Why(&how) Companies need to ensure Employees have a sense of belonging, on a tight budget.
It was a fun call with friends, but as we spoke more about work it began to seem less fun. This was not the first time, especially since the last couple of months, I’ve heard someone say this.
A recent study by Microsoft reported that about 35% of the surveyed employees feel disconnected from their co-workers. We know that this stat could go way up. This study also highlights other concerns related to the current work scenario.
Before this gets worse, companies need to step up and restore a sense of belonging among the employees. We must acknowledge the facts that bother employees, accept that they can have a negative impact, and try and do something about it.
This cannot be achieved over a board meeting via zoom. For a sustainable solution, it needs to be a coordinated effort of the employer and the employee. But when you start to think more about this, there are a few things everyone can come up with.
Here’s my take on the same:
1) Find a physical fitness coach for your team
People need to move now more than ever. Be it yoga, Zumba, or any other physical activity, pick one on a fine Saturday morning for an hour and watch how your team bounces back on Monday. Besides the obvious physical advantage, it’s also known to enhance happiness chemicals in the head. Win-Win.
2) Find a creative mental break for your team
Do something that’s absolutely unrelated to the job. For a few minutes every day, or a couple of hours every week, break the pattern. Laugh about how terrible you were in the kitchen, maybe have a virtual potluck, play chess, share something that only a cat owner would know, or discuss last night’s match. If nothing at all, just follow a 10minute guided meditation from YouTube. It’s simple, the key is to shock your system.
3) Create an office-like environment.
Setup a dedicated desk (if you haven’t already). Adjust the lighting, or even set your AC to match that of the office maybe! Why don’t you add some noise to the background to make it more realistic? From dressing up (with the pants on), to setting up a board/wall for your stickies, the possibilities are endless. So, how are you changing your environment?
4) Go Personal
Even when they’re from the same team, each individual faces a different reality. If you are in a managerial role, you should spend some quality one-on-one time with your team members. Understand their perspective and challenges better and go all in, even if it means to better their work-life balance by just a bit. You might have to be creative in helping them create a better environment, but why not.
5) Surprise them with a nice gift.
Find out their current address and ship some nice things to them. Show them gratitude, for being there with you through all the dark times and as a hope for a better future. With a few occasions coming up — from Diwali to New year — plan well ahead and decide how you want to do it. Design an experience, put a little heart into it, and make them feel special. Shouldn’t be a huge task (;
If you are an employer or someone looking for ideas to do something for your people, I can help. Here’s how: We can ship great personalized t-shirts to your team with their initials on them. What makes this great you ask? Let me explain.
These t-shirts are made from 100% Organic Cotton and are certified too. With every t-shirt, you are saving the planet — literally. Go read about organic cotton, you’ll know why it’s growing like crazy and is the future. If your company cares about being sustainable and giving back, this is a great choice. Everything about this is sustainable, from sourcing to production and packaging, and it’s weaved around a story of trusting your intuition. With fit-for-all sizes and inclusive colors (you heard me right, inclusive colors!), we’re all-encompassing! Above all, it’s the softest you’ll find in the market. Period.
If you are tired of listening to products screaming “green,” eco-friendly”,” sustainable”, and want to get a better picture of it, just drop in your email address. We’ll show you what it means to be truly sustainable. Our goal is pretty simple, we just want to make Ethical Fashion affordable.
How about we design a great experience for your amazing team this New year?
