July 2022

Beat Burnout in your workplace with one (or more!) of these suggested Wellbeing Challenges. These activities will help people protect themselves against burnout and stay in their Groov.

1. Swap at least one sit-down meeting for a walking meeting

Keeping active is one of three key protective fundamentals against burnout (along with diet and sleep). We know it can be hard to keep moving for those who are office-based or have regular meetings. So, this challenge is aimed at those of us in sedentary jobs. Give your people the challenge of swapping at least one sit-down meeting for a walking meeting each week.

Ways to make walking meetings a success:

• Walking meetings work best in small groups of 2-3 people.

• Make it feel natural – walk to a nearby destination like a coffee shop, lunch spot, or park.

• If you have Wellbeing Ambassadors, ask them to kickstart the trend.

• Remote workers can swap a video meeting for a phone call so they can walk and talk.

• Where possible, set an incentive for people who take walking meetings, such as a free coffee or a ‘leaders board’ with the number of walking meetings each person has taken.

Supporting content in the Groov app:

• 5 ways to walk more

• Rituals to bring Move into your workplace

• The 6 Pillars: Move. Mood boosting action

2. Use the Breathing Tool in the Groov app for one minute every day

Deep breathing offers powerful protection against burnout because it moves the brain out of ‘fight or flight’ and into a state of relaxation. Give your people the challenge of using the Breathing Tool in the Groov app for one minute every workday.

Tips for encouraging people to use the Breathing Tool:

• Send out a message via your internal communication channels, such as email, text, Microsoft Teams or Slack, reminding people to download the Groov app and try the Breathing Tool.

• Consider scheduling a daily reminder via your communication channels prompting people to make time for deep breathing.

• Do it together as a team – either in the office, on-site, or via video.

Supporting content in the Groov app:

• Why deep breathing is so powerful

• 10 easy ways to weave deep breathing into your day

3. Encourage people to submit an anonymous question

Having a strong support network is essential for preventing burnout. People need to feel like they can trust one another and that it’s safe to ask for help. To build trust, host an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on the topic of burnout across each team this July and give people the challenge of submitting at least one anonymous question.

Tips for hosting Ask Me Anything sessions:

• Prep your leaders to run Ask Me Anything sessions with their teams on the topic of burnout.

• Give people plenty of time to submit at least one anonymous question.

• If you have Wellbeing Ambassadors, ask them to share some resources about burnout to help people understand why it’s important.

4. Share a professional win with the team once a week

Celebrating your personal worth (being kind to yourself) helps to prevent burnout because it ensures you put your own wellbeing first. When you celebrate YOU, you’re more likely to take breaks, set healthy boundaries, and do things that are good for your mind and body. Give your people the challenge this month of sharing a professional win with their team at the end of every work week.

Tips for sharing wins:

• Designate a communications channel per team for sharing wins. This could be physical (e.g. post-it notes on a board or dedicated space on the workroom whiteboard) or virtual (Slack, Microsoft Teams, or the staff intranet).

• Alternative to sharing: Suggest people write down their win in a private journal or similar.

• Have leaders or Wellbeing Ambassadors kickstart the conversation each day.

• Remind people that wins of all sizes count – they don’t have to be massive milestones.

Supporting content in the Groov app:

• The 6 Pillars: Celebrate. The wonder of you. 

• Rituals to bring Celebrate into the workplace

5. Have a ‘Down Tools Hour’

People are at high risk of burnout when work bleeds into every area of their lives. One way to combat this is with a ‘Down Tools Hour’. Give people an hour to work on personal projects or hobbies. This may be at the same time throughout your workplace, or at staggered times for each team/department.

Tips for having a ‘Down Tools Hour’:

• Give team leaders the flexibility to choose a time that suits their people.

• If you have Wellbeing Ambassadors, ask them to share how they will spend their Down Tools Hour.

• Send a list of ideas for people to choose from, to help inspire those who may not have any personal projects or hobbies on the go.

Supporting content in the Groov app:

• Rituals to bring Do into your workplace

• Try this: Learn something new to boost your mood

6. Share one work-appropriate funny meme or GIF

Burnout occurs when people experience chronic stress for a long time. Laughter is one way to help relieve stress – making it a great tool for beating burnout. Give your people the challenge of sharing one work-appropriate funny meme or GIF in a dedicated communication channel this July.

Tips for creating a ‘jokes’ communication channel:

• Set up a ‘jokes’ channel on Slack or similar.

• Create some ground rules for work-appropriate humour.

• If you have Wellbeing Ambassadors, have them kickstart the channel and update it each week.

Supporting content in the Groov app:

• Rituals to bring Enjoy into the workplace

• Try this: Plan for laughter