Decrapify Work or Die (Hard)
Well, well, well
Wellness is a big issue right now but I am seeing some pushback in some of the conversations I’ve been involved in and it’s pissing me off.
People saying things like “The employee has personal responsibility for their wellbeing”, “Organisations aren’t responsible for people’s private lives” and “Where’s the boundary between the company and the individual ?”
It’s classic deflection. It’s trying to divert attention from the real issue here.
Organisations determine the environment that people work in and spend a significant portion of their time in. They have a duty of care to make sure that environment is not harmful, and they are failing on an epic scale.
It’s like teaching people to swim, dropping them into the middle of the pool and saying it’s their responsibility to get themselves out, ignoring the fact that you’ve poisoned the water.
When organisations can show that their workplace is not actually doing any harm to their employees, then they can talk about personal responsibility.
Of course, we should look after ourselves but when I was in a corporate environment - working 9 or 10 hour days plus a one hour commute each way, going on international trips 1 week every month, and raising a family - it may surprise you that I didn’t have the time, energy or mental bandwidth to keep myself in tip-top shape.
That’s not even taking into account the bullying, abuse and stress inflicted as routine by my management.
Too many workplace are damaging, and even killing, their employees. So spare me the libertarian bullshit about personal responsibility.
First, do no harm.
I can’t believe that even needs to be said.
Violence is everywhere in today's workplace
Following on from this, one of the most powerful sessions I attended last year was a Drinking Dialogues session by Charles Rojzman about resolving conflict. He stated that where there is conflict, there is often also the presence of violence, either against the self or others.
What really struck me was when he detailed the four types of violence
Mistreatment
Humiliation
Abandonment or Indifference
Guilt-tripping or victimhood
I was shocked to realise just how much violence we see in society at large but more to the point, in the workplace.
We are all aware of mistreatment, although we probably call it bullying (a somewhat euphemistic term with its rather benign associations with the school playground, when it is really a form of abuse).
Humiliation was also something that I routinely experienced in corporate life. In fact it was integral to way some of the processes actually operated.
But it was the abandonment and indifference that really struck me. If you feel that your employer doesn’t care about you (and let’s be honest, many people do) then that is actually an act of violence towards you.
Just think about that. The workplace is awash with violence, isn’t it? It’s no wonder it’s making people sick.
Time to call it out and change it.
Do your own thing
Anyone ever told you you ‘must’ meditate to achieve wellbeing?
(probably just after they told you they were vegan, right?)
Or maybe that you ‘must’ commune with nature? Or journal? Or dance? Or do Yoga?
Turns out all that advice is bollocks.
These are not bad things to do in themselves, they just may not be any good for you.
Take meditation. I mean, it’s somewhat counter-productive if you beat yourself up on a regular basis because you can’t maintain your ‘daily practice’, or because your mind keeps wandering when you try. Turns out it doesn’t suit everyone and there are other ways to get that stillness of mind that work better for us.
In fact, we need to design our own ‘self-care toolkit' because, surprise surprise, one-size-fits-all solutions don’t work. The science says your tool-kit needs to contain certain elements but it’s up to you what you do exactly to fulfil them.
The elements are Relax, Reflect, Problem-solve, Move and Learn.
So meditation might be perfect for you to ‘Relax’ but for others it will be running or swimming or painting or drawing. ‘Move’ might mean doing something aerobic but for others it will be regular stretching whilst at their desk and going out for a walk.
And some activities may contain multiple elements.
The key thing is to find out what works for you. Ignore all that bollocks people are telling you about what you ‘must’ do (which often involves signing up for their course, naturally). Go and experiment and play until you find out what hits YOUR sweet spot.