Employee isolation, burnout, stress, and un-EASE
Five factors to watch-out for
Employees are our No. 1 asset according to an article in Forbes1. Another one from Gallup2 encourages us to treat them like assets and invest in them. Separately, a survey by Korn and Ferry3 indicates workplace stress is on the rise. Lately, it has also been reported4 that number of adults experiencing depression has tripled since the Corona outbreak began.
Clearly our most precious asset is under duress, which creates an on the job performance risk – particularly given the current environment. Can individuals, supervisors, managers, and leaders do something about this? The answer is “Yes” – everyone has a role to play.
Knowing the contributory factors is the starting point. Identifying these opens the doors to addressing them. Here are five of many:
#1: Uncertainty about continuing employment
Not having enough money for the future5 ranks among the top 10 fears people have. Underlying this is the fact that a vast majority of the population6 lives paycheck to paycheck. This is a rather sorry state of affairs in a country that claims to be a world leading economy.
#2: The workplace will be unsafe (risk of getting COVID)
While work from home has alleviated this concern to an extent, there is a nagging fear that they will be called for work and potentially contract the disease or a new strain of the virus that is beginning to spread.
#3: Out of sight out of mind
Not being around and missing out on the current happenings at the workplace can create a sense of isolation and abandonment. Fears, (true or unfounded) fill the information vacuum. This is natural since we are wired for negativity as a means for survival. It is a carryover from primitive times when we were chased by lions and other wild animals.
#4: The side effects of a sedentary and / or isolated lifestyle
For just about everyone, face to face contact with colleagues and the camaraderie it engendered is now a distant memory. Also gone are the walks from one meeting room to the other, or across buildings. Staying put in the chair (or just standing) with eyes glued to the screen almost non-stop is taking its toll in different ways. It has been suggested that for some the step count has dropped to below 1500,
Few realize that the onset of muscle wasting can occur rather quickly, and manifest in as little as two days of inactivity. It is worse for older adults since the lost muscle is unlikely to be regained8 even after a return to normal levels of activity. Further, it has been well established that physical activity can help prevent or improve conditions like depression9. Mental health problems are thus to be expected in light of the reduced physical activity.
#5: Loneliness triggered snacking / overeating
“We over eat because we are emotionally hungry” says Laurel Mellin, Professor of Family Medicine at UCSF10. As it is – nearly 40% of all adults over the age of 20 in the U.S. – about 93.3 million people are currently obese, according to data published in JAMA in 2018. COVID is simply going to exacerbate the situation.
The path forward…
We have no choice but to find a way out. The alternative is trading the pandemic with a different kind of health epidemic. This is the time to find solutions – and we are better off not going in search of yet another drug or medicine based quick fix. My question to you is: are you willing to move forward?
It is time to implement EASE to prevent the oncoming DISEASE.
What is EASE? It is: Emotionally Acceptable Safe Environment! Without it – getting meaningful traction will be impossible since the amygdala is alive and well. EASE creates the space for honest conversations which in turn promote engagement while truly demonstrating your commitment to your staff.
Would you like to learn more? Drop me a line and let’s do a no obligation lunch and learn. I will be happy to share my experiences.
Rai Chowdhary
rai_chowdhary@yahoo.com
Copyright: Rai Chowdhary – All rights reserved. For permission to use this article – please contact me. Thanks.
Sources:
2: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/258044/treat-people-assets-not-expenses-invest.aspx
3: https://www.kornferry.com/insights/articles/workplace-stress-motivation
4: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/05/coronavirus-stress-mental-health-issues-rising-among-workers-.html
5: https://blogs.chapman.edu/wilkinson/2018/10/16/americas-top-fears-2018/
7: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32394816/
9: https://time.com/5831678/covid-19-americans-exercise/
10: https://www.artandhealing.org/overeating-and-loneliness/
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