Two ways to renew employee engagement and increase productivity in 2021. Leverage the concepts of REDUCE & RECHARGE:
Let’s start with RECHARGE. DeLisa Alexander, the CPO at Red Hat shared an interesting new policy called Quarterly Recharge Days in Fast Company:
“Taking time off is always an option but people may not actually rest on those days if everybody else is working and emails keep piling up. We have also found that some associates are reluctant to take PTO when they aren’t able to travel. When they do take it, work is always in the next room and it’s difficult to truly unplug. To ensure that everybody takes a day off—and that we all take a collective breath—we’ve created quarterly Red Hat Recharge day. Studies show the virtual workday is longer for many workers, which makes this shared time away even more valuable.”
REDUCE relates to screen time and virtual meetings. Zoom fatigue is real. This idea is inspired by my teenage boys. Every Wednesday for virtual school is an asynchronous day with no virtual classes. This not only gives teachers a break, but it gives students time to get their work done. Could this idea work in the workplace? Can we pick a day or times of each day with no meetings?
What are you doing to RENEW & RECHARGE in 2021?