Remote working systems are
challenging. They have forced employees and employers to face new kinds of
problems outside the typical work environment.
Employees have high costs of living since
companies cut down salaries, lack access to resources, and low productivity
levels. On the other hand, employers face problems building strong
relationships with their employees since their old strategies have nothing to
do with increasing employee engagement and collaboration.
Consequently, businesses tend to
define new ways to help their employees stay focused while maintaining their
work-life balance. Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, said that encouraging employees to
spend time for themselves while working from home to avoid being burned out
isn't easy. So, Google set new changes that you've to consider to support your
own business.
First of all, Google offers its
staff two more days off. It also realizes that different departments have
different preferences, so those days may not be the most suitable. Google gives
the team the freedom to make adaptations.
Moreover, the additional two days
off, Google has a smart three-word plan to help its team combat burning out
while working from home.
"No Meetings Weeks."
Yeah, as you're reading: They
schedule weeks where there are no meetings to attend. If you've been working
remotely for an extended period, you'll understand how great it is.
Here's Pichai's memo to his
team:
Some of our teams have also held "no meetings weeks," which creates space for Googlers to focus on independent work or make it easier to switch off entirely and take a vacation. We've decided to make December 28, 2020, to January 1, 2021, an official no meetings week across the company. Of course, there will be exceptions for teams working to hit hard deadlines, closing deals, or supporting critical infrastructure (please watch for guidance from your leadership). Otherwise, let's move or cancel all routine and non-critical meetings that week.
It's considered a perfect treat that will help the staff to achieve higher performance levels, stay focused, and take some time for themselves to maintain good mental health and avoid burnout with a meetings-free schedule.
Although working from home has its perks, online meetings are one of its main disadvantages. Managers think that keeping employee face-to-face on video for long hours will compensate the absence of human connection they have while working in office. They don't realize that spending too much time in online meetings can really burn out the employee and negatively affect his performance levels.
Keeping your team a week away from
a relentless stream of meetings that have no purpose but wasting their time and
hindering their concentration is a golden idea that you've to steal and start
applying to your business.
The other important point is that
Google offers teams the freedom to adapt these measures in a manner that fits
their needs well. Indeed, this may be the most valuable lesson businesses can
take from Google's initiative: True leaders give their employees their time to
relax and get comfortable and encourage them to do it in a way that suits their
position.
Finally, taking care of your employees' mental health will make your business more competitive, and this 3-word plan will help you achieve this at the max.
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