
As summer is nearing an end, lots of people are returning from an annual holiday while others may have enjoyed a staycation. Of course, for many people, the cost-of-living crisis has made foreign travel unattainable. However, and wherever you have spent your summer, we at OMhAS hope that you have managed to take some time away from work, enjoying some rest and relaxation.
Taking annual leave is one of the most important ways of recharging our mental and physical batteries, regardless of whether you spend your time away soaking up the sun and looking glamorous in Positano or staying at home and enjoying one of your favourite local walks. As I write this, I am conscious that my Scottish friends and family will tell me that this summer’s seemingly-constant rain in the West of Scotland has either vetoed favourite local walks altogether, or has made them a less than joyous activity! To them, I say that I hope instead that perhaps a mooch around their favourite local bookshop, enjoying great fish and chips while parked up at the seaside/lochside or a favourite beauty spot, or savouring a bowl of fabulous soup from their favourite local café can bring both calm and raise happiness levels.
No matter how we spend our time away from work, seeking out and savouring little moments of joy, is so important for our wellbeing. When people return to work following a restorative break (short or long), they are likely to be more energetic, productive and innovative. But for some of us, the benefits of a great holiday can be short lived, especially if we return to challenges at work. So how can organisations help to extend and maintain the improvements in wellbeing which come from holidays and short breaks?
The first thing to ensure is that your people are actually using their annual leave. Untaken holiday entitlement may appear to be a sign of great commitment to work/business, but it is also a major risk factor in illness and burnout. Managers and leaders should be positive role models in relation to this, both in taking leave and in encouraging colleagues to do so. And it goes without saying that other than in truly exceptional crisis/emergency situations, people should not work while on holiday. (This is especially important when a break is taking following a period of intense working or working long hours).
What other activities and initiatives can help to calm, recharge and restore wellbeing in a similar manner to holidays and rest? And, just in case anyone’s in any doubt, why is promoting calm and wellbeing so important? Well, most organisations need to be productive, innovative and efficient. The simple story is that a healthy workforce leads to a more productive organisation. Just one body of evidence to back that up comes from Cigna’s report in Economist Impact (2024), concluding that organisations with healthy engaged people may be up to 53% more efficient and 25% more profitable.
For many organisations, innovation and creativity is at their core. It is difficult to bring to mind many industry sectors where the ability to innovate and adapt to the changing market or customer/users needs, is not crucial, so enabling your people to remain creative, is fundamentally important. In the book, “The Mindful High Performer” the author Chelsea Pottinger reminds us that we need to disengage from using our conscious minds to boosting creativity and motivation. She makes the point that great ideas never emerge while sitting at your desk typing up a report while also scrolling mindlessly through social media or a newsfeed. Instead, people often have moments of brilliance or genius when running, dancing or doing something which allows the mind to wander. She reminds us of author and commentator Simon Sinek’s observation that the conscious mind can access about 4 feet of information, but the unconscious mind can access 11 acres.
So, what sorts of things can we do to promote calm and restore/recharge our minds so as to help us stay healthy and help us stay innovative and productive? Some people find that mediation brings huge benefits, others recommend spending 10 or 15 minutes at the beginning of each day in silence. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that for most of us, undertaking an activity which is creative in nature, and which takes us out of our conscious minds, will be hugely beneficial. This could be painting or any form of art, playing a game, lego-building, doing a puzzle or crossword, knitting.
Making sure people know how important it is to disconnect for a short while each day is therefore crucial as well as highlighting activities to engage in, so as to free up their brains to wander. Better still, organising regular team or group sessions where people step away from their desks/usual workstations and come together to paint, build, create something can lead to improvements in performance in work and in life. I can say personally that in over 20 years of taking part in offsite training and team-building sessions, the one which I recall being the most rewarding was lego-building for adults. And while it would be wonderful to have a professional facilitator, demonstrating artistic techniques or teaching design/build skills, group creativity sessions can be organised with little to no budget. Ask people to suggest different ideas and pick a different one each week, and if budget is tight/non-existent, ask people to bring in pens, crayons, chalk, anything they have from home.
Engaging in painting and other artistic activities are fantastic ways to switch off our conscious brains, but there may other creative activities can be just as effective. You’d be surprised by the number of talented knitters. crocheters, sewers, chefs/bakers, musicians we have in our midst. Asking colleagues to volunteer to demonstrate and teach a skill to others, can be just as rewarding and as readers of previous articles will know, earning new things boosts our dopamine levels, which of itself can increase wellbeing.
From all of us at OMhAS, we hope that the sun keeps shining for a while yet and that you find these suggestions useful in helping your people to stay well, motivated and creative through autumn and beyond.
If you need any help along the way, please contact us at help@OMhAS.co.uk.
Jennifer Nicol, Director
OMhAS Ltd