Adapt recovery based on what takes energy. Our latest survey shows that 30% of employees in Swedish workplaces experience reduced energy levels most of the time or all the time, which can have consequences on their health. Here, our expert guides you on how you as a manager can work preventively and catch early signals.
A person's energy level can be measured based on physical, mental and medical factors, but what really matters is people's perceived energy levels. It is our perceived energy that primarily determines how we feel and how we perform.
What takes energy varies from person to person and also depends on the person's overall situation and well-being. What drains energy also affects the type of recovery needed.
– To be able to implement the right measures, you must first identify what drains energy. Be clear, specific, and tailored in conversations with your employees. Talk to your employees about how they feel and what they need to feel better, says Åsa Miemois, Health Developer at Falck.
Efforts for organizational and social work environment
– Our survey shows a correlation between reduced energy levels and the social and organizational work environment. Here, there is a strong incentive for you as a manager to work on your systematic work environment efforts to promote a good work environment where employees thrive and can perform well. This can then spill over to the employees' energy – which in turn gives back good performance to the employer, says Åsa Miemois.
What affects daily work and how we perceive our work environment usually occurs at the group level. Thus, colleagues have a significant influence on how much energy a workday can take.
– A good effort to make at group level is to have regular meetings where you talk about the group's well-being, formulate health factors and what efforts the group needs to feel good, committed and be able to carry out its tasks. says Åsa Miemois.
It is important that organizations comply with the work environment laws and have policies and guidelines in place to work systematically with their work environment efforts. It is equally important to bring the issues down to the group level to see what actually makes a difference for that particular work group.
Gather the work group and identify particular health factors, i.e. things that the group enjoys and that make them thrive and perform their tasks. This needs to be agreed upon in the group and it is good to hear what other colleagues consider to be important health factors. Work together for a sustainable workplace.
– Everyone has their part in the work environment management. The organisation needs to take its responsibility, but the work group and individual employees also have a responsibility, we are each other's work environment, says Åsa Miemois.
The employee is responsible for signaling
It is not always easy to catch early signs of ill health in your employees. It is therefore important that employees themselves dare to flag when their energy levels are low, the workload becomes too great or something else is off at work.
Establish a culture where your employees have space to share their experiences at both individual and group levels. Also, ensure that there are opportunities for breaks, to have lunch in peace, and to have variation during the workday.
Often it can be your own demands or external circumstances that affect energy levels. In these cases, it is even more important that the employee takes responsibility for signaling what is not good. Regardless of the reason for feeling unwell, it is important to ask yourself what you can do to improve your situation.
– When you think about your own energy levels, it is important to remember that it is not desirable to always be alert and have energy. There is a natural interplay between having, spending, and regaining energy. The problem arises when you have no time to recover and you use more energy than you can replenish. Over time, this can affect both work effort and the person's health, says Åsa Miemois.
Formulate health factors and what efforts the group needs to feel good together
The manager is responsible for supporting and encouraging balance
As an employer or organization, there is much to be done to promote sustainable workplaces where employees can perform over time. If work does not drain us, we also have more energy after a workday to do things we enjoy, and it provides conditions for better sleep.
We find ourselves in a positive catch-22 where we have the energy to have meaningful leisure time, which in turn allows us to perform and be positive in our workday. So, it is a win-win situation for both employees and employers when everyone is happy and energized.
– We always benefit from working towards sustainable and health-promoting workplaces. People who feel good have the power to realize goals and ideas, which leads to increased efficiency and job satisfaction, says Åsa Miemois.
You can support your employees by providing emotional support in the form of listening and taking problems seriously. To prevent things from going too far, it is important to have space for regular individual discussions. Dare to ask your employees if you notice signs that something is not right.
– Practically, you can review structure, roles, demands, and resources. Help the employee by prioritizing and relieving them, provide space for breaks and the opportunity to influence the work pace, and change the work environment as much as possible given the circumstances, says Åsa Miemois.
To create well-being in organizations, it is also important to provide acknowledgment, praise, feedback, and advice. Help to clarify issues and provide new perspectives. Also, consider your own well-being. Be a good role model for stress management. Another tip is to review the introduction of new hires and provide regular follow-up over an extended period for new employees.
Help for self-help
Here are Åsa Miemois' tips on how you and your employees can take care of your energy levels and well-being in the long run. Feel free to share the list with your colleagues and ask them to reflect on their own situation in relation to the various tips.
Assess your routines. Divide the day into morning, day, and evening, and write down your habits. Consider if there's anything you want to change.
Review your morning. Start the day at a comfortable pace; if possible, wake up a bit earlier so you have time to do what you planned without rushing.
Alternate between being indoors and outdoors. Take a break from being indoors and spend some time outside, preferably in daylight. Perhaps you can have lunch outside or take a short walk before/after work. If you work outdoors, spending time indoors during a break can be a good change.
Alternate between mental and physical activity. Make it a habit to move your body every day.
Take advantage of natural breaks during the day, such as meal times and commutes. Relax and let go of stressful thoughts for a while.
Lower your demands. Not everything you do has to be perfect, so be kind to yourself.
Wind down before bedtime. If possible, reduce both physical activity and mental stress, as well as sensory input, before sleep.
Take time to relax. Find ways to unwind both physically and mentally. Short moments several times a day can take you far.
Seek variety from activities that drain you. Do something completely different from what drains your energy.
Socialize. Expose yourself to positive social relationships where you can relax, be yourself, laugh, and have mutual exchanges.
