Want a Company Culture that Flourishes? Why Your Cucumbers Say YES.
Organizations that are intentional about investing in employee wellbeing experience a host of benefits, from better productivity to more engaged teams, and lower turnover.
Coaching Right Now COO, Kelly Ellis, shares how we invest in our employees’ wellbeing, in part, by encouraging them to rest and recharge.
Summer is upon us!
As kids, summers were those moments of joy, play, excitement, new adventures, and friends.
As adults, it’s so interesting how different summers look. Adventures, our own work logistics, strategizing how / when / if our teams will go back to the office, all the while working to try to find a moment to relax – because… summer!
At Coaching Right Now, we are about to embark on our third year of Breakaway Fri-YAYs.
What is ‘Breakaway Fri-YAY’?
It’s our way of recognizing and honoring the need to recharge for overall wellbeing.
The nuts and bolts?
Every Friday is a half day for our employees during the summer months.
What does that ACTUALLY look like in a virtual company?
- No meetings after 12 noon in your time zone.
- Mission critical only work (taking care of our clients) from Friday afternoon onward.
- Everything else can wait until Monday.
Why? Best said by our CEO, Kathy Houde:
“We continue to be in unprecedented times that require MUCH from us. It is so important to prioritize our own wellbeing, and we are hoping this half day off during the summer months will allow for that. Taking the time to rest, recharge, and exercise our brains in a different way than at our desk is extremely important – and helps us bring our ‘A’ game even more to the work we do day in and out.”
Article, after article, after article reminds us that if we stay glued to our work computers – we become less productive, see a decrease in problem-solving and innovation, and well – we become more boring individuals.
But being intentional about investing in our team’s wellbeing helps our overall company culture flourish.
It may seem so small – offering a half-day ‘out of the office’ each Friday.
Especially in a virtual environment where ‘working hours’ are in inherently flexible! AND – it is shocking how important and how much of a difference those few hours mean to each CRN-er.
CRN-ers have done amazing things during their Breakaway Fri-YAYs in years past – from taking their kids to the park, exploring new areas before the weekend crowds, taking a longer hike and still being able to get to the summit before dinner, heading out a bit early to that weekend getaway, or just having the time to sit and be still.
Having this time is crucial for our overall wellbeing.
What am I looking forward to tackling during my first Breakaway Fri-YAY this summer? Getting my study on to learn how to train cucumbers to actually grown up the trellis. My first bloom on my cucumber plant made its appearance, and it looks like this is a ‘just in time’ skill that needs to be learned.
Contact us at: sales@coachingrightnow.com. We look forward to helping!
