Workplace

Stress is a reflection of poor working practices and behaviours. The best way to manage stress is to take action, and stop it at the source. So, when I saw the theme for Stress Awareness Month 2023, I breathed a sigh of relief. 

The jargon approach to wellbeing can make it hard to talk about important topics and can lead to inaction. Being overly focused on a concept rather than the behaviours that help lead to it, doesn’t make work any better, in fact it likely makes it less inclusive.

In March 2023, Fika surveyed 202 workers in the US (working a minimum of 30 hours per week) to better understand current workplace wellbeing trends. Here's what we found.

Much has been made of the impact that the pandemic had on workers’ wellbeing. But our data shows that we’re certainly not out of the woods yet. Fika surveyed 650 workers in the UK to better understand current workplace wellbeing trends.

The awareness that makes us great managers doesn’t come from a one off manager training course but from daily moments where we practise good communication, compassion and inclusion. And most importantly, knowing we need to practise these skills when we’re stressed and pressure is high, not just during the good times. So, what skills should we focus on when training managers? At Fika we have created a series of exercises that identify 4 trainable behaviours that help managers to support themselves and their people. 

We think we can make every day at work a bit better. Agree? Join our mission.

Not all exclusion is direct and intentional. The majority of exclusions we experience are micro-exclusions i.e. small behaviours that go under the radar but when experienced consistently are causal in our feelings of individual exclusion. As a result, people often come to believe that things will never change and, eventually, leave their roles. At Fika, we propose some micro-behaviour changes you and your teams should make that will help your colleagues feel more included.

More than 1/4 of new hires leave a company within 6 weeks. More than 1/3 leave in the first 6 months. And of those who leave in the first year, half were thinking of leaving for 6 months or more. The impact of disengaged, one-foot-out-the-door employees on existing employees and clients is well known not to mention their reduced productivity levels and larger number of errors (Jaman et al, 2002). 

The rise in agile, digital and knowledge-based businesses is making effective teamwork more important than ever, as companies compete to innovate. At the same time, the increase in remote working is challenging teams in ways they’ve never been challenged before. So, what can businesses do to ensure confident and cohesive team performance, despite the challenges that come with working remotely?

What if a digital solution existed that had the potential to grant permission and structure for every employee in the workplace to have a voice and be heard? Would this increase their sense of belonging and inclusion? And more importantly, could it tackle the lack of diversity in some workplaces?

Taking time off is essential for wellbeing. Our physical and mental health benefit from hitting pause. But many of us are unable to keep the pause button on. We check our emails, our messaging channels and even attend some meetings in our downtime. A staggering 65% of us eat into our leave time with work, making it a regular, almost expected occurrence. 

Recent reports into the great resignation suggest as many as a quarter of us are intending to leave our jobs within the next six months, and resignation rates are already at their highest since 2009. The financial impact of this mass exodus could be enormous, with the average cost of employee turnover in those earning over £25,000 a year estimated to be £30,614.

COVID-19. Hybrid. The Great Resignation. Mass reports of staff burnout.

When it comes to talking - there's talking, and there's really talking, isn't there?

When it comes to important conversations - don't underestimate the power of active listening.

‘What tools and techniques can I give to my staff to help them better manage stress?’ This is one of the most common requests that I get as a Psychologist. And it’s a perfectly reasonable request in view of the fact that last year UK employees were found to be working an extra 2 hours each day. 

Earlier this week I spoke about the importance of building mental fitness before different career transitions. It was a timely reminder as I’m currently going through undoubtedly the biggest transition in my career to date.

I am a Sports Psychologist, and in sport, we take career transitions extremely seriously. We spend a huge amount of time working with athletes to better prepare them for the next stage of their career. Whether that be moving from junior to senior competition or preparing for life after sport.

I'd been told returning from maternity leave would be challenging ... but no one could have prepared me for how tough it would be.