Energy Hacks for Building a Resilient Workplace Culture: Part Three
2 hacks for harnessing ‘doing’ energy
How do you build a resilient workplace, the sort worthy of KeepWell Mark accredited organisations? You create a culture where employees are able to access ‘physical’, ‘thinking’, ‘doing’, ‘relating’ and ‘feeling’ energy. In previous posts I have shared hacks for harnessing physical and thinking energy. This week I look at embedding practices that enable ‘doing’ (aka ‘executional’) energy.
Hack 1: To build a resilient workplace culture, you can automate planning, prioritising and organising …
In today’s automated world, getting all employees singing from the same productivity hymn sheet is easy. Everyone using the same tool and the same system to plan, prioiritise and organise is a no brainer. So, if you do not have a preferred in-company project management tool, get one.
Productivity tools
Work management platform apps that I can personally recommend to get teams focussed on agreed goals, projects and daily tasks include Asana, Amazing Marvin and Monday.com. Apps to help your employees plan, prioritise and organise their personal lives that I recommend include Passion Planner and Things 3.
Productivity rules
And a good old fashioned – no app required – time management strategy that is totally worth embedding in your employees’ psyche is the 4 Ds of Effective Time Management method: Delete, Delegate, Defer, Do.
I use this method for dealing with my inbox every morning. Opening it, I quickly scan through deleting all that I can without opening. I then scan again for those I can delegate to colleagues, and delegate accordingly. Then I scan those remaining to identify which I can defer until later. Finally, I focus on ‘doing’ something about the ones that are left.
Productivity clues
Other simple organising hacks I know to boost ‘doing’ energy include creating and encouraging employees to respect visual clues. Examples include redwork zones (where it is known not to disturb those resident) and noise-cancelling headphones. In our Dublin HQ we have a quiet office where people can go and work undisturbed to add to the protective bubble we have a notice staff can pin to the door “only disturb if there is a fire or Colin Farrel is in the building”. (He attended Yoga classes with us much to the enjoyment of our team)!
Hack 2: To build a resilient workplace culture, you can celebrate team successes and milestones
Energy begets energy. One way to further fuel ‘doing’ energy is to celebrate successes as and when they happen. By celebrating them you are enabling the associated feelings, behaviours and positive energy to go viral.
There are many ways that you can celebrate workplace success: internal and external newsletters, vlogs and podcasts that share success stories; annual awards and team away days are just a few examples.
Recognition is a great motivator, and many businesses, including Google, Ernest & Young, Diageo, Siemens, Accenture, Public House Advertising Company, RCI Mobility (France) and Ikea host team away days in Wicklow (and overnight stays) to celebrate their employees’ achievements here at the escape.
As Ireland’s leading boutique mountain lodge, nestling in a secluded forest and offering a wide menu of activities, we have everything you need to nurture your team’s wellbeing and reward all their hard work.
Recommended by The Irish Times, Image Magazine Interiors, Cara Magazine, Lovin IE, with 5-star Google and Facebook reviews, your team will get the treat they deserve and return to the mill with renewed energy.
Client testimonials
However, don’t just take our word for it. Here’s a testimonial from someone who recently attended a corporate retreat here.
“Everyone from our team in Diageo had a fantastic time up at the elbowroom escape. It’s a great facility in a great location. The fresh scones and coffee on arrival were a lovely surprise, instantly lifting a weight lifted off our shoulders.
“A great couple of hours walking up the hill behind the elbowroom was suprisingly energising. The yoga session afterwards was enjoyable and energising too, catering really well for our very diverse experience levels.
” I couldn’t recommend a stay in the elbowroom escape more as a great location for a team or group to get together for an event!”
Fearghal O’Connor, (Team Leader) Diageo
Next week, I’ll share my hacks for harvesting ‘relating’ energy. Meanwhile, you can find out more about our tried and tested packages you can tailor to create your own team building activities and team-building experiences here. You can watch a short video about our unique team building venue here. And, you can get in touch here.
