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Tag: Workplace Wellbeing

  • Mrs M – A very capable lady

    This case study encompasses both my professional roles as an alternative healthcare practitioner and corporate wellbeing training provider. The aim of the case study is to encourage you to assess the impact of executing a decision on the health of those who are involved, perhaps through no fault of their own and therefore what could have been done differently.

    The client in question, came to me for the treatment of chronic depression. She had been recommended by a person who I had been treating for some time who also suffered from  chronic depression, which I am glad to say he is mostly free of today. At the time she was under the “control” of the specialised NHS mental health, psychiatric unit as well as receiving medical assistance. She is taking several medications for depression, anxiety and sleep including Lithium.

    A lady late 50’s who was employed by a high school as the assistant director of the school, a job she has been doing for some years already while also continuing to teach the pupils an academic subject. An active person who was working long hours every day, five days a week in school and some part of her personal time to catch up, mark papers and do other administrative tasks, she seldom did less than a 10-hour day. Her husband also works in education. Her daughter was due to graduate a couple of months after her first consultation with me.

    About 3 years ago, as a part of some kind of change in status and re-organisation of the school, all teachers were asked to re-apply for their jobs to continue employment at that school. Each teacher would be hired based on the new requirements. My client was not re-hired, nor was she given an explanation as to why, she was simply told that her job was no longer needed as of tomorrow. No redundancy payment was offered. That news would be a dramatic shock for most of us, even if thinking of resigning or retiring. Lack of appreciation, feedback and thanks would make anyone angry, likely followed by sadness at having the job and career you love crudely removed with no further contact. From May to September of that year she did not feel well, she lost interest and enthusiasm for life, but tried to regain this by taking up a role as a volunteer in a local charity shop.

    At a similar time, her father died during Covid and this seemed to “tip” her over the edge into mental illness, specifically severe depression combined with anxiety. Her father also suffered from depression and anxiety therefore depression running in the familial line. She stated that she remembers shaking uncontrollably at the loss of her father, and perhaps to this day has not yet come to terms with this loss through the normal grieving process.

    Certainly, we can debate if how she lost her job was according to the law? That is not the purpose of this case and therefore we will avoid going down that route. The client is now on four medications for anxiety and depression, some of which are also negatively affecting hair growth, causing hair loss, which further embeds the feeling of “why would anyone want or love me?”. In addition, she is putting on weight, which also negatively impacts how she feels about herself. Her quality of sleep is poor due to twitching, a side effect one of the prescribed medications. To aid sleep she has been subscribed Zopiclone, a common sleep medication which can cause drowsiness during the day. In her own words, she “Has no reason to get out of bed and most of the time feels blank and tense,” therefore can spend the whole day in bed sleeping with no desire to get out of bed. In order to end this cycle, she saw only one way out and that was to commit suicide. She tried, but luckily was not successful.

    She had her gall bladder removed approximately 10 years ago and despite this has no  difficulty in digesting most foods. However, looking at this energetically, the gall bladder – “How can you have the gall to……?” is a representation of rage and extreme anger that has been suppressed within the body, ultimately causing severe inflammation and damage to the gall bladder until eventually it had to be surgically removed. This is an example of how suppressed negative emotions manifest on the physical level to show us what it is we need to deal with. Does removal of the gall bladder mean we have dealt with these negative emotions, or do they still remain in the body as the person’s behavioural pattern remains the same?

    Mrs M also suffers from a fungal nail infection in both her feet under the nails.

    Despite being under the guidance of the mental health team in her local area, at best she is staying numb to life, devoid of any kind of emotion whether joyful or otherwise, at worst is not living. Weekly she has a counselling session with one of the mental health counsellors. After several years of guidance from this team, she and her husband, whose life has also been tipped upside down, decided to try something different and on recommendation from one of their friends, sought a health consultation with me.

    The main goals for treatment are:

    • To get better from severe depression and anxiety to live her life as before.
    • To improve her quality of life and reduce medications.
    • To empower her to embrace life through physical and mental health and vitality.

    To date she has undergone 2 consultations. Between consultations she is taking herbal remedies and orchid essences as well as Omega 3 for brain health and vitamin D. The orchid essences were to address the anger at herself and to re-balance the victim and saboteur archetypes that are both running negative patterns affecting her behaviour. Naturopathic advice included:

    • Going outside into nature for a minimum of 10 minutes twice daily. When someone does not even want to get out of bed this is a huge challenge.
    • Removal of all wheat from her diet.
    • Find one positive in her life every day and give thanks.
    • De-clutter her “office” for 10 minutes 3-4 times weekly until complete. Throw past documents out with joy at letting them go.

    The first two points were essential to creating wellness. The other points are important, but if not done every day at the early stage of treatment, this is fine.

    This gives you the background of this client. Now look at this situation from a treatment perspective and answer the following questions:

    1. How did this person end up with severe depression and anxiety when previously she was a capable, active woman who up until losing her job we can assume was able to take responsibility and get things done? 
    2. When treating any dis-ease condition how important is it to treat the symptoms and the cause for long term relief and to ensure she is able to live her life with a good degree of normalcy?
    3. What do you think is the root cause of her prescribed condition?
    4. Treating any dis-ease requires consideration and treatment of both the emotional underlying factor as well as the physical condition/symptoms? What is your opinion?
    5. Do you think that treatment through the traditional, allopathic medical system considers the person as a whole in the treatment protocols or rather focuses on the visible symptoms and therefore dis-ease diagnosis?
    6. What naturopathic advice would you give to the client, bearing in mind that she may not have the energy to get out of bed? What actions do you think would bring the most positive impact to her mental health?
    7. If you were the manager/HR manager who informed this client of their redundancy would you do anything differently?

    Are you on a similar journey to Mrs M? Discover how you may be able to help yourself from my Brain Health – Mental Agility course.

  • New Year – New Opportunities

    The start of a new year is for me always a time to clear out – clear out wardrobes and drawers of clothes I haven’t worn in the last year, storage areas that have been stuffed full of things that “might just come in useful,” as well as my brain, mind and body. In truthfulness body comes a little later in the early days of spring. I find trying to remove the old, dusty and sluggish me difficult to do in the winter months when foods craved are wholesome, warming and consequently heavier in nature. Lymphatic cleaning is is much easier and consuming salads, juicing and lighter foods also easier when the weather is warmer and the days starting to get longer.

    Clearing and cleaning out facilitates space to think, to create and for sure being human will once again over the coming year get filled up, maintaining the cyclical nature of hoarding. There is a saying “I need to clear my head”. This phrase is representative of how I feel about this time of year and the importance of ensuring my head is clear for what is ahead, whether plain sailing or challenges. For most a mixture of both. Above all to have space and the eyes to be able to see new opportunities.

    Clearing out also brings the opportunity to manifest what you want in 2023, by letting go of the old, with thanks and welcoming in the new. After approximately two years of doubt and uncertainty due to Covid fall-out we can look forward to a healthy, positive, forward moving 2023. While the outlook according to “Capital 500, London Quarterly Economic Review” (Q4 2022), sponsored by Haysmacintyre, for the London Chamber of Commerce and commented on by Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Advisor and Board Member, Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) while not being the most positive forecast, is at least showing an upward trend within London businesses:

    • 17% expecting their workforce size to increase over the next 3 months.
    • 21% reported an increase in investment in training in the last quarter of 2022.
    • 14% reported an increase in investments in plant and equipment.
    • 24% reported an increase in cash flow in the last quarter.

    In combination with this positive upward trend, there is a worrying trend in rising costs. Nothing that we don’t all know already, but never-the-less:

    • 70% reported an increase in their fuel costs last quarter.
    • 79% reported an increase in energy costs last quarter.

    Business confidence which is perhaps one of the most important markers was also showing an upward trend. An important point here is that the field work for this survey was conducted before the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on 19 November 2022 and before the recent industrial unrest.

    • 28% expect their profitability to improve over the coming 12 months.
    • 37% expect their turnover to improve over the next 12 months.
    • 21% expect London’s economy to improve in the next 12 months.
    • 22% expect the UK’s economy to improve in the next 12 months.

    Positivity is half the battle, if we start the new year feeling positive and upbeat there is a strong likelihood that we will manifest more of the same. Remember the Law of Attraction that states, “Like attracts like.”  This means, on a daily basis, putting into the ether, our environment and lives, positive thoughts, actions and ideas in order to get back more of the same. Following are some tips and actions to take to start manifesting positivity and abundance in your personal and business lives, in no order of importance:

    1. Be grateful for the small things. Many small things add up to create larger things.
    2. Find others, your colleagues, team members, your boss, family and neighbours doing things right. Give them positive feedback on the spot to encourage more of the same.
    3. Be thankful for the abundance in your life – friends, family, clients, colleagues, partners, food, travel, nature etc
    4. Regard challenges in a positive way. Think about why you are facing this challenge and what it is trying to teach you. Experiences are the best teacher.
    5. Don’t take life too seriously – keep your sense of humour.  Life looks so different when you can laugh with yourself and with others.
    6. Feed your brain as well as your body. If you eat *dead foods you lessen your energy, ability to focus and concentrate, ultimately your mental and physical output.
    7. Nourish your mind, body and soul. Take regular downtime to switch off, tune in to yourself and your environment in order to nourish the soul.
    8. Let go of negative emotions in an appropriate manner. Harbouring negativity is detrimental to mental and physical health.
    9. Do something every day, even if only for 10 minutes that brings you joy and fills your heart, making you smile.
    10. As in the film with Julie Roberts “Eat, pray, love.”  (A film based on a memoir of the American journalist Elizabeth Gilbert.) Enjoy your food, give gratitude and love life by taking in every moment in a fully conscious state.

    Wishing you all a healthy, happy, abundant and beautiful 2023.

     

    *Dead foods – all processed and fast foods, simple carbohydrates – bread, cakes, pasta, sugar-laden foods.

  • Nurturing Leadership – The New Norm?

    COVID19 has replaced Brexit as the trigger for urgent and critical business change. Organizations have become decentralised as teams and individuals are made to work remotely from home. Or they are temporarily disbanded where staff are furloughed. Most companies will have now completed all the actions necessary to decrease costs, meet the government directive to “stay home” and put contingency plans in place with the view to still being in business at the end of this pandemic. If ever there was a time for leaders to be nurturing, both of themselves and others, it is now.

    WHAT ARE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THESE CHANGES ON INDIVIDUALS?

    We know through our experience in performance management that one of the key motivators for being employed to work in a company as opposed to working from home alone is the fact you get to mix with others on a daily basis. The opportunity to talk something through with a colleague over a coffee, the metaphoric and perhaps literal shoulder to cry on when going through a tough time personally or professionally, and not to forget the morale boosting office “banter”. Unless you are a key worker on the front-line of the coronavirus crisis, you will be cut off from all this now.

    The issues facing key workers are different and will not be addressed here.

    POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF ENFORCED HOMEWORKING MIGHT INCLUDE:

    • Lack of motivation as social and face-to-face physical contact has disappeared overnight. 
    • Difficulty balancing time effectively as the working day is no longer segregated from family responsibilities. Not to mention the fact parents have the extra responsibility of educating and entertaining their children. Children who may well act up as a result of the highly irregular circumstances that they find themselves in. As well as the need to prepare meals, and generally keep the house going. No matter the motivation and dedication, it is likely that productivity will suffer.
    • Mental and physical exhaustion as individuals try to play super mums and dads to cope with extended duties such as being home educators, as well as shopping for and checking in with vulnerable family members and elderly members of the community. All the while they are trying to be productive so they can earn the salary that keeps the ship afloat.
    • Worry and anxiety about where is the money going to come from to meet financial obligations and therefore obsessing over the question; “How are we going to manage?”
    • Dealing with the impact and fear of keeping well especially if there are people dependant on you.
    • Living a relentless cycle with little or no respite and “down-time” as everyone “stays home”, and the challenge this brings of trying to stay healthy and keep everyone else healthy.

    HOW DOES LEADERSHIP NEED TO CHANGE?

    In asking this question, it is easy to forget that those designated as leaders also have personal issues and are impacted by the changes to their home environment work set up. Therefore, it is paramount that the time spent on leading is quality time, relaying supportive, inspiring and nurturing messages to all team members that show genuine interest, empathy and understanding.

    Nurturing leadership is going to become the new norm as organisations realise that in order to navigate this crisis successfully, the priority is going to be people. Tailoring your approach to each team member relative to where they are at, as opposed to achieving short-term goals and driving profitability using a one-size-fits-all approach.

    How do you nurture your team in times of crisis?WHAT DOES NURTURING LEADERSHIP LOOK LIKE?

    When nurturing something or someone “we care for it whilst it is growing and developing” (www.Cambridgedictionary.com). Translating this into how leaders are to respond, they should take care of the individual and the business as a whole: each employee that a particular leader is responsible for needs to be supported in helping them find the new norm, encouraged to be kind to themselves and not beat themselves up when missing deadlines, forgetting reports and finding the new ways of using technology a challenge. Me included in this last point!

    A nurturing leader will be able to listen empathetically, listen without the need to “fix” the current situation for their employee, enabling the individual to find their own solutions that work for them and their individual circumstances. Giving them the encouragement to keep trying and to make that breakthrough on something that may on the surface look incredibly simple, and perhaps would ordinarily be so, but in fact is extremely challenging in their new daily environment.

    We know that challenge presents an opportunity for growth. The importance for every leader to create the right environment to allow for growth and development through trial and error is essential to show support, inspire to keep trying and to succeed, whilst at the same time providing a safety net should it be needed.

    A nurturing leader will be tuning into his or her sixth sense of intuition and feeling, to “see” when one of their team is struggling, and to use gentle coaching questions to encourage the sharing of frustrations, venting of anger and disappointments.  At the end, finding empathetic and inspiring words to show respect, kindness and warmth that willingly drives the person to keep searching until they eventually find the model, of the new norm that works for them in their current reality.

    Just as importantly, each leader needs to protect his or her inner emotional and spiritual self through leading by example showing that nurturing is vital and to also take the necessary time to nurture themselves.

    Under present day circumstances, I believe there is no space for the hard-nosed focus to drive profitability, as this will likely push well-intentioned and loyal employees who are desperately trying to be productive right now, away from organisations when the tide turns. It is a time for being. A human being, not a human doing!

    Green Key Personal Development – Nurturing People, Nurturing Business, Growing Potential through these challenging times.

     

    To learn how we can help you and your organisation, email Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.

  • Overindulgence, Christmas Cheer and Productivity

    ‘Tis the time of Christmas cheer for most of us in the Western World.  This usually translates into social engagements such as Christmas drinks, office parties, local get-togethers and family gatherings with the aftermath of uncomfortable symptoms from overeating and drinking including brain fog, wind and bloating, to name a few.  The weather doesn’t help either with cold, miserable, grey light-deficient days and long nights.

    With the festive season comes an overindulgence in foods that we don’t normally eat, but love including mince pies, Christmas pudding, and rich cheeses.   Apparently, each person in the UK consumes an average of 15 mince pies over the Christmas period.  As a nation, that is over 780 million mince pies!

    On top of overindulgence there is the frantic rush to complete last minute shopping for the turkey, rushing round to first buy and then wrap presents whilst also ensuring the fridge is stocked to feed everyone who is coming and be sure not to run out over the few days that the shops are closed!

    At the end of all this we turn to New Year resolutions to lose weight, drink less and exercise regularly.  Does anyone see the sense or is the yearly ritual simply madness?

    The holiday season is a time of family, laughter and giving. It’s also a time of increased mental and physical stress as we attempt to do, and eat, so much more. Here are my realistic tips for staying healthy and productive during this time.

    Overindulgence, christmas cheer and productivity

    THE RESULT OF OUR MADNESS

    The result of this madness is uncomfortable, stressed and frazzled individuals depleted of energy and sleep trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but silently wishing it would all end so that we can return to “normal”.

    TIPS FOR MANAGING SANITY AND SUSTAINING ENERGY

    It would be ridiculous for me to state the obvious to avoid over-eating and limiting alcohol intake.  In fact I can hear you all laughing now.  Let’s try a different tack:

    • Avoid the stress of last minute shopping.  Buy a card and explain the gift is “coming soon”.  Shop peacefully in the New Year for what you did not have time to get for Christmas, at half the price.
    • Drink long drinks, for example white wine spritzer instead of simply white wine or champagne with orange juice as opposed to straight champagne.  The addition of soda water or juice helps keep the body and mind hydrated and we tend to drink long drinks more slowly.
    • Keep mind and body hydrated by drinking one glass of water for every glass of alcohol.
    • Avoid bar snacks such as salted nuts and crisps that we all know encourages us to drink more, whilst also adding to the overload on the digestive system.
    • Choose the vegetarian option at the office party.  Vegetables are generally digested easier than meat, and do not lie heavily on the stomach, leading to a poor nights sleep. 
    • In your Christmas menu include a wide range of vegetables, cooked and raw of different colours to ensure everyone gets plenty of antioxidants for strengthening the immune, and fibre to aid effective digestion.
    • Eat slowly, chew well and enjoy your food whilst being fully present to all those sharing the table with you.  Observing this, usually means we eat less, feeling satiety before it becomes uncomfortable.
    • Your body and mind will thank you for leaving 12 hours, better 16 between the last meal of the day and the next meal on Boxing day. This gives the gut time to digest everything fully, providing mental and physical energy. 
    • Enjoy the benefits of the “great outdoors” with a good walk each day to increase oxygen in the blood to clear the head, increase energy, whilst also assisting the lymphatic system to do its job of clearing toxins and sustaining the effectiveness of your immune system. 

    THE LAST WORDS FROM CHARLES DICKENS – A CHRISTMAS CAROL

    “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.”

    Wishing everyone a Christmas full of festive joy and fun, and a healthy, happy and productive New Year. 

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.

  • Post COVID 19: 5 Steps to Creating Strong Immune Health in the Workplace

    With the loosening of lockdown guidelines of the COVID-19 pandemic, HR directors, CEO’s and other organisation managers will be thinking hard and planning the return to work and how to protect themselves and their team members from this particular virus and any other seasonal bug that comes along.

    In many cases, due to the physical limitation of space it is not feasible to separate working places, meeting rooms, the use of toilets, the space for lunch and coffee breaks to observe the social distancing guidelines. Therefore, what steps can be taken to protect the environment and people within it?

    THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ILL HEALTH

    Physical and mental health is considered an individual matter.  However, the physical work environment, leadership and general work conditions all affect levels of mental and physical health, which in turn affects focus, drive productivity and overall performance.  Knowing how to look after yourself and being responsible to maximise health and energy is key to productivity and performance, both of yourself as a leader as well as those that you lead.  It could easily be considered and included as a part of any job description and job responsibilities, saving organisations thousands of pounds from lost work-days due to sickness.  Figures taken from the 2017 Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey conducted by Vitality Health in partnership with Cambridge, RAND Europe and Mercer, with almost 32,000 employees within 167 companies, found that employees lose an average of 30.4 working days a year due to sickness, or illness-related underperformance, costing the UK economy a staggering £77.5 billion a year, an increase of 6.2% on the previous year.

    CAN WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM COVID-19 ABOUT IMMUNE HEALTH?

    The immune system is responsible for protecting our health through surveillance scanning for bacteria, toxins and viruses.  It is a network running throughout the body that includes lymph nodes and vessels, the skin as the first line of defence, as well as the thymus gland.   Immune defence is divided into two aspects and can be likened to an army – the first line of defence, known as the non-specific immune that is fast acting, and the specific immune which is slow to respond as it distinguishes between friend and foe.  Extensive research has identified that 70% of immune health is in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT).  Therefore, an unhealthy gut weakens the immune as well as affecting mental health due to the gut-brain connection via the gut-brain axis. 

     

    WATCH MY VIDEO ON THIS HERE:

     

    WHAT COMPROMISES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM?

    In a regular day, our immune copes with the effects of household and industrial chemicals, food additives and preservatives, electromagnetic radiation also known as electro-smog from exposure to Wifi driven and other devices reliant on electricity and non-ionizing radiation, as well as environmental toxins, antibiotics, vaccines and stress we experience in our work and personal lives. As leaders, taking care of the immune system is critical if we want our bodies and minds and those of our employees, to deliver top performance through energy and mental focus. Building a healthy immune does not have to be difficult or time consuming. Just like brushing teeth, showering and eating, maintaining a healthy immune becomes an integral part of our way of life when we know what to do.

    WHAT ARE THE MARKERS OF A POORLY FUNCTIONING IMMUNE SYSTEM?

    The main markers of a poorly functioning immune are:

    • Feeling run down or under par for most of the time
    • Poor resistance – repeated colds, regularly contracting flu
    • Inability to shake off a cold or flu
    • Repeated bouts of urinary tract infection
    • Exhaustion and weariness
    • Low resilience to daily occurrences therefore irrational behaviour
    • Poor ability to focus and mental fog

    TIPS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM

    Maintaining a healthy immune assumes that it was formed correctly from birth by the baby passing through the birth canal, feeding on breast milk, nature’s protective mechanism to pass on antibodies to the newly born child and then as the baby grows to pick up pathogens through playing in the dirt.  In this case, it can probably be assumed, unless the child has had antibiotics for some reason, that the immune system is functioning effectively. In a post COVID world, there are steps we all need to take to create strong immune health in us all. Read here for more information.

    Tips to maintain a healthy immune system1. MANAGE STRESS IN YOUR STRIDE:

    • Identify what causes your stress and put steps in place to minimise it
    • Think positively replacing any negative thoughts with positive ones
    • Communicate assertively and positively.  Be ready to forgive
    • Walk in nature regularly.  Even if living and working in a city, getting outside into a local park is generally possible, and extremely beneficial to lowering levels of stress
    • Avoid procrastination
    • Deal with conflict openly and constructively.

    2. HYDRATE AND EAT HEALTHY FOODS:

    • As the body is made up of 85% water, it is essential for a healthy mind and body.  The immune is reliant on water for many functions.  Drink a minimum of 1.5 litres of plain water daily by keeping a glass on your desk all the time
    • Eat seasonal foods.  In each season, nature’s intelligence produces foods that we need to support strong immune health.  At this time of year there are lots of orange, yellow, red and blue vegetables and fruit, all of which are high in Vitamins A and C, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, all essential for effective immune function
    • Eat a combination of raw and cooked foods.  Too much raw can make the body cold and vica-versa
    • Mushrooms – Lions Mane, Maitake, Reishi, Turkey tail and Shitake are natural immune modulators.  When added to cooking or taken as a supplement help strengthen and modulate the immune system
    • Ensure your gut has a well-balanced microbiome to avoid weakening gut integrity leading to a range of inflammatory digestive disorders and/or brain fog due to the link between the gut and the brain via the gut-brain axis
    • Add onion, garlic and leeks (Liliaceae), nature’s anti-virals to soups, stews and salads.   
    • Take vitamin D3.  The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 400iu, well below the needed levels for countries in the Northern Hemisphere. A daily minimum of 2,500iu is necessary to protect immune function, and in some cases, it might be more as it is a recognised fact that dark skin does not manufacture Vitamin D as well as pale-coloured skin.

    3. BODY CONDITIONING:

    • Exercise and movement improve lymph flow whilst conditioning the heart and lungs.  As the immune system does not have its own pump, it relies on movement to function effectively
    • Dry skin brush 4-5 times weekly before showering, to remove any dead skin to keep the first line of defence functioning correctly
    • Hot and cold hydrotherapy – invigorate yourself and your immune every day with a hot and cold shower or take a sauna once weekly. Hydrotherapy is very effective for stimulation of lymph flow and strengthening immunity. 

    4. KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND REST:

    • Recognise when you are tired and feeling fatigued to avoid “flogging a dead horse”
    • A good night’s sleep helps the body get adequate rest and time to repair
    • Avoid pushing yourself when you are suffering from a cold or flu to enable the body to recuperate quickly.  Take bed rest if needed
    • Switch off Wifi at night to limit exposure to electromagnetic radiation, especially when sleeping as this is when the immune is at its most vulnerable. 

    5. HAVE FUN!

    As leaders, when we create an environment that is fun to work in, employees want to come to work to get more of what they love.  The benefit to the employer is a productive, effective team of happy, healthy people who are focused, loving what they do and who they do it with.

    As managers and leaders how much would you save, and gain, if your main focus and goal was to create a work environment that is a happy, fun place to be? 

     

    To book Rachel to speak at your event, please contact Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com 

     

    References:

    ABL

    Hifas da Terra Mycotherapy

    Mayo clinic

    NCBI

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton, Founder of Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health is a leadership trainer, medical herbalist and naturopath specializing in corporate health through face-to-face, on-line and e-learning development solutions.

    For more information contact Rachel on rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

  • How Can You Lead Others If You Are Running On Empty?

    How many business leaders do you know who miss lunch breaks, work at the weekends, work well into the evenings and have vacation days stacking up? Or is this you?

    If it is you, you are probably well aware of what you are doing, and have perhaps made some New Year resolutions for yourself to address the number of hours you work, the extra pounds you have put on or the lack of time you are spending with family and or friends.

    How can you lead others if you are running on empty?As leaders we have an obligation and responsibility to our team members and to ourselves to ensure both you and they are fully charged, leading a balanced life that in turn quickly translates to productivity and ultimately profitability for the company and its many stakeholders.  Why is it that leaders so often miss applying these guidelines to themselves, to their health and wellbeing and to achieving a healthy balance in life between work, career and personal lives?

    It is understandable to feel overloaded when there are meetings to attend, reports to write, customers to call and teams to look after, but when we try to carry an unsustainable workload two things happen.

    Firstly, we are denying the fact that the system is flawed if it requires a ridiculously large workload.

    Secondly, we are giving our team members a message, loud and clear that it’s OK to neglect ourselves, our physical and mental health as well as our family and friends under the umbrella of work expectations.

    Unless we lead by example, we are serving no one.

    As with every other aspect of leadership, wellbeing, organisation values and culture must start from the top of an organisation. If this is not demonstrated by the leaders it becomes harder for personnel to believe it’s the right thing to do.

    FILL YOURSELF UP FIRST

    One of Fresh Air Fridays core wellbeing principles is to “fill yourself up first”.

    Two simple metaphors describe this well:

    1. On a plane, in case of an emergency, the crew always tell you to put your own oxygen mask on first, making sure you take care of yourself before you try to help others.
    2. The common saying, “you can’t pour from an empty pot” describes the same idea that you need to see to your own needs to enable you to care for others.

    Both things are proved true when it comes to wellbeing. If we believe that we must consistently and continuously do for others without resourcing ourselves, the likelihood is that at some point something will give. Whether the result is mental burnout, physical ill health or some other crisis.

    AS LEADERS WHAT CAN WE DO?

    The first step is awareness, and this needs some consideration. Regularly taking time to listen to and understand what your needs are, is important. This can become more difficult when it gets hidden in the morass of work, that we end up feeling overwhelmed and therefore don’t hear the messages.  Taking a moment, to have a short walk to clear the head, is something that Fresh Air Fridays would recommend.   However, short bursts of time can also be found in those forced moments, which invariably find us being irritated and frustrated, such as sitting in a traffic jam, waiting for the traffic lights to change or any other situation that’s presents a few minutes to ask yourself: “What would looking after me look like?  What would filling me up involve?”

    If you have no idea, just notice you have no idea. If something unexpected comes up, don’t react, just take a minute to consider it. Over the course of a few days or weeks keep gently asking yourself this question – your subconscious will be working on it anyway without much conscious effort from you. When you come up with some ideas, make it a priority to try some out. Schedule time in your calendar to make sure it happens.

    With all leadership skills and practices, this is not a one hit wonder.  You have to keep making time to listen and to feel at what level your petrol gauge is at and to avert circumstances when you are running on reserve tank.

    Wherever this exploration takes you, remember that the people around you, your teams, your colleagues, your family, and friends, are much more likely to take notice of what you do, rather than what you say. Therefore, if you want to create wellbeing in your workplace, you need to start with you.  With the start of 2020, a new year and a new decade, now is the time to make a fresh start in a manner that you mean to go on.

    Wishing you a healthy and prosperous New Year. 

     

    To learn how we can help you and your organisation, email Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

     

    References:

    Fresh Air Fridays www.freshairfridays.co.uk (Saranne Postans) 

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.

  • Ignoring Bad Leadership is Damaging your Business

    We have all had at least one experience of poor or bad leadership. I could add “unfortunately” at the end of that sentence? In most cases it is a learning lesson for the employee to avoid such leaders and their behaviour in the future. In other words, it teaches a very good lesson and makes us wiser in our future job searches and appointments. What about the organisation, is it unfortunate for them? The answer is most likely “yes” for the obvious reasons such as loss of good employees, poor morale that leads to low employee engagement, low productivity and ultimately increased sickness and absenteeism. The 2022 Gallup poll stated that “60% of employees are disengaged at a cost of US$8.8 trillion to business globally.” If that doesn’t make your ears prick up or hair stand on end, then I don’t know what will.

    What are the top-rated worst leadership behaviours according to a survey conducted by Bamboo HR of 1000 employees:

    Your boss takes credit for your work 63%
    Your boss doesn’t trust or empower you 62%
    Your boss doesn’t care if you are overworked 58%
    Your boss doesn’t advocate for you when it comes to compensation 57%
    Your boss hires and/or promotes the wrong people  56%
    Your boss doesn’t back you up when there is a dispute  55%
    Your boss doesn’t provide proper direction on assignment/roles  54%
    Your boss micromanages and doesn’t allow you freedom to work 53%
    Your boss focuses more on your weaknesses than strengths  53%
    Your boss doesn’t set clear expectations  52%

    On top of these reasons, Gallup together with Workhuman in a survey conducted in May 2023 established an extensive connection between employee recognition and wellbeing, finding that “employees who receive the right amount of recognition for the work they do suffer from lower burnout, enjoy improved daily emotions and stronger relations with their co-workers.”

    What does Gallup consider to be wellbeing? This is divided into different aspects of wellbeing:

    • Community
    • Social
    • Financial
    • Career
    • Physical

    I agree that wellbeing is not just physical, wellbeing is much more than that, infact it is holistic just as Gallup has highlighted. The way I explain wellbeing is physical (vitality, energy, strength) mental (clarity, cognition, concentration), emotional (resilience, inner balance, positivity, self-compassion), and spiritual (purpose, alignment, integrity). In the Gallup survey these different aspects of wellbeing, in turn are placed into three buckets:

    • Thriving Wellbeing – High wellbeing across most elements
    • Suffering Wellbeing – A mix of high, medium or low elements
    • Struggling Wellbeing – Low wellbeing across most elements

    What then is the link between leadership and thriving employee wellbeing? According to Gallup and Workhuman – it is what they term “Strategic Recognition”. This is the ability to use the technique of giving genuine recognition to all employees. To be strategic it needs to:

    1. Meet employee expectations. In other words, be given in a timely manner and for the work that the employee thinks deserves recognition.
    2. Be authentic and genuine and not something that is simply on a to do list to be done every day.
    3. Personalised – given fairly to all without showing favouritism.
    4. Equitable – taking the needs of each individual into consideration rather than a one size fits all.
    5. Is part of the organisation culture and is lived throughout the organisation by all in everything they do.

    The interesting point here is that giving recognition to an employee for doing a good job, costs nothing, there is no pay check attached, bonus or increase of some kind. It is a simple act of human, respect, gratitude and quiet celebration of an individual’s performance. The result when recognition is given authentically is an employee who feels valued for what they do, resulting in willingly doing more of the same. This in turn leads to increased engagement and productivity, less employees actively searching for a job and therefore increased retention, not forgetting the ultimate aim of decreasing sickness, both mental and physical, and absenteeism because employees thrive within the organisation culture.

    So what you might ask? A Harvard Business Review survey on the impact of poor leadership behaviours revealed that:

    • 48% of employees intentionally decreased their work effort.
    • 47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work.
    • 38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work.
    • 63% lost work time trying to avoid the offender.
    • 66% said that their performance declined.
    • 78% said that their commitment to the organization declined.
    • 25% admitted to taking their frustrations out on customers.

    Give me an example of any organisation leadership that would not want to turn employee performance around to stop damaging their business? I hope that all organisations would want to turn this around and create a thriving workforce who love what they do. This requires a change in leadership behaviour to those that embrace their employees and encourage top performance through strategic recognition. Does this mean that all employees perform well? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that a manager and leader should see this as requiring discipline, severe correction or even some kind of abuse. It is an opportunity to understand why and consequently turn the employee’s performance round to one of excellence. In my opinion there are no such thing as bad employees, only bad managers.

    What behaviours do managers and leaders need to increase? Start by giving genuine authentic feedback and strategic recognition. This means “managing by walking about”, a concept that I learned in my early 20’s. By doing this you become human and approachable, you also know your employees by name and see how they perform, at the rock face while experiencing their daily work lives and not just seeing their names on a report or computer screen.

    Not all managers and leaders have received appropriate training to know when and how to deliver feedback. Ask yourself: “What is the damage and cost to your business for not investing in your leaders to provide the necessary training in leadership and these vital skills?

    Start the leadership training today, let’s talk.

    References:

    https://www.workhuman.com/resources/reports-guides/from-thank-you-to-thriving-workhuman-gallup-report-emea/?utm

    https://newageleadership.com/poor-leadership-behaviors-its-collateral-damage/#:~:text=Poor%20leadership%20behaviors%20and%20bad,root%20cause%20%E2%80%93%20bad%20leadership%20behaviors.

  • In pursuit of perfectionism

    Perfect or perfection is often thrown about in the business world as a desired state.  This might be voiced as an exclamation – “Oh perfect!”, as a statement, related to a particular desired outcome – “That is almost perfect?”  Clearly from the last sentence we can see that something is missing, not aligned correctly, has a small flaw and therefore in some way it does not achieve the status of “perfect” or “perfection”.

    When looking into the dictionary at the definition of “perfect” and “perfection” we see:

    Perfect –  “Complete and correct in every way, of the best possible type or without fault”. (Cambridge English Dictionary).

    Perfection – “Quality of being, as good at it is possible for something of a particular kind to be”.  (Collins English Dictionary)

    How do we define if something is perfect or not?  Of course when talking about figures in terms of achieving targets and goals, it is clear, you either achieve that figure, therefore its perfect, or you do not – a state of not being perfect.  For other situations and for behaviour we create parameters for measuring the end result, which then matches or it does not match and therefore is perfect or not.  However, what about being a perfectionist?  Someone who strives for the perfect result, which they decide is the final result and whether in their own eyes is perfect.  “A person who wants everything to be perfect and demands the highest standards possible”. (Cambridge English Dictionary)

    When being a perfectionist or working for a boss who is a perfectionist, very often nothing is ever quite right, or good enough in some way, in other words it does not meet expectations.   Their expectations!  As a perfectionist how does this affect your life?  Very often you create your own stress around improving that result so that it becomes perfect.  The time “invested” in this last effort to create perfection, drains your resources through nervous energy, missing deadlines and being overly hard on yourself.  Not only do you suffer, but possibly so do those around you who have to wait while you achieve this perfection, have to deal with your emotional instability whilst you strive for that perfection and perhaps even try to negotiate you around to accepting what you have done is already “perfect” because it meets their expectations and the agreed parameters, or indeed the result is even better than they expected and they prefer the outcome, even though it is not exactly what was agreed according to those same parameters.

    On the other side is that fact that being a perfectionist means that you do not make mistakes, defined as “Atelophobia” (taken from Greek) or the fear (phobia) of being imperfect (atelo).  If you do not make mistakes, how and what can you learn because you are already perfect?

    Working for a boss who is a perfectionist can be demotivating, destabilising and frustrating, as nothing is ever good enough.  This means the feedback is always half-hearted at best, – “Well, I like what you have done so far.  If you just work on this bit in XYZ way, it will be perfect!” “You have produced something that is good, in order to improve on that, why don’t you change this and then it will be perfect?”, and so on.  I am sure these and other similar statements are familiar.  I am also sure that over time hearing such feedback undermines your confidence and motivation, because you realise that whatever you do, you will never get it quite right, and therefore why put in the effort?  Leaving you with a feeling of being undervalued.

    Performance, self assessment and stress are directly related.  Striving for perfection, does it change anything in the result and outcome, the investment of energy, analysis, action and so on?  How we assess ourselves is a reflection of self confidence, being a perfectionist is one of the quickest ways to undermine yourself and your self confidence.  Stress – pushing and pulling, putting in those extra hours to achieve that last tweak, that last re-model, re-work or other to achieve that level of perfection takes away from a balance of work to home life, sports, activities and friends, which can end up with self disappointment, beating yourself up for not being good enough, and potentially affecting your health through decreasing immunity to infections and viruses, stomach ulcers, and headaches, fatigue and perhaps in the worst case scenario even adrenal exhaustion.  Not to mention the fact that your family will suffer as will your friendships.  For what?  Knowing when you have achieved the goal and stopping there giving yourself the reward and satisfaction is key to self management and strong self confidence.

  • Inspirational Leadership – A Festive Thought

    2018 has been a very turbulent year, especially when we look at what has been going on in the world – dare I mention the “B” word again and all the leaders involved in that process to execute the will of the British public, the turbulence in the USA that came with Trump leadership, the unrest in France, challenges to the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel and many more issues that have created news in 2018.

    However, my thought as this year comes to a close, is around inspirational leadership.  Sadly there is little evidence of inspiration coming from world leaders during this year, therefore I want to go back to February when I had the honour of attending the winter Olympic Games in South Korea.  When I say, the honour, what I am referring to is the fact that one of my godson’s was competing.  Infact he was and still is the skip of the Swiss men’s curling team.

    I have never attended an Olympic games before, and from a leadership perspective it was quite fascinating to watch the curling teams manage the challenges of each game, the pressure that a competition like the Olympic games brings, as well as the relationships within the team and the need to make decisions in the moment that very often demanded the courage to take risk in order to be at the top of your game.  As in business, this risk sometimes pays off, and sometimes it does not.   Making those decisions does not make you less of a leader, infact the reverse as it is an opportunity to learn and grow, but at the same time an opportunity to inspire each and every team member to give of their best and to find that energy, courage and enthusiasm to keep focused and to excel by pulling something extraordinary out of the hat.

    Is inspirational leadership about winning?  Personally, I do not think so.  Winning is a bonus.  Instead it is about sharing the glory, sharing the disappointments, but more importantly knowing that everyone gave of their best and in that there is always celebration.

    I wish you all a very inspirational 2019 with opportunities to share, to experience the true essence of being a team, and to celebrate at every opportunity.

  • Employee Engagement

    Employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organisation to give of their best each day.  It means they are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, with an enhanced sense of their personal well-being.

    The 2018 Glint report on the “State of Employee Engagement” states that most participants believe that less than 70% of their employees are engaged’ and that “over 90% believe there is solid evidence linking engagement to performance.”

    Engagement has an impact on a number of performance indicators including product quality, customer service and productivity.  It is logical therefore to extend the thought that poor engagement whilst affecting performance in terms of productivity and profitability will also have a direct link to absenteeism and sickness which is likely higher when there is no engagement.  When looking at MIND figures in relation to mental ill health and sickness, the figures are staggering:

    • More than 1 in 5 employees have called in sick to avoid work when asked how workplace stress has affected them
    • 30% felt that they would not be able to tell their manager they felt stressed

    The second point is directly related to engagement or non-engagement of employees due to negligent or ineffective leadership.

    Engaging employees in their work, the company culture and values is the responsibility of leaders within each organisation. In other words – creating the right environment, building trust, nurturing relationships, and being transparent.  Leadership behaviour is itself driven by the organisational culture and company values.  The old saying of “the fish stinks from the head down” adequately sums up the need within an organisation to ensure senior management lead by example and roll down company values, ensuring they are manifested throughout the organisation.

    Engagement can be measured in different ways.  However, to be effective it is likely that the process is continuous and uses a combination of ways, such as:

    • Formal employee surveys – will get the feedback that is needed to lead to relevant change, so long as employees feel safe to answer openly.
    • Exit interviews – taking the time to really find out why an employee is leaving is critical to reflecting on what can be done better, whilst also providing feedback about the environment and culture to the manager of the person who is leaving.
    • One-to-ones with managers – Work very well when there is an atmosphere of trust.  Without trust, it may bring limited results.
    • Customer satisfaction ratings – The customer is the one who truly bears the brunt of poor employee engagement, experiencing poorly motivated service people, with a “don’t care” attitude. Thus, hearing about their experiences is a very important gauge whilst also providing pointers for improvement.
    • Employee productivity – measured in different ways, is a valuable measurement of employee engagement.  Low productivity very often reflects low engagement and vica versa.

    How can managers and leaders influence engagement levels?

    Again there is no one answer, there are several answers and in reality a combination of different actions are needed to positively influence employee engagement:

    • Give employees the chance to do quality work
    • Maintain a positive work culture
    • Listen carefully to employee feedback
    • Communicate clear expectations to employees
    • Encourage employee collaboration
    • Build a trusting environment through being fair
    • Give positive feedback and praise employees for their performance
    • Train and coach

    It makes sense that employee engagement is part of the core business strategy. Engagement on a consistent basis will pay dividends in increasing productivity, thus profitability. The work place will be a happier place to be and consequently increase pride in doing quality work and serving customers, as well as succeeding in achieving department and company goals.

     

    References:

    The State of Employee Engagement 2018 HR.com

    Managing for Sustainable Employee Engagement, CIPD

    https://www.managers.org.uk/knowledge-bank/employee-engagement

    https://www.Mind.org.uk