Disconnected Days: OhmGrid's Secret Weapon Against Employee Burnout
There’s a saboteur in your midst - a dangerous agent who has been undermining your team’s health, creativity and productivity.
This dastardly figure is often mistaken for laziness
“they just don’t put in the same effort they used to”
or irresponsibility
“they need to get more sleep if they’re so tired”
but don’t be fooled.
The villain lurks in the shadows, often effecting your most dedicated employees and spreading its bad vibes like a contagion to the rest of your team.
The popularization of hybrid work environments and flexible hours have had many positive impacts on employee mental health, but the greatest challenge surrounding employee happiness remains that shadowy figure we keep talking about: burnout.
Burnout Targets Productive Employees
Finally recognized as an official medical diagnosis by the World Health Organization in 2019, recent surveys suggest that 84% of employees have suffered with burnout, and that it is especially fond of work from home employees.
The reason burnout is so prevalent in high-performing employees is because they’re the most likely to CONSTANTLY be working, even when they’re not supposed to be.
And when you’ve got a team of top performers? Burnout recognition and treatment becomes even more vital.
Today's workplace culture that glorifies the hussle and grind often produces employees who have incredible difficulty fully disconnecting from their work. According to studies by the American Psychological Association, this difficulty disconnecting can significantly impact personal relationships, employee well being and engagement.
From lunch breaks to weekends and vacations, taking time away from work often stirs up feelings of guilt.
Of course, time off is vitally important not only for team quality of life, but for effectiveness at work as well.
This doesn’t stop an estimated 67% of the US workforce from feeling guilty about taking time for themselves apart from work, leading to insufficient self-care, overwork, frustration and, ultimately, burnout.
Left unchecked, stigmas surrounding time-off can easily lead to full-blown burnout.
The good news is, actively fighting burnout is one of the most beneficial things your organization can do for your workplace culture and the health and happiness of your employees.
There have been oodles of research done on burnout since 1974, with hundreds of scientific studies being published.
Medical professionals are writing on the warning signs and diagnosis of burnout
Even work from home - specific resources are available
As it is mental health month, we wanted to share our secret weapon for dealing with burnout: the disconnected day.
What's a Disconnected Day?
Put simply, disconnected days are days spent without access to screens or wi-fi.
Just kidding.
That would be horrible.
What they REALLY are is the best damn way to fight burnout and promote employee happiness since the Friday happy hour.
Disconnected days address the organizational pressures that cause burnout. They are a cultural tool meant to reshape the way your organization and team engage with work.
Disconnected days are to be used for personal rest and rejuvenation, with one critical caveat - it has to be a physical AND mental break from work.
This might seem strange - telling our employees specifically not to think about work - but it’s a vital part of breaking down the stigma surrounding time off.
From lunch breaks to weekends and vacations, taking time away from work often stirs up feelings of guilt.
Of course, time off is vitally important not only for team quality of life, but for effectiveness at work as well.
Personally, my work brain is constantly moving.
Whether out to dinner, walking the dog or reading a book, i’m constantly drawing parallels between whatever i’m doing and my job. And it’s exhausting.
Time to take a disconnected day.
How we use Disconnected Days to fight burnout
Why disconnected days are so useful in fighting burnout has nothing to do with a free day off.
It certainly doesn't hurt, but with flexible work hours that hardly matters anyway.
The key that makes disconnected days such a powerful cultural tool is how the days are treated.
Disconnected days aren't simply a day off.
Disconnected days are celebrated.
“I’m taking a disconnected day on Thursday” is met with enthusiastic support from the entire team.
The message is clear: disconnected days are for you.
Every time one of our teammates takes a disconnected day, it serves as a reminder to everyone that team quality of life comes first. That it’s not only acceptable to take time away from work but encouraged.
It's a reminder to take healthy time for yourself, to reflect and be mindful.
So, how do we take disconnected days? Well, however we want!
Okay, not however we want.
It's not for running errands or doing chores. This is a day you would have been working. Your calendar is clear. This day is specially dedicated to whatever helps you relax.
Maybe it’s spending quality time with a game you haven’t had enough time to play, like Alex.
or a day of sand and surf, like Chad.
or reading and meditating in a peaceful place, like Ben.
Everyone has their own brand of disconnected day, yet another part of what makes them so special.
TL;DR
- Your best employees might be struggling with burnout! Research the common causes of burnout and learn to recognize the warning signs.
- Stigmas surrounding time-off are secretly undermining your workplace culture, further perpetuating burnout.
- Disconnected days off specifically for rest and rejuvenation - every employee is encouraged to take one per month. When someone takes a disconnected day, they should be celebrated. This helps teach a culture of self-care and healthy work-life balance.
- Take a disconnected day!