Employee wellbeing: The call to create more space, not more noise
Could it be that we are at risk of creating more noise in people’s busy and frantic lives when really what they need is simply some space….
At any point in time, there are dozens, if not hundreds of different things employees can do to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
Wellness initiatives in companies tend to share and promote things that their employees can do - develop healthy eating habits; encourage exercise or movement; or take up a creative hobby.
But what if all these different directives start to feel overwhelming? One minute a campaign is telling you to build more resilience using one technique and the other you’re encouraged to take a walk at lunch time. All great things in isolation, but are they the most pressing thing for that individual at that point in time?
Are we undermining an individual's capability to look within themselves and understand what they need in that moment?
Could it be that we are at risk of creating more noise in people’s busy and frantic lives when really what they need is simply some space….
Space to think...
Space to reflect...
Space to pause...
Space that allows them to intuitively know what the next best step is for them to improve their mental wellbeing and address issues that might be taking them towards burnout.
It might be to have a difficult conversation that will relieve their workload; it might be to resolve a conflict with an old friend; it might be to finally join the cycle club; or to get therapy.
Are we breathing, or are we scrolling?
When there is an opportunity for a short break within the working day, many people scan their e-mails, scroll their social media feeds and instinctively open up their messenger apps.
They fly between meetings and tasks, filling the gaps with scrolling activities.
This is why purposefully pausing during the working day is so powerful. It’s a shock to the system for most. A gentle jolt away from the habitual busyness and a shift to slow down.
Which is why we designed the Micro-Pause exactly as it is - a spacious mini-retreat during the working day. A chance to open up to self-enquiry, learning in real time whilst also resetting.
Assume people know what is best for them
During a Micro Pause we don’t race through content and slides to jam pack with as many points and tips as possible. We let people be.
Because simply being can let their own innate wisdom rise to the surface. Their own creative problem solving naturally emerges without being forced or influenced by groupthink.
We encourage employees to explore the bigger questions that exist for them in their work and their life - giving them permission to re-connect to their meaning, purpose and values so they can align their actions accordingly.
We completely trust that by the end of a Micro-Pause retreat, people will know exactly what they need to do for themselves and where to focus their efforts most effectively. We don’t strive for a particular outcome or even attempt to measure ROI, we let each individual’s journey evolve, just as it’s meant to for them. In their own time, in their own way.
Is this part of the culture change you are trying to affect?
We don’t promise our Micro-Pause programme to be the answer to all the complex people issues a wellbeing programme is trying to address. But we do see it as a part of a long term culture shift. One that addresses the overwhelm and burnout that is most damaging to performance and wellbeing; and for that we know it can be incredibly powerful. It starts to sow the seed of the power of the pause. It can ripple out in different ways.
We’ve also seen it’s welcomed and well received by employees - simply because it’s a chance for them to come up for air.
If you’re keen to answer the call of more space and less noise for your organisation, your team or collective, a five-session Micro Pause retreat costs £7,500. If you would like to get in touch directly with us, send an email to hello@pauseglobal.com and we’d be delighted to share more.
