With the opportunities of hybrid working and the time-saving advances of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI), employees should in theory have more time to spend on the more pleasurable and less mundane aspects of their working life. Yet for many people, the modern workplace feels more pressured and less enjoyable than ever before, reports Marianne Curphey.
W
ith the opportunities of hybrid working and the time- saving advances
of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI), employees should in theory have more time to spend on the more pleasurable and less mundane aspects of their working life. Yet for many people, the modern workplace feels more pressured and less enjoyable than ever before. The recent Health and
Wellbeing at Work report by the CIPD revealed record levels of sickness absence in offices around the UK which were the highest in 15 years. It found that nearly nine million working age people live with work limiting health conditions and warns that as people continue to live and work longer, organisations must adapt to support them effectively.
MANAGING STRESS & BURNOUT IN THE OFFICE Many workplaces are under pressure because of heavy workloads and economic pressures. Employees are having to negotiate complex people dynamics, organisational shifts, and constant change in an environment which feels more uncertain and fast-moving. Jenny Roper, editor of Work
magazine, produced on behalf of the CIPD, opened the conversation on wellbeing at work with a session at the CIPD conference focused on managing stress and burnout. The session entitled Thrive, don’t just survive, explored the challenges
faced by managers who have are responsibility for many areas of the business while also trying to care for their own mental and physical health. Joining her was Beatriz Fuentes, a people leader with over 20 years of experience spanning healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and the charity sector, and a Fellow of the CIPD, and Amy Brann, founder and director of Synaptic Potential, who explained the science and practice of managing stress and building resilience. Brann opened her session by
challenging conventional narratives around stress. She explained that the biological processes associated with stress and the production of adrenaline and cortisol are normal and can be beneficial. The problem arises when stress becomes chronic and unmanaged. “Stress isn’t the enemy,” she
said. “What if we were to think of it as data? If we are in a state of stress, experiencing stress, then it could be
our body saying something matters here, something is important. “The problem isn’t stress, it’s
chronic, unrecovered stress, and when we stay in that zone too long then physical and structural changes can occur in the brain,” she explained. “That can affect us in a significant way because the connectivity between the amygdala and other regions of the brain can structurally change. As a result, over time, our creativity, our empathy and our decision making all become less effective and not in the peak condition that we would want them to be.”
MICRO RECOVERY & A DAILY STRESS DETOX Brann suggested practical solutions based on neuroscience, emphasising “micro recovery” techniques that can shift physiological and cognitive states in a matter of minutes, such as taking a short break to take deep breaths to calm our nervous systems.
“ THE PROBLEM ISN’T STRESS, IT’S CHRONIC, UNRECOVERED STRESS, & WHEN WE STAY IN THAT ZONE TOO LONG THEN PHYSICAL & STRUCTURAL CHANGES CAN OCCUR IN THE BRAIN.”
AMY BRANN, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, SYNAPTIC POTENTIAL
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GLOBAL LEADERSHIP WELLBEING
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