What seemed to be (relatively) limited to Asia until a few weeks ago has now grown into a global crisis. While most of us are working from home in the Netherlands, some countries are already in full lockdown. Although necessary also quite impactful for teams. So how do you not only take care of your own health during this period, but also of that of your team colleagues?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has used the same definition for ‘health’ since 1948: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” What is striking in this definition is that, in addition to paying attention to the physical aspect of health, the mental and social aspect are also important. Especially in this period, where the main focus is on doing everything possible to stay physically healthy, we should therefore also pay attention to each other on a mental and social level.
Think, for example, of team colleagues with children, who are currently having a hard time mentally. No matter how much you love your children, no child is fun 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or think of colleagues who live alone and now spend their days without company, outside of any digital contacts. How can we help each other as a team in these times to stay physically, mentally and socially healthy (and thereby productive)?
Physically One of the biggest physical risks of working all day behind your laptop is that you get shoulder and back problems. These can even become long-term complaints that lead to absenteeism. So keep your colleagues sharp on enough exercise. Our tip? Share photos or videos of ideas for exercises with each other or even better, exercise together virtually. Oh yes, and upgrading your workplace from the kitchen table is also a good idea!
Mentally Especially for parents who work at home or people with sick relatives, the current situation can lead to many responsibilities at the same time, that they all want to do well. In addition, the potential impact of the corona crisis also creates additional mental pressure for everyone. Our tip? As a team you can check in together daily via video calls, ask how everyone is doing and try to take over things from people temporarily, where necessary and possible.
Socially What this period also teaches is how normal social interactions are and how abnormal it feels to not be able to have a cup of coffee with a colleague. Certain colleagues who live alone now run the risk of feeling lonely. Our tip? Continue to stay in contact as a team, for example by planning virtual lunches, drinks and cups of coffee that are not just about work (content).
In the coming period we will publish more blogs from the Organisational Transformation team of IG&H with concrete tips to maintain your health and productivity as a team. Do you have ideas for themes for a next blog or have you tried one of our tips? We would appreciate it if you share this with us!
Please note: the most important thing remains to follow the guidelines of the government!