In the latest episode of Transform Your Workplace, corporate wellness expert and speaker Kristel Bauer revisits her 2021 TED Talk insights on work-life balance amidst COVID-19. Reflecting on the profound impact of the pandemic on the modern workplace, Kristel discusses how businesses have both reevaluated flexible work arrangements and addressed challenges posed by the hybrid workplace model. Employers and employees alike can tune in for valuable tips for navigating the evolving landscape of work in 2024.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Kristel Bauer is a corporate wellness expert, keynote speaker, and TEDx speaker known for her expertise in leadership, mindset, employee wellness, resilience, and work/life balance. She is the founder of Live Greatly and the creator and host of the podcast, Live Greatly.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
COVID AND THE MODERN WORKPLACE
There’s no question that the Covid-19 pandemic had an immeasurable impact on people and the modern workplace. A major checkpoint for humanity, the pandemic prompted us to reflect on our priorities, challenges, and essential values. This period of soul-searching brought to light both important and challenging aspects of our lives.
With the widespread adoption of remote work during the pandemic, businesses have reevaluated their stance on flexible work arrangements. Many organizations, initially hesitant, recognized that remote work could actually be a positive shift for both the business and its people. Of course, the hybrid workplace model that is so prevalent today offers both opportunities and challenges. Optimizing communication is one such challenge, guest Kristel Bauer says, and it is crucial in fostering trust within this evolving workplace structure.
But the workplace structure isn’t the only change we’ve seen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. We’ve all seen a heightened awareness of mental health, namely due to the widespread stress, uncertainty, and fear we experienced in such an unprecedented time. Kristel Bauer explains that “the pandemic humanized the workplace,” prompting companies to reassess their approach and actively support employees facing various challenges.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
What You Need
“Things change, and what you thought you had wanted may not be what you currently want or need. So I think it’s really important that we take time to get a higher perspective, and whatever that looks like for you is going to be unique to you. Like for me, when I need to just kind of think about a bigger thing, or if I am pondering about a life decision, I love exercise. I love movement. I love getting outdoors. So I try to be really intentional with giving myself the space and the time to clear my mind. Because I think if you’re gonna make any big decision, you want it to be from a place where you’re calm and collected. […] So I think it’s really giving ourselves permission to change, to grow, and embracing the unknown a little bit. You know, we don’t know what’s gonna happen. You have to just have the courage to trust in yourself and try and make the best decision you can.”
Smoothing out the Transitions
“Work bleeds into your home life and home life also can filter into your work life, so how do you really integrate it? […] So don’t expect yourself to always be 100% present when you’re transitioning from work to home mode. There’s going to be a little bit of a grace period where there’s that transition. So I think one thing we can do to support ourselves with this is to have a ritual or a practice to help us transition from the mindset of being at work to the mindset of being at home. […] And it could be something like you change your clothes when it’s time to hang out with the family, when it’s time to hang out with the kids. Maybe you go for a walk and that’s your commute time where you are able to just clear your mind a little bit. But I think you have to get creative and you have to come up with ways to really set the stage in your own mind for what you’re about to do.”
Being Present
“I try to set myself up for success here by not overpromising. Like if I tell my kids, ‘Okay, I’m gonna be done at this time,’ I try to leave a little bit of room, so I have that 10 to 15 minutes to do whatever it is that I need to do, so I feel like I can really show up and be present. I think it’s hard to show up and be present if you just shut off your laptop and you’re still thinking about something that’s stressful. […] It’s gonna be really hard to then be fully present for your family. […] I do think we have to give ourselves that buffer time to get our minds into a new place.”
Offering Flexibility
“At one keynote that I gave to a group, I was talking […] about boundaries and self-care and wellness and some of the things we’ve talked about here, and at the end of the keynote, an employee raised her hand and she said, ‘You know, you’ve talked about morning routines and […] I would love to do that, but I have my kids that I have to get off to school, and then I’m supposed to log on by […] 8:00 AM — they leave, and then I’m logging on right away — so I really don’t have that time from transitioning from getting my kids out the door to being on for work.’”
“And what happened was really interesting. So her boss was there and he said, ‘Wow, okay. I didn’t know that you were struggling with this. I didn’t know that this was an issue. Why don’t we have you start a little later? Maybe you can start at 8:30, and give yourself a little time to feel grounded in the morning to take care of yourself, and then we can adjust and tweak your hours throughout the day.’ […] They had a solution where she could have a little bit of time to help herself and support her wellbeing, but she wouldn’t have known that if the conversation hadn’t been had. I think this is really unique to each workplace and workforce, but I do think if you have the ability to give your employees the ability to make their own hours a bit and have the flexibility where you’re focusing more on the output and the work done and the work completed, that can help them fine-tune their own practices to support themselves.”
A Safe Place
“There has to be some level of feedback in place — like a feedback loop where employees can share where they feel safe to share. And I think that’s the really tricky piece because if you have a boss that is causing a lot of your stress or anxiety or overwhelm, or maybe the way that they communicate is really rough. Well, you don’t wanna then say to your boss like, ‘You’re the reason I’m having a problem.’ So I think there needs to be a way to share and have kind of this open feedback loop where employees feel like they’re valued and they’re being heard. So that’s the main thing I’ve heard as far as a problem area is not being able to give honest feedback when it has to do with your leadership team.”
LEARN MORE
Check out Kristel Buaer’s podcast, Live Greatly, or connect with her on LinkedIn or Instagram.