Summer time blues on the rise - page 2

31-07-2008 13:09

Do something different every day - Routine provides order, structure and discipline into our lives; all requisites for functioning as a socially responsible person. However, it can also make us sleep walk through the day, going through life on autopilot. Doing something different, even if it’s only walking on the other side of the street on the way to work, can help shake up the routine

Trust your staff - Employers need to trust their staff, and show that they know the work will get done whether they’re sat at their desk or abseiling down Everest. Knowing they are trusted will empower employees to produce the best work they can

Be active - don’t email colleagues for something, get up and ask them. Speaking face-to-face allows you to be much more socially nuanced than bashing words out in electronic form

Ban yourself from eating at your desk - If you’re at your desk, people will approach you about work, whether you’re eating or not. You won’t ever be ‘off’, and you’re also less likely to eat a decent meal

Incorporate the outside world with your work - We are no longer chained to our desks, thanks to inexpensive and widely available modern technology such as mobile broadband. Use it to have a meeting in a coffee shop, have a brainstorm in the pub, do an interview in a park; the change in scenery will help enrich your creativity, allowing you to think more clearly and in different ways to the way you would do in the office

Connect socially - If you’re out and about, mixing with people you don’t see every day, you will benefit from the social interaction, even if it’s nothing more than ordering a pint. The change in personnel from your daily routine will be stimulating and engage your senses that may have dulled from seeing the same people every day

Measure yourself on productivity - Too many people consider time at desk as time spent working. As a society we need to get away from this idea that all those hours in the office is automatically a good idea or even a badge of honour, and it’s never good for either ourselves or our employers

JessicaWatson - Female First