“Burnout” is the word in business lately, and in 2023, companies across all markets are looking for ways to help their employees feel more motivated and less drained. One strategy to create less burnout in the workforce is by implementing what is called “proactive rest.” Proactive Rest Proactive rest is more than allowing employees to take a power nap or an extended vacation once a year. Instead of only relying on days off to provide staff a reprieve, workplaces are rewriting policies to allow their team more breaks and flexibility in their workdays. If this is hard to conceptualize (probably because the idea of resting during working hours is so foreign to us), we get it. Here is what proactive rest can look like at work: No-Meeting Time Blocks — A company blocks off certain hours or days so no meetings take place. Bye-Bye Burnout The Power of Prioritizing Proactive Rest
Flexible Lunch Breaks — Employees can take their lunch breaks whenever they want in their day.
Mandatory Breaks — In addition to lunch, a company requires their team to take another sort of break, even something short. 4-Day Work Weeks — Employees get the same amount of work done in fewer days, with no pay deduction. Office Closures — A company purposely closes its doors, whether for a week or every Friday during the summer, to give its team a chance to recoup.
of proactive rest into their policies experienced a 26% increase in performance. Not only that, but companies with more focus on employee health and well-being are also more attractive to potential applicants and experience lower turnover rates since their staff feels more supported and content with their jobs. Burnout is still widespread in American corporate culture; with the American workforce clocking in roughly nine extra unpaid hours a week, the hustle mentality isn’t going anywhere soon. And while a workaholic workforce may sound appealing on the surface, a business that prioritizes its team’s mental — as well as physical and emotional — health will always yield bigger and better results.
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Benefits of Proactive Rest For many business owners, losing any time in a workday can seem scary (and threatening) for their bottom line. However, it turns out that when companies prioritize their team’s rest, productivity increases. In a survey from Gartner, companies that incorporated some form
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