Today marks a back to regular working routine for many of us and our teams today, with Labor Day behind us, it is full throttle until the end of the year. Today may be the first time your entire team is together after a summer hiatus. As you get back into the swing of things here are six routine areas you may want to look at, or re-establish:
1. Team meetings
2. Lunchbreaks
3. Start and end times of the day
4. Workout routines
5. Regular learning opportunities
6. Time with loved ones
As with anything, you'll want to also keep in mind current priorities and goals you have for the rest of the year. These may influence the weighting and importance of each of the six routine areas. Let's look at each one of these in turn:
1. Team meetings - If team meetings fell by the wayside over the holidays, now's the time to get them back on track! Have you as a team committed to meeting weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? Schedule these in everyone's calendar before the week gets away from you. It's likely that there will always be competing priorities and it's harder to be made to shift if it's in everyone's calendar.
2. Lunchbreaks - Some organizations are great at having a fixed culture where lunch breaks are encouraged, whereas at others, people work through them, eating at their desks. Lunch breaks can be a great time to clear your head, connect with others and renew. Whether you spend lunch getting to the gym or pool (something I do on a regular basis), out for a lunchtime walk, or connecting with colleagues in a lunch room, consider the benefit of grabbing some mid-day brain breathing!
3. Start and End times of the day - Also common in many organizations is the creep of start and end times. What is expected in your organization? What's going to support a healthy work-life balance, while ensuring things are getting done efficiently and effectively. Remember that hours logged in does not always mean they are productive hours. This week consider what you would like to establish around your working hours, and how productive you really are throughout the day, and the week.
4 Exercise/Workout routines - What is your commitment to exercise and workouts? We know that the sedentary lifestyle of many office workers today has the potential for health risks. What commitment have you made to yourself, and your loved ones, around exercise? This week, what's the groove you want to get into around working out? Who and what will help you support this?
5. Regular learning opportunities - from mentoring relationships to on-demand courses, to certificate programs, and job shadowing, learning opportunities abound in many organizations. What are the skills and experiences which will help you and your team do their best work today? Over the next year? Consider what learning opportunities you have scheduled in, or want to schedule in, for the rest of the year.
And finally, making sure you have prioritized quality time with your loved ones. It's easy for work and commuting to become the dominant times of our day. What is your commitment with your loved ones around spending quality time this fall? What support do they need from you as they get back to work and school?
Have a great back to work day!
Best wishes,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Join us this fall for a 15 hour Virtual Train-the-trainer in the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program. We'll be covering the best practices of designing and leading virtual calls. The program will be held on Fridays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET starting September 23. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot.
1. Team meetings
2. Lunchbreaks
3. Start and end times of the day
4. Workout routines
5. Regular learning opportunities
6. Time with loved ones
As with anything, you'll want to also keep in mind current priorities and goals you have for the rest of the year. These may influence the weighting and importance of each of the six routine areas. Let's look at each one of these in turn:
1. Team meetings - If team meetings fell by the wayside over the holidays, now's the time to get them back on track! Have you as a team committed to meeting weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? Schedule these in everyone's calendar before the week gets away from you. It's likely that there will always be competing priorities and it's harder to be made to shift if it's in everyone's calendar.
2. Lunchbreaks - Some organizations are great at having a fixed culture where lunch breaks are encouraged, whereas at others, people work through them, eating at their desks. Lunch breaks can be a great time to clear your head, connect with others and renew. Whether you spend lunch getting to the gym or pool (something I do on a regular basis), out for a lunchtime walk, or connecting with colleagues in a lunch room, consider the benefit of grabbing some mid-day brain breathing!
3. Start and End times of the day - Also common in many organizations is the creep of start and end times. What is expected in your organization? What's going to support a healthy work-life balance, while ensuring things are getting done efficiently and effectively. Remember that hours logged in does not always mean they are productive hours. This week consider what you would like to establish around your working hours, and how productive you really are throughout the day, and the week.
4 Exercise/Workout routines - What is your commitment to exercise and workouts? We know that the sedentary lifestyle of many office workers today has the potential for health risks. What commitment have you made to yourself, and your loved ones, around exercise? This week, what's the groove you want to get into around working out? Who and what will help you support this?
5. Regular learning opportunities - from mentoring relationships to on-demand courses, to certificate programs, and job shadowing, learning opportunities abound in many organizations. What are the skills and experiences which will help you and your team do their best work today? Over the next year? Consider what learning opportunities you have scheduled in, or want to schedule in, for the rest of the year.
And finally, making sure you have prioritized quality time with your loved ones. It's easy for work and commuting to become the dominant times of our day. What is your commitment with your loved ones around spending quality time this fall? What support do they need from you as they get back to work and school?
Have a great back to work day!
Best wishes,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Join us this fall for a 15 hour Virtual Train-the-trainer in the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive program. We'll be covering the best practices of designing and leading virtual calls. The program will be held on Fridays from 3 - 4:30 pm ET starting September 23. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot.
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