October 8, 2024 • 7 mins
To learn how we can help you make work work better visit us at:
DrMarcConsulting.com
Summary
In this conversation, Dr. Marc Reynolds discusses the importance of fostering a positive workplace culture and enhancing team effectiveness through practical strategies aimed at preventing burnout and promoting work-life balance. He emphasizes the significance of understanding Maslow's hierarchy of needs and provides actionable solutions for business leaders to implement flexible work schedules, mandatory breaks, and wellness programs to support their employees' well-being.
Takeaways
- Fostering a positive workplace culture is essential for leaders.
- Understanding Maslow's hierarchy of needs can help identify employee needs.
- Flexible work schedules can enhance productivity and work-life balance.
- Mandatory breaks and time off are crucial for employee creativity and innovation.
- Wellness programs support physical, mental, and emotional health.
- Creating a culture that prioritizes well-being leads to happier employees.
- Leaders should model work-life balance for their teams.
- High turnover rates are costly and hinder company progress.
- Integrating wellness activities into the workday can improve morale.
- Encouraging self-care is vital for preventing burnout.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:13):
If youare a business leader looking to foster
a positive workplaceculture, enhance team effectiveness,
and navigate challenges effectivelywhile focusing on strategic objectives, or
if you just want to make work work better,then join us for a mini workshop
where we share three thingsyou can do today to promote better work
life balance and prevent burnoutor neglect of family and self.
(00:38):
I'm your host, Dr.
Marc Reynolds,and I look forward to sharing with you
some of our practical solutionsto problems you might be experiencing.
So here's whatyour problem might look like.
You give everything to workand have nothing left for your family.
At the end of the day,or you give everything to work
and then somehow muster another everything
(00:58):
to give to the familyand then have nothing for yourself.
You're feeling burnt out,
disillusioned, and wonderingwhy you're still on the hamster wheel.
And a future episode.
We'll deal with this again fromthe vantage point of finding your purpose.
But for today, we're stickingto the practical applications that deal
with the bottom levels of Maslow'sHierarchy of needs.
(01:19):
Where are you on this hierarchy?
So if you aren't getting adequatesleep, food,
or you feel unsafe,
or you have this lack of connection,or you feel a lack of self respect,
or you have physical ailmentsthat are giving you problems,
(01:42):
you aren't
going to really be living in that self
actualization place,that top of the pyramid.
Very often it's going to make itreally hard to get there and stay there.
But that's where you need to beand to live, to be the best leader.
I want you to identifyand look at that pyramid and think,
where do you spendmost of your time on that pyramid?
(02:06):
Because that's where you need to start
to start overcoming burnoutand to promote a better work life balance.
Let me give you three thingsthat you should consider changing today.
First, creating flexible work schedulesand remote work options.
This is a big debate,especially post-Covid.
Some companies have learned to thrive,in remote work
(02:30):
options and flexible hoursand having more balance.
Some have found significant problemsand challenges to that.
Or they fear a lack of productivityor accountability.
This flexible work schedule, if possible,
allows people to live their life in betterbalance, which ultimately, if systems
(02:50):
and structures are in place to ensurequality of work and accountability,
your employees will be more productive,not less,
because that flexible work scheduleand those remote working options.
To be that effective leader,you need to show them that
you know how to live in work lifebalance as well.
Even if your entire goalis to have a more productive company
(03:13):
that is making more money
and being more devoted to your mission,
work life balance is a way to
get thereand to ultimately, in the long run,
save much more money from turnover,from lack of productivity,
(03:33):
from lack of creativity and innovation,because people are tired
and worn out and afraid.
You can change this today Two implementmandatory breaks and time off.
Some people are those achievers.
They're going to want to show youthat they are willing to work 24/7.
Unfortunately, someone who's working 24seven doesn't take any breaks
(03:54):
and is working hard all the time is likelynot your most creative,
innovative, and productive employee.
And if they are, it's for a moment.
You want these employees
to be able to work for you dayin, day out, year after year,
improving all the time
(04:16):
and thrilled
to come back to work every daybecause it's a place that they like to be
that takes care of them, that valuestheir well-being, This can also include
enforcing a no meeting policy duringlunch hours, promoting regular short
breaks throughout the day, and ensuringthat employees take their vacation days.
Communicate the importance of unplugging
and recharging, and demonstrate thisby taking your own breaks and vacations
(04:38):
and setting a precedentfor the rest of the company.
It's crucial for us to learnhow to sharpen the saw.
It's much harder as an executive
than most peoplelike to admit, to take time off
You might think that your employeeshave this vacation time off.
They'll use it if they want to,
but there's often this unspokenexpectation
(05:00):
that I'll be looked on poorly or like I'mlazy or not an active contributor.
If I actually take my vacation timeand take a break,
make a safe place for peopleto engage in self-care
while still holding accountabilityfor the work that they're producing.
Develop, and promote wellness programsand resources that support physical,
(05:23):
mental, and emotional health.
This can include offering onsiteor virtual fitness classes,
providing access to mental healthresources such as counseling or meditation
apps, and organizing wellness workshopsor seminars.
Encourage participationby integrating wellness
activities into the workday,such as starting meetings
with a brief mindfulness exerciseor hosting regular wellness challenges.
(05:47):
Additionally, create a culturethat prioritizes well-being by recognizing
and rewarding employees who activelyparticipate in wellness initiatives.
Our goal is to integrateand do these things in a way
where, rather than feelinglike just one more thing to do,
it becomes something in the work daythat people look forward to,
(06:08):
that feed themand make them feel more alive
so when it's time to jump back into the grind and get work done,
they have the resources to livein that self-actualization
box at the top of Maslow'sHierarchy of needs, where we can
collaborate, integrate, innovate,and think critically.
(06:28):
If you apply these three, these tipsboth at work and at home,
you're going to find a better worklife balance that prevents burnout
or neglect of your family and yourselfthat can lead to mental health decline.
Physical health decline,or just a high turnover rate at work and
we all know those high turnaround ratesend up being very costly and expensive
(06:50):
and keep us from reallymaking progress forward as a company.
Don't forget to click like and subscribe,comment, share with us what you liked,
what you want to hear more of,what you disagree with.
We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Share with us and we'll see you next time.
where we're going to talk about
how to foster greater creativityand innovation in yourself and your team.
If youare a business leader looking to foster
a positive workplaceculture, enhance team effectiveness,
and navigate challenges effectivelywhile focusing on strategic objectives, or
if you just want to make work work better,then join us for a mini workshop
where we share three thingsyou can do today to promote better work
life balance and prevent burnoutor neglect of family and self.
(00:38):
I'm your host, Dr.
Marc Reynolds,and I look forward to sharing with you
some of our practical solutionsto problems you might be experiencing.
So here's whatyour problem might look like.
You give everything to workand have nothing left for your family.
At the end of the day,or you give everything to work
and then somehow muster another everything
(00:58):
to give to the familyand then have nothing for yourself.
You're feeling burnt out,
disillusioned, and wonderingwhy you're still on the hamster wheel.
And a future episode.
We'll deal with this again fromthe vantage point of finding your purpose.
But for today, we're stickingto the practical applications that deal
with the bottom levels of Maslow'sHierarchy of needs.
(01:19):
Where are you on this hierarchy?
So if you aren't getting adequatesleep, food,
or you feel unsafe,
or you have this lack of connection,or you feel a lack of self respect,
or you have physical ailmentsthat are giving you problems,
(01:42):
you aren't
going to really be living in that self
actualization place,that top of the pyramid.
Very often it's going to make itreally hard to get there and stay there.
But that's where you need to beand to live, to be the best leader.
I want you to identifyand look at that pyramid and think,
where do you spendmost of your time on that pyramid?
(02:06):
Because that's where you need to start
to start overcoming burnoutand to promote a better work life balance.
Let me give you three thingsthat you should consider changing today.
First, creating flexible work schedulesand remote work options.
This is a big debate,especially post-Covid.
Some companies have learned to thrive,in remote work
(02:30):
options and flexible hoursand having more balance.
Some have found significant problemsand challenges to that.
Or they fear a lack of productivityor accountability.
This flexible work schedule, if possible,
allows people to live their life in betterbalance, which ultimately, if systems
(02:50):
and structures are in place to ensurequality of work and accountability,
your employees will be more productive,not less,
because that flexible work scheduleand those remote working options.
To be that effective leader,you need to show them that
you know how to live in work lifebalance as well.
Even if your entire goalis to have a more productive company
(03:13):
that is making more money
and being more devoted to your mission,
work life balance is a way to
get thereand to ultimately, in the long run,
save much more money from turnover,from lack of productivity,
(03:33):
from lack of creativity and innovation,because people are tired
and worn out and afraid.
You can change this today Two implementmandatory breaks and time off.
Some people are those achievers.
They're going to want to show youthat they are willing to work 24/7.
Unfortunately, someone who's working 24seven doesn't take any breaks
(03:54):
and is working hard all the time is likelynot your most creative,
innovative, and productive employee.
And if they are, it's for a moment.
You want these employees
to be able to work for you dayin, day out, year after year,
improving all the time
(04:16):
and thrilled
to come back to work every daybecause it's a place that they like to be
that takes care of them, that valuestheir well-being, This can also include
enforcing a no meeting policy duringlunch hours, promoting regular short
breaks throughout the day, and ensuringthat employees take their vacation days.
Communicate the importance of unplugging
and recharging, and demonstrate thisby taking your own breaks and vacations
(04:38):
and setting a precedentfor the rest of the company.
It's crucial for us to learnhow to sharpen the saw.
It's much harder as an executive
than most peoplelike to admit, to take time off
You might think that your employeeshave this vacation time off.
They'll use it if they want to,
but there's often this unspokenexpectation
(05:00):
that I'll be looked on poorly or like I'mlazy or not an active contributor.
If I actually take my vacation timeand take a break,
make a safe place for peopleto engage in self-care
while still holding accountabilityfor the work that they're producing.
Develop, and promote wellness programsand resources that support physical,
(05:23):
mental, and emotional health.
This can include offering onsiteor virtual fitness classes,
providing access to mental healthresources such as counseling or meditation
apps, and organizing wellness workshopsor seminars.
Encourage participationby integrating wellness
activities into the workday,such as starting meetings
with a brief mindfulness exerciseor hosting regular wellness challenges.
(05:47):
Additionally, create a culturethat prioritizes well-being by recognizing
and rewarding employees who activelyparticipate in wellness initiatives.
Our goal is to integrateand do these things in a way
where, rather than feelinglike just one more thing to do,
it becomes something in the work daythat people look forward to,
(06:08):
that feed themand make them feel more alive
so when it's time to jump back into the grind and get work done,
they have the resources to livein that self-actualization
box at the top of Maslow'sHierarchy of needs, where we can
collaborate, integrate, innovate,and think critically.
(06:28):
If you apply these three, these tipsboth at work and at home,
you're going to find a better worklife balance that prevents burnout
or neglect of your family and yourselfthat can lead to mental health decline.
Physical health decline,or just a high turnover rate at work and
we all know those high turnaround ratesend up being very costly and expensive
(06:50):
and keep us from reallymaking progress forward as a company.
Don't forget to click like and subscribe,comment, share with us what you liked,
what you want to hear more of,what you disagree with.
We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Share with us and we'll see you next time.
where we're going to talk about
how to foster greater creativityand innovation in yourself and your team.
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