see how they can trust you to help them with their career goals. Be sure to also promote transparency and honesty so that your team can feel comfortable discussing their work and problems as well.

Measure What Matters

If you want to improve company culture and collaboration, you need to measure what matters. That includes tracking how often your team comes together to collaborate, as well as the topics that are being discussed.

The same goes for the tools that you use to track collaboration. If you only use tools that can track hours, but not topics, or vice versa, then you’re only measuring part of the equation. Part of improving collaboration and teamwork at work also means making sure that you’re using the right tools for the job.

If your company’s culture needs an overhaul, culture change consulting from Civility Partners can help you create a more positive and inclusive workplace.

Break Down Silos

You want to make it easier for your teams to collaborate and share information with one another. That could mean breaking down departmental silos, or it could mean helping teams in one area of the business to understand the priorities that are dominating in other areas of the company.

If you want to encourage more collaboration and teamwork, then you need to make it easier for your employees to cross organizational boundaries and work together.

Improving collaboration and teamwork in the workplace is essential to the success of any business. Use the tip above to create a more positive work environment.

Written by: Amy Collett on 4.21.22

The post Improve Your Business Collaboration Efforts with These Tips appeared first on Civility Partners.

5 Virtual Onboarding Ideas

With the world moving virtual, it’s important to review your onboarding practices and ensure your new hires feel welcomed and supported. Check out our video below for 5 ways to approach virtual onboarding that are sure to boost morale!!

We are even offering our Template Buddy Program to help get you started.

Sincerely,

The Civility Partners Team

 

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Keys to Successful Inclusive Leadership, No Matter your Position

From our “Keys to Successful Inclusive Leadership, No Matter your Position” episode with Audrey Daniels

How unfortunate to see a lot of times, innovative people leaving just because they’re not being heard or taken seriously. Employers are losing out on amazing individuals. Usually, senior leadership or the owner presidents really don’t know what’s really going on when it comes to that.

So it’s really up to us. No matter your leadership title, no matter what leader you are. Leader of a team, leader of yourself that we can do to provide that inclusive and culture but also have the courage to stand up and talk about it when others aren’t 

What are some of the ways that someone can be a leader without a title or someone with the leadership title creates inclusive leadership?

Have courageWe have to be mindful of ourselves and of other people. Be mindful of them in a way of interactions. Having that courage to challenge mindsets and practices stifle diversity Provide honest feedbackCommunicate honesty and have that empathy to understand other people’s feelings at times. Seek understanding, have empathy and be inclusive.Have resilience 

It’s about sprinting back from adversity. It’s about knowing failure is a part of what we’re gonna do. Being resilient enough to overcome adversity, not ignore it but know that it’s there and really get in tune to that. Embrace it so that you can create that inclusion atmosphere.

 

Resilience and Inclusivity

If problems arise, miscommunication or your feelings are hurt by others, be courageous enough to be open-minded. You have to be resilient to bounce back from that and continue moving forward in a positive way with that person. 

It’s about being human. That’s okay for you to have that feeling, it’s okay for that to happen because we’re all growing from this and so on. It’s about working together to know that we may not identify with the same concept and things, but at the end of the day we were hired to do a job and we’re hired to get those results. 

So how can we overcome this? 

Connect to get to the results that we need and the only way we can do that is when we have that courage, empathy and resilience to push through anything that comes.

When we want to implement things like inclusion, belonging and diversity, it needs to be actually a project not a meeting. It’s a project with people having duties in that with people, your team, allowing them to get immersed in what that looks like.

Inclusion is so different for every group. It’s so general. So it would be first to understand what inclusion means to your team, what inclusion means to you and what inclusion means all together connected. Write down those things that you all as a team would like to see and then put those as projects. 

The mind is something that, as we know, can take a life of its own. yeah we have to be patient with people and ourselves.

In the very fabric of your policies and procedures, include things that incite inclusiveness, belonging, policies and procedures in our practices. and that may include a policy about how we treat each other.

When it comes to diversity, have the courage and do it with sincerity. Have courage in your why. If you know that you’re inclusive, that you’re doing what you can, just be a great human being. Forget all the other stuff from your why and move forward. Go through that adversity because that’s the only way.

So we’re dealing with a lot of things. Slow down just a little bit so you can speed up for success.

The best way is to have the courage to challenge mindsets that stifle diversity. No matter your position, we all have the authority to drive inclusion.

 

The post Keys to Successful Inclusive Leadership, No Matter your Position appeared first on Civility Partners.

Remember Humanity in HR

Based on our “Remember Humanity in HR” episode with Gabriella Parente Neubert

 

Many employers are facing big challenges today. It’s a tough time for everybody. We’re still not out of the woods yet. Employers are experiencing downsizing turnover. We’re having this mass exodus of employees leaving companies, and then we fight for that great talent. People are really struggling and going through a lot.

Leaders have to focus on the bottom line because the organization can’t survive if the bottom line is in the red. How do we balance that with humanity and doing things that are going to help the employees?

 

Think outside the box

Structure work weeks, time off and bring kindness into the workplace.

Your health insurance carrier 

It has some sort of wellness program, EAP and service attached to it that we can do to just help lessen the stress and anxiety.

Do a team exercise and team building

It creates bonding and a break from work.

Send gift cards 

It’s the little things like saying, “Hey, go get yourself a coffee or donut.” They have some kind of common purpose.

Give free options

Like creating flexible work weeks and flexible time off, we can still be efficient but give our employees what they need right now because it definitely ties into inclusivity and equity.

Utilize those benefits

If you’re offering health benefits most of the time, give them all those resources. It doesn’t have to be counseling; it could be life coaching or yoga class. There are plenty of options.

As leaders, it’s always important to remember that we need to show our value and our worth. Do some surveys, let’s talk to people, hold town halls, get in there and figure out what our people want, then do something about it and measure it so we can show our leaders the measurable results of knowing how we can make a difference.

 

Ask your employees what they need instead of just deciding

If you’ve hired the right people, you should be able to trust them. Give them the time that they need to heal and do not make it any more stressful on them because they’re having to do so many other things. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and let’s just talk to them. Let’s just have a human-to-human conversation.

We can actually trust our workers. We can let them decide how they need to work. If they can’t make it at seven, ask when they can make it. If they would rather work an extra hour or two at night when the kids go to bed, then let them do that.

Everyone has their own situation. People are raising children and we have to be cognizant of people who are on hourly schedules where they have to be somewhere.

That’s a different challenge that we really need to address and how can we help them? There are ways to do it. It’s not impossible by any means. Everyone has their own unique situation. Letting them decide how they need to work and having those conversations can be really helpful.

We’re all humans. It doesn’t matter what title we have, we’re all human beings. We all have things going on in our lives, and they’re all just different. It’s respecting our team, the people that we hired and that we chose to come into this family, so to speak. If you choose them, trust them.

You can’t move forward unless you know the real issues here. Let’s train our folks, let’s talk about it, let’s have groups where we can get together and discuss some of the challenges of being a mom or dad who’s raising children. Of all the different groups, it’s such an open forum now to create a community as well. 

It speaks to mental health and wellness. Society has not allowed us to be vulnerable at work. You’re not supposed to cry or look weak; you’re supposed to just be focused and present. If you have problems, we’re going to try to figure out how to get rid of them.

We want this version of people at work, and that’s not real, so COVID really allowed people to let their guards down a little bit and open up about how they were feeling, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of that. Let’s make it normal to talk about how we’re feeling. Then that creates a psychological safety zone where people can then talk about these uncomfortable kinds of topics or their trials and tribulations.

Employees have always had to have a tough exterior when they come to work. We can’t really even be ourselves or be human. COVID just showed us that there’s a lot more to us. We are complex individuals; we’re not just workers.

The post Remember Humanity in HR appeared first on Civility Partners.

Make ‘Work from Anywhere’ Work for Your Company

From our episode “Make ‘Work from Anywhere’ Work for Your Company” with Jackye Clayton

Since the COVID-19 pandemic happened, almost all of the people worked from home. It wasn’t easy adjusting to it, but we found innovative ways to make it easier to help with our productivity.

We’ve opened our homes up and our hearts have opened up a little bit more. COVID has definitely caused us to just say, “We are human, and we’re not a bunch of robots who are just going to pull through COVID.” It has made us okay to be vulnerable. The shift towards being more vulnerable at work is happening.

It’s given us an opportunity to really be like that distributed team and learn about different cultures or learn about what’s going on in different places.

 

Working at Home Tips:

1. Use channels to communicate with your employees

It will facilitate the bonding that happens when you’re in an office. What’s really fun is that you can be so collaborative and come up with ideas. It’s so important that you recognize that, even though you feel like you’re alone, there are other people. You don’t have to shoulder the burden alone. 

2. Grow with your team

As you go on that journey together, then you can share more things, especially things like what’s working and what’s not working or those bad days.

3. Be nimble 

It’s hard to be nimble, but by giving the departments the opportunity to be nimble on their own and then report back on what’s working well, the rest of the company can adopt whatever is working. 

 

Everyday, you have a chance and a choice 

The ability to work at whatever hours helps productivity. It’s helpful to know that that’s in place so that I started working out, and I never would have done that before, even though I’ve worked at home, because now we have the freedom of choice.

Why not just let people work at the time that works for them? If they’re super productive at an hour when the office technically isn’t open, that’s fine as long as you know if they need to be answering customer phone calls. What’s the harm in letting people work at a time that works for them? It’s going to make them happier, healthier, and more productive.

1. Allow people to show up at the time that’s best for them

If they come at noon, then they come at noon. It’s the same thing that you would give people that are at home.

2. Have a policy 

If it’s something that affects the whole organization, make sure that you are putting it to the whole team. If you start a Zoom, you invite everybody, and you make sure that you’re scheduling it at a time where everybody can come.

3. Give the same benefits 

Give a wellness budget and a work-at-home budget. Give people a stipend, and that means you want to be fair and equitable. Everyone gets a wellness budget that can help them work in those environments. 

 

There could be resentment, but it all boils down to having the competencies, knowledge, skills, and abilities. So you can be fair in all the ways that you can possibly think of. If remote people get some sort of home office stipend, then the people coming to work should get the same amount of money for something else.

If your organization is really bureaucratic, it’s probably harder for you to manage COVID. Some cultures are going to survive by letting everything go and just moving on a dime. This is a lot better than others just because they were able to adapt and they were able to accept the innovative ideas that their employees had about how to function in this world, and they were able to adapt to new software and apps and whatever to make things go. 

With the great resignation comes a lot of data related to why people leave, and it’s so easy for employers to say, “Well, you know, they went off to leave construction and they want to start a yoga studio or whatever.” But I would argue that it has to do with your culture and not giving the employees something they need.

Lastly, do stay interviews. I don’t think people do that enough, figuring out why people are staying, and I know that it can be a really scary time. But I think it makes sense. Just evaluate. The good news is that you don’t have to guess. You can talk to your employees, and you can see what is working and work in that direction. If you ask the right questions, you will get the right answers on the test. You don’t have to make it up.

The post Make ‘Work from Anywhere’ Work for Your Company appeared first on Civility Partners.

Employee cross the line? Do you know what your role as a manager is when it comes to sexual harassment prevention?

You may have been through harassment prevention training. But do you really know your role in creating a positive environment for your employees? 

 

Open communication is a good place to start.

 

Be honest and open. You may not need to withhold as much information as you are now. Tell your employees what keeps you up at night, what your goals are for the department. Be transparent and consistent. The more you tell them, the more they’ll share with you, including their concerns.

 

Facilitate conversations around topics such as professionalism, inclusion, respect, and empathy. Choose one of these words and begin each staff meeting by asking people to talk about what it means, e.g. have a hugger in the office? Discuss the professionalism of workplace hugging – don’t hug anyone you supervise or are dating.

 

Say something every time you hear or see a microaggression. It’s those brief and commonplace indignities that can fly under the radar and, unless you intervene, can move from a snarky comment to hostile – and illegal – in a heartbeat. And by not saying something in the moment, you’re sending the message that others don’t need to either. And the cycle begins.

 

Work with your teams to create action items that will keep a positive culture alive in your workplace. Consider creating a spreadsheet with your core values.  Work with your team to come up with action items for each. Hold one another accountable – it’s a core value!

 

Sharpen your skills. Provide training for your managers on how to facilitate conversations about respect and inclusion and how to manage behavior in addition to managing performance. The way leaders communicate can shape an organizations’ attitudes toward sexual harassment. We can help you. Check out our extensive list of topics here. Attend our Harassment Prevention Training at no cost.

 

Research by Stanford University sociologists suggest that when leaders communicate that preventing sexual harassment is given high priority, their employees will take the issue more seriously. 

 

So what are your next steps? 

 

Join us! We’re offering a no cost, super interactive Harassment Prevention Training Webinar on April 25th at 9AM PST. Be sure to save the date in your calendar, and register in advance here!

 

PS – We are excited to announce that our Strategic HR course is featured in LinkedIn Learning’s new Pathfinder! It will be FREE until April 29th, so be sure to check it out this month!!

The post Employee cross the line? Do you know what your role as a manager is when it comes to sexual harassment prevention? appeared first on Civility Partners.

5 Ways to Switch up Remote Work

Remote work has been recognized for the benefits it offers to many people, however, it can be susceptible to burnout. Working from home, and possibly alone for weeks or months on end can lead to a routine that while productive at the beginning, can slowly lead to monotony and boredom. To prevent that from happening, there are a few things you can do. Consider trying these methods to change up your workday.

 

Change Your Location

Your environment can have a significant impact on your productivity. After months or even years of sitting in the same location within our home,  your work can go from quality to sub-par without finding a variety of ways to create subtle differences during your workday. Perhaps it’s time for you to change your work location from a room in your house to a nearby coffee shop or coworking space. That way you can get into a routine of leaving the house and seeing other people aside from your household members.

Additionally, look into ways of changing your home workspace. Maybe you can switch out your chair or desk for something more ergonomic such as a standing desk. If you’re looking for minor solutions, a new paint job or plant can liven up a space in an unexpected way. Even switching around the furniture or placement of everything on your desk can make things interesting and fresh for you.

 

Adjust Your Schedule

If your employer allows you to create your own working schedule, take advantage of it! If you’re an early bird, get up and complete your eight hours early to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Or if you’re more of a night owl, get some extra sleep in and then get to work. Maybe neither of those options sounds ideal for you, and some days you want to switch it up. Don’t be afraid to toss your schedule around a bit if it means you can be more productive if your manager allows it. Take a look at weekly meetings and deliverables to make a schedule based on slow and busy times. That way you can adhere to a more flexible work arrangement where you have time to step outside for a walk or grab lunch outside the house.

With increased flexibility in your work hours, you’ll have more time to fit into personal pursuits. Work-life balance has been thrown off-kilter in many remote employees’ lives, so changing your schedule will help get some of that stability back into your life. It can be hard to change your hours if you do not have the flexibility to do so, but even starting work an hour early or later is one way to execute this change.

 

Get Up and Move

Physical activity is good for your overall health and wellbeing. It can be easy to just sit at your desk all day to try to finish a project, but getting up and moving around helps you take a breather. Research shows that it’s not good for you to sit and stare at a screen for hours on end every day. As one Harvard Health article says, “Even if you dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to structured exercise (such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming), it’s still important to get up and move for at least a few minutes, many times throughout the day.”

A short stroll outside during the day will expose you to fresh air, get your body moving, and you away from technology. A brief walk has been shown to help clear your head and let you work through a problem. If you don’t have the time to get up and move, make healthier changes to your workspace. Again, if you want to change up your furniture, look for posture-improving options. Switching to a standing desk or exercise ball chair can improve your posture which is important to overall health. Scheduling reminders in your calendar is one way to ensure that you get up regularly.

 

Set Up More In-Person Meetings

It might have been a while since you’ve seen your co-workers in person. So to combat the Zoom Fatigue, schedule some in-person meetings. It can be hard to have an in-person event if your co-workers are spread out, however, you can start planning a gathering a few months in advance to give everyone time to book their travel. Don’t forget to carve out some time for fun team bonding activities as well! Set up something to close or start the day off to break the ice and let everyone relax after working for so long.

If you work by yourself and run your own business, take the time to connect with friends and family. Getting away from the daily grind to meet with your people will give you a well-deserved break. It’s a chance for you to talk through work-related problems too. Depending on who you meet with, they can provide you with insights that can help you through a roadblock or provide a breakthrough.

 

Take a Break from Work

Getting up to move around or schedule in-person meetings are great ways to take breaks during your workday, but what about taking an actual vacation? Sometimes there is no ideal time to check out from work to head out on a personal trip, but that shouldn’t stop you because it’s good for you. Signing off for a few days lets you completely turn off and reset yourself.

It’s also a chance for you to get out of your at-home office. Even if you opt for a vacation at home, or a “staycation”, you won’t be sitting at your desk. Instead, you’ll be moving around your home tackling other projects or engaging in fun activities. But, going on an actual trip, and putting your work on pause may give you the change of routine you need to feel refreshed and re-energized outside of the house. To make sure you’re not receiving any notifications, log off from your work email and silence message alerts to ensure you get a vacation without distractions.

 

Remote work has a big appeal for many people thanks to many factors. But after working at home for an extended period of time, fatigue can set in, and it might be necessary to switch up your routine to prevent burnout. Executing any of the ideas mentioned above can help improve your workday and productivity.

 

Author Bio: Brian Thomas is a contributor to Enlightened Digital. He enjoys reading and researching tech and business. When he’s not looking into the latest trends, you can find him out cycling.

The post 5 Ways to Switch up Remote Work appeared first on Civility Partners.

Holistic Healthcare

Based on “Holistic Healthcare” episode with Cristin Smith

Gym membership is the most popular benefit that employers give and the least utilized one. So how do we get people to realize that there’s a whole other version of this that doesn’t have to be a gym membership?

 

When we think about working out, we think about more work and more energy that has to be expended. Oftentimes, after the end of a really long day, the last thing we want to do is something that feels more exhausting.

For a long time, when it comes to benefits, we focused on the physicality component of health and well-being. One of the big components that everyone’s seen that we’ve really neglected and have an opportunity to pivot to is mental health. What does it look like to focus on the mental and emotional aspects of health? How do we do that in fun and exciting ways that people actually want to engage in and participate in?

Acupuncture, Massage and Sound Therapy

Everyone loves acupuncture, massage, and sound therapy. When you bring in the massage therapist, they provide more multi-sensory experiences that allow us to shut down, rest, and simultaneously to recalibrate and re-energize. Therefore, we become more clear-minded, more focused, and more productive while simultaneously supporting our immune system.

You can give people a gym membership to try to entice them to apply to work for your company, but we know they’re probably not going to use it versus something like acupuncture or massage, where it’s actually having an impact on their productivity and effectiveness at work. That’s just a different level. Why not give a benefit that’s not only good for the employee but actually good for the organization as well? 

Our bodies are electric. When we think about acupuncture, we’re working on the electrical system and getting our meridians and these electrical highways basically reconnected. So, when we have things like a headache, anxiety, or stress, there’s a blockage somewhere in our bodies. So what we’re looking for is where that disturbance is.

If we look at a cellular level, we know that our cells vibrate at a certain frequency. There’s a vibrational value, depending on what you’re eating and bringing into your body and sending messages at the cellular level. So, as we understand the body’s communicating constantly, it’s all about messaging, so everything that we’re inputting is taking in information. Stress and pressure send signals to our brains into our bodies. There’s chemical messaging and so, what we have learned through science is that when those messages are negative or stressful, it has an impact.

 

What we want to do is look at early interventions. 

Getting headaches, when we can’t sleep, and experiencing anxiety are the original signals before we have endocrine and digestive disorders. So when we look at those signals, we have an opportunity to reprogram and reframe. And so by pausing and  taking a couple of deep breaths, that actually sends different signals and messages. So we must do breath work because just by certain breath patterns, you’re eliminating toxins through the breath. As a result, not only is it physically detoxifying, but it is also mentally and emotionally detoxifying.

The history of traumas in our subconscious. It doesn’t have to be a major traumatic moment. It could have been what happened years ago. Your body is still holding on to that trauma, so whether we’re looking at those historical things that are kind of set in our system and held at a cellular level, how are we cleaning those out? Oftentimes, we never do it. We never take that time, and so that’s a more systemic, long-term approach to just doing that deep cleaning as well as the maintenance right every day.

When we’re stressed we go into fight or flight mode. Our primal brain goes into a tiger chasing me and, on a physiological level, all your organ function shuts down all the bling. But all of the blood goes to your limbs in order to run from the tiger. That’s the message, that’s the programming, and when it happens, everything else shuts down. So when we live in that constant state, our immune and digestive systems aren’t working.

So, by incorporating these various practices that we can learn in a group setting and then take home and practice in our daily lives, both at home and at work, we are able to shift gears. Our psychology changes our physiology. Our physiology changes our psychology and when we can do both at the same time, like with breath works.

In the last two years, we’ve been through this pandemic, and not only has it changed home life, it’s changed work culture. It’s increased stress and in that trauma that we all experience to different degrees, it’s still lingering under the surface. Even more so, it’s just so vital that we’re just seeing so much burnout on top of what was already there. We have to process all of the stress that we’ve been experiencing while also functioning in our day-to-day, as we’re doing now, so all the more reason to take care of yourself and your team.

 

That’s really why we’re seeing the great resignation. People are tapped out and they can’t take anything anymore. The reality is, the grass is never greener on the other side. Sure, you might get paid more money, but what does the work environment look like? What does the culture look like? So we have an opportunity to retain our people through intervention, and these are just some of the great strategies for that intervention.

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