With reports of burnout on the rise, it's an important question to ask.
I’ve often called HR the ‘gift that keeps giving’….until there’s nothing left to give to yourself. I know because I’ve been there.
“There is enough time for self-care. There is not enough time to make up for the life you’ll miss by not filling yourself up” – Jennifer Williamson
Does this ring true?
Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of supporting a team of HR professionals within Avon and Somerset Constabulary. This came out of a practical and very participative webinar I did for the West of England #cipd on self-care for HR professionals. After the event, the Head of HR Operations approached me to deliver a series of monthly wellbeing events for her team. The intention of this programme was to support the team’s personal wellbeing and build their tools and techniques to support colleagues to navigate the challenges ahead in demanding times.
We discussed and agreed how it might look and how important it was for the team to learn how much they could do to help themselves, in addition to learning practical techniques for effectively managing the many potential stressors in life – techniques that were simple for them to do for themselves at home and at work. So I built in a practice or new technique for each of the ten workshops.
Taking a theme a month, we explored a range of areas such as navigating change, the body-mind link, energy, emotions, sleep and rest, mindset, and the inner critic. Last week, I joined the team at Clevedon Hall Limited for the final two workshops on recognising the signs of potential ‘burnout’, and how connecting with nature can benefit our emotional health and wellbeing. The venue and weather couldn’t have been better, surrounded by green and blue space yet so close to the M5. A perfect way to end the programme.
💡 If this support could be useful to your team, please send me a DM
Don’t just take my word for it, here’s some feedback from my client ⤵
“The effect of the pandemic has been far reaching for my team as they have been supporting colleagues and managing many new and complex HR issues over the last 2 years. Ann’s programme of events provided opportunities for the team to recognise, “reset”, and “recharge” their emotional health and wellbeing. Her wealth of skills and experience ensured that each session built on the last one, which I believe gives each and every one of my team the opportunity to support their personal health and wellbeing.
Thank you Ann for a great programme” – Head of HR Operations Dorothyanne Russell (FCIPD)