I used to be a coffee drinker. I would hurry to the coffee maker in the kitchen five or six times each morning and rush back to my office, annoyed that I had to leave my desk for even the 30 seconds or so that it took me to refill my cup and get back to my desk. Two years ago, I stopped drinking coffee and switched to tea.
At first, I would turn on the teapot, run back to my office, work until I heard the shrill of the whistle, and dash back to the kitchen. Then the stress of it all got to be too much. Now, I force myself to take a small break each time I want a new cup of tea. Put the pot on the burner and turn on the stove; open two packages (I have a really big, thermal cup) of jasmine green; and wait. I visit the goldfish, read part of an article from the weekend paper, jot down a thing or two on our running grocery list.
What I’ve found is that these little breaks help me to step away, if only for a few minutes, from the busy-ness that characterizes my days; refocus my mind and my energy; and return to my desk feeling rejuvenated and a little calmer—not to mention happy that I have a fresh cup of tea.
The other day I asked a couple of clients how well their company addressed work-life-balance issues such as telecommuting and flexible working hours. They looked at each other. While some areas were better than others, the company had no policy and work-life balance was not seen as a priority issue. Perhaps if more companies encouraged the equivalent of the tea break* or enabled employees to manage their energy by, for example, formalizing telecommuting and offering reduced work weeks and flexible scheduling, they could benefit from a more motivated and energetic workforce—especially in these trying times. Introduce hot desking and mobility centers and they begin to reduce space usage and carbon footprints, not to mention costs. Build a culture that rewards people for the quality of their work rather than the amount of time they spend at work.
What if employees were encouraged to turn off their Blackberries while on vacation (or at least when they go to bed)? What if, rather than taking a performance bonus in cash, an employee could opt for a year of three-day weekends? Would there even be any takers?
I think I’ll have another cup of tea.
*A book by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, entitled The Power of Full Engagement, takes the idea of the tea break to a whole new level. Definitely worth reading.
