It’s amazing what a bit of sun does for one’s mood. While we may still live in febrile times, a sunny day reminds us that the simple pleasures in life are often the most pleasurable. So let’s hope we’re in for a good summer!
I’m also feeling chipper because Enso is growing. LinkedIn users may have seen my advert for a new staff member to assist me with my ever-growing portfolio of companies who want the many advantages that a tech-based approach to their finances can bring. So if you know a budding finance expert who wants to join a forward-thinking accountancy firm, send them my way.
Whoever joins me can be assured that I’ll do all I can to ensure they get the best support for their career, a leading benefits package (including unlimited holidays) and an assurance that their well-being is paramount to me.
Central to this is a genuine commitment to promoting my team’s work/life balance and providing a professional environment where they can operate flexibly, learn lots, and, crucially, never have to compromise their physical and mental health.
To that end, I thought it might be helpful to provide some best practices for how you can help with your remote employee’s well-being. While not all of these will apply to every business, mine included, if you can implement just a few, you’ll see the advantages they will bring to your company and your team.
To Your Very Good Health
Establish Boundaries: Working from home can sometimes blur the lines between personal and professional life. We saw this during the Covid crisis, where home-based staff worked long hours, often with increased stress levels. To avoid this, set clear boundaries by supporting your team to separate their work and personal living spaces. This helps make a psychological distinction between work and home life.
Define Your (Flexible) Working Hours: Ensure employees have a regular work schedule that helps them maintain a restorative work-life balance. Clear communication about expectations regarding availability and response times can help prevent burnout while supporting staff in areas such as childcare, exercise and personal development.
Encouraging breaks and downtime: Prompt employees to take regular breaks, stretch, and recharge throughout the day. Encourage them to step away from their screens during lunch breaks and engage in activities that promote relaxation and well-being.
Keep Talking: Remote work can be lonely, especially for extroverted people who enjoy the hurly-burly of the workplace. Offset this by using comms tech freely and often to connect with your team and not always to discuss work.
Regular team meetings: Schedule frequent video conferences or virtual team meetings to encourage collaboration, provide updates, and foster an ongoing sense of community and shared purpose.
Stay organised: I mentioned this in a recent newsletter as it’s essential to how we work at Enso. We use messaging platforms and project management tools like WhatsApp and Microsoft To Do to promote real-time communication, encourage teamwork and maintain a strong client delivery ethos.
Stay Social: Don’t forget you can use comms tech for more than business. For example, you can organise virtual social events or team-building activities to build an esprit de corps and have a good old laugh.
Keep On Movin’: Office work usually means sitting for extended periods, and when working at home, problems of inappropriate ergonomics can lead to poor posture and long-term health issues. Therefore request your remote team takes regular physical activity breaks. This can be as simple as going for a walk, doing some simple desk-based exercises or taking time to go to the gym or an exercise class.
Prioritise Mental Health: In recent years, there’s been a greater focus on mental health and rightly so. While poor physical health can be a problem, poor mental health can be life-changing. This arguably is a considerable challenge in virtual work environments. Increased screen time, isolation, and blurred boundaries are a recipe for declining mental health in some people. Awareness is critical to avoiding issues as well as encouraging people to discuss their concerns openly. Where required, providing employee assistance programmes may be an option that gives access to mental health resources, counselling services and other professional support and guidance.
The right culture: This is a make-or-break aspect of any business and is an area I may return to in another newsletter. A supportive culture strikes to the heart of any successful business. I try to create an environment where open conversations about any aspect of my team’s working or personal lives are encouraged. I want them to feel comfortable seeking my help or sharing their concerns with no judgements and maximum respect. So if there’s one aspect I would stress that makes for an all-around healthy business, it’s managing your culture. Forget this at your peril.
And here’s the kicker. As some of you may know, I often work from my gym. I arrive early, work out, set up for the day in the social space, and check in with my team. Then I get to work. In fact, I wrote much of this content after a vivifying hit of post-exercise serotonin.
If that isn’t a great example of practising what you preach, I don’t know what is!
Top Five Healthy Office Snacks
Before I set up Enso, I worked in a global accounting firm. If you’ve worked in a big office, you’ll know some days can be a smorgasbord of birthday cakes, expense account breakfasts, corporate snacks and bread-heavy lunches. No wonder I was a bit heavier back then. Maybe we need to change the corporate diet, so here is a range of healthier, nutrient-rich choices for the workplace, according to dieticians.
1 Fresh fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Opt for apples, bananas, grapes, or pre-cut fruit cups for ease. In addition, fruit’s natural sugars provide energy and will curb cravings for sweet treats like cake!
2 Nuts and seeds: the preferred diet of billions of birds, and they can fly! Almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pumpkin seeds are brimming with healthy fats, protein, and fibre. Whatsmore nuts give slow-release energy release and help stave off hunger cravings. Maybe keep a small container of nuts for a quick, nutritious snack at your desk.
3 Greek yoghurt: this creamy confection is high in protein and calcium, which can help keep you feeling full and satisfied. Choose plain or low-sugar versions and add fresh berries or a squirt of honey for extra flavour.
4 Veggie sticks with hummus: prep bite-sized portions of colourful veg like carrot, cucumber, peppers and celery and use them to scoop up healthy mouthfuls of delicious hummus. Veggies offer essential vitamins and minerals, while hummus provides a goodly dose of protein and healthy fats.
5. Whole grain crackers or rice cakes provide fibre and complex carbohydrates. Slather with toppings like avocado, nut butter, or low-fat cheese for even more nourishment. Best of all, as these items are entirely free of any kind of flavour, even the fussiest of eaters won’t find anything to offend them
Adopting these snacks will help nourish your body and keep energy levels on an even keel so you can maintain focus while avoiding the empty calories of crisps, cakes and sugary drinks.
Well, that all sounds delicious, and I hope it’s helped. Good nutrition is essential, so forming new habits in the office can only have long-term benefits. I know putting a consistent focus on my physical and mental health has paid dividends for me.
That said, for some reason, after all this healthy talk, I could totally go for a double chocolate doughnut, so I think I will. And here’s my final point: we should always remember that having the occasional indulgent treat makes life worth living so don’t feel guilty. Right, I’m off to the bakery!
OK, that’s it for this month.
All the best
Adam
PS Up the Reds on Saturday!
PPS If you want to discuss any aspects of your business, you know how to get in touch: 0161 511 2143 or email me at adam@meetenso.co.uk.