My laptop has its own personality: sometimes it charges 100%, sometimes it does not, sometimes it stays around 50%. I didn’t notice this until the pandemic when 12-14 hours of my day are spent in front of the screen. As I use a lot of videos, I need to have a good battery, good cables for chargers.
I would compare the laptop and the need to be charged, always up and running, with the way it would be desirable for employees in organizations to be ‘charged’ with energy.
We all have days when we have energy, we are on a roll, days when we are at sea level, and others under the water, when we do not even feel like starting the day. Moreover, during uncertainty, it is necessary to have different interventions to support us.
I would dare say that a large part of the responsibility is with each of us but an important support can come from the company we work for.
Individual responsibility I would say is for the level of energy, of involvement. These entail:
To identify what makes us get out of bed in the morning with the desire to do things; what projects do we have that we can’t wait to start.
To surround ourselves with people who would support us in being in a good mood.
To pay attention to how we feed our mind, soul and body (what we read, learn, listen, what emotions we have, what we eat, if we exercise and how). I know, it seems simple, but how good are we when it comes to doing them?
To find ways to practice our passions, as much as possible now. One of my passions is represented by perfumes. I have many, I combine them; I frequently go to a niche perfume shop, I spend a lot of time there; I read about perfumes; I listen to other people talk about ingredients, about the history of this field.
To read literature or about famous people, autobiographies. Reading such books gives us the feeling that we live more lives ourselves, it gives us ideas.
To be very careful about how we alternate the moments of relaxation with those of work, to combine them so as to obtain the best state, in order to be the best version of us in that day.
Maybe we need someone to talk to when we find it difficult – we should be aware of this and search for the best version for us: friends, coach, mentor, psychotherapist, whatever works for each of us.
The responsibilities companies have:
Do you remember that picture from 2009, in which a CEO tells a CFO that they need to invest in the development of their employees; the CFO says: but what if we invest and they leave? And the CEO says: but what if we do not invest and they stay?
The feeling now is that it is important for managers to keep employees close. The level of uncertainty is high for everyone. Now is a good moment to see what people need, how we can support them.
I saw a presentation at Back to Business Virtual Summit, in which the representative of the Kantar company showed the results of their studies. It was about what people would do after lock down:
- Greater focus on hygiene
- Eat healthier
- To spend more time with loved ones
- To invest in their development
As we can see, there is a need to fulfill both the lower and upper areas of Maslow’s pyramid.
I think that if we now show that we care about people, about what they need, there is a better chance for them to remember later, to be more motivated, more productive.
A company has access to different resources, studies, it can support development at a certain level, and from this investment, the company benefits as well.
Let’s not forget, that if we are like my laptop, without battery, it is not that easy to charge ourselves. We cannot look for the resources then, we need to have them already listed, to have our support pillars established, to have a spare cable, that can recharge our batteries.
How do you recharge your batteries?