Mental Habits to Reduce Stress and Burnout

On January 26, 2022   /   Pandemic Resolutions, Personal Accountability, Post Pandemic Return to Work   /   Leave a comment
Mental Habits to Reduce Stress and Burnout

As the pandemic and its effects drag on, many people are moving from feeling stressed to being completely burned out in their professional and personal lives.  Stress and burnout can impact employees—despite their position/title—and can carry over to home life.  

Here are a few habits to consider implementing to help reduce stress:

1) Get a Good Night’s Sleep!  According to Dr. Michael Twery, Director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), sleep affects almost every tissue in our bodies including:

  • Growth and stress hormones
  • The immune system 
  • Appetite
  • Breathing
  • Blood pressure
  • Cardiovascular health

Doctors have long attributed a lack of sleep to the increased risk for obesity, heart disease, and a number of infections.

2) The Gift of Life!  The moment you wake up, try to focus on the gift you’ve received for a brand new day.  Embrace the idea that today is filled with opportunity and your productivity will benefit yourself, your employer, co-workers, family, and the community.  Make a conscious effort to create joy the very moment you awake.   Avoid mentally drifting into the difficult moments of the past—you’ll introduce yourself to a “worry” mindset.  

Worry has a physical impact on the body:

  • Muscle tension
  • Digestive disorders
  • Attack on the immune system
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue

3) Focus! Practice centering your attention on the matter(s) at hand; it is a great way to ignore distractions.  Think strategically, avoid multi-tasking, and take on the day with a positive frame of reference.

4) Make Space! Distance yourself from problems or situations.  Distancing doesn’t mean you don’t care, it means you and your mind are unavailable to worry—about anything.

5) Let Go! Release negative emotions surrounding situations, people, or issues.  A fatalistic mental loop replay can keep you trapped in bleak emotions and entangle you in an uncomfortable web of negativity.

Peak performance in the workplace depends on good mental health.  Stress and burnout will stifle your creativity and ability to make excellent decisions.  Great mental health habits are key to remaining calm and relaxed. 

If your struggle with life is beyond self-help, many resources are available to assist you.  We encourage you to reach out to professionals who care about your well-being.

In the comments below share your tips for reducing stress and remember…make it a great day!

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Breaking Down Customer Service: The Greeting

On December 29, 2021   /   Business Etiquette, Customer Service, Empathy, How to Communicate With Customers   /   Leave a comment
Breaking Down Customer Service: The Greeting

A memorable experience!  As a consumer, who among us doesn’t want that on a consistent basis?

Customers form opinions about your service based on many things—beginning with the way you talk to them.

Great customer service begins from the first point of contact…over the phone, virtually, online, face-to-face.  Regardless of the method, your greeting should impact customers such that they have a longing to do business with you indefinitely.

A genuine embrace with your body language, facial expression, other non-verbal acknowledgement tells them you affirm their presence…it is the first step in building a relationship.  Now, that’s only the beginning.  The following are basic principles to consider as you protect one of your most precious assets…your client:

  • Ask how he/she/they want to be addressed…”Mr. Smith”, “Mrs. Johnson”, “Dr. Matthews”.  Do not use their first name unless they’ve given permission to do so.  
  • Your greeting should be professional and not rehearsed.  Avoid too much banter and being loquacious.
  • The ability to read body language, tone of voice (written or verbal) can offer great insight as to the level and frequency of interaction a customer prefers.  For example, an introvert may prefer a quick greeting void of small talk.  Remember to offer a sincere smile while speaking on the phone, texting, online, and face-to-face…your client can hear it in your voice.

Your greeting provides an opportunity to deepen the relationship, create community roots, and increase customer loyalty. 

In the comments below let us know what makes your customer greeting special.  Make it a great day!

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Thrive During Change in the Workplace

On November 3, 2021   /   Building Trust, Company Changes, Empathy   /   Leave a comment
Thrive During Change in the Workplace

Change.   Some people love it; others despise it.  Change in the workplace is inevitable.  Let’s be clear, companies must evolve in order to remain competitive.  So, how do employees learn to accept change AND thrive in the process?

From an employee’s perspective, it can be difficult to perceive opportunities that effective change brings to the company.  Also, they may not fully understand how improvements can advance their career.   Sometimes, employees focus on disruptions and their fears…nothing else.

To counteract negative feelings, encourage employees to look for the silver lining by identifying at least one positive outcome from the new way of doing things.  For example, what new skill will they learn? 

Focusing on self-care is essential to managing physical and emotional impacts of change in the workplace.  Encourage employees to:

  • Practice stress relieving techniques such as visualization, talking it out, meditation, etc.
  • Flexibility is key.  Help them identify ways to blend old practices with new ones

As a leader:

  • Create a psychologically safe environment for them to offer input/feedback
  • Be transparent
  • Be consistent with updates
  • Keep the lines of communication open…it fosters trust and inclusivity 
  • Create committees tasked with addressing the specifics on how the change will impact morale

Some people will be slower to adapt to change but that does not make them poor employees.  Slow adapters are still valuable team members and must be afforded extra time to accept change.  Employees and leaders working together position the company to thrive throughout the change process.

Talk to us in the comments below and remember…make it a great day!

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Healthy Obsession: The Client Experience

On October 20, 2021   /   Getting on Track to Meet Goals, How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Increasing Profits, Leadership   /   Leave a comment
Healthy Obsession: The Client Experience

In previous discussions we’ve touched on measuring customer satisfaction.  Let’s also explore how to close the gap between customer expectations and customer experiences.  The customer experience has several components ranging from packaging to logistics to employees performance. 

As an oversimplification, the customer experience can be described as how consumers view and receive a company’s brand.  Consistent positive experiences are the springboard to establising loyalty and creating a competitive advantage over competition.

Consumers want efficient service and quality products but they also want to do business with companies who share their values on topics such as diversity, ethics, and the environment.  Using data collected from customers through surveys and other means, companies can determine where they fall short.  Your approach to improve the situation must be holistic.  For example, data may show that customers think your marketing doesn’t influence them.  The fix will require re-examining your product/service as well as intangible systems such as empathy, etc.

Implementing a holistic approach to improve the customer experience also includes re-shaping your company’s principles regarding your:

  • Customer Service Philosophy
  • Vision Statement
  • Mission Statement
  • Core Values
  • Corporate Culture
  • Customer Experience Vision Statement

The customer experience vision statement will serve as the guiding light for every employee and will drive business decisions. Every employee plays a role in shaping the customer experience, therefore, all of these principles should be embedded in training and development…they must be at the core of every behavior and interaction.

Be obsessed with your customers’ experiences and make it a great day!

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Zoom Fatigue

On September 8, 2021   /   Empathy, Video Conferencing, Zoom Fatigue   /   Leave a comment
Zoom Fatigue

Many companies are rethinking their return to office timeline with the recent spikes in Covid-19 cases nationwide and for many employees, that means more zoom meetings and no end in sight to the fatigue that seems to accompany videoconferencing. .

According to PsychiatricTimes.com, zoom fatigue is attributed to burnout due to the overuse of virtual communication platforms.  Physical symptoms of burnout can include sleeplessness, tense muscles, and pain.  Cognitive issues such as forgetfulness and lack of concentration can also develop.

So why is videoconferencing so taxing?  Virtual meetings require your brain to work harder because in addition to processing what the speaker is saying, you must also give the impression you’re making eye contact.  Additionally, when communicating virtually, a slight verbal delay requires more of your brain power to interpret the speaker’s words.

As we all work through this “new normal,” we’d like to offer possible solutions for those facing endless video conferences. Here are a couple key tips for reducing zoom fatigue:

First, consider which interactions truly require video.  Could the matter be handled with an email or phone call?  Try to balance your meetings with a mix of video conference and teleconference calls.

Second, when creating your schedule, include breaks where possible.  It’s important to give yourself a break from continuously staring at a screen.

Third, remove distractions.  Minimize the image on your screen if you find yourself becoming distracted by your own appearance.  Or, consider asking if it’s okay to turn off your video functionality so that you can better focus on the discussion.

As always, we hope this helps.  Feel free to share your tips for reducing zoom fatigue in the comment section below…and…by all means, make it a great day!

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