For us here at Digital Mountaineers, we have always been a remote agency. We are committed to staying remote because we know all of the wonderful benefits that come with working from home. But we also understand that while WFH has its benefits, it has its challenges as well. Especially when it comes to balancing home and work if they both happen in the same physical space.
It is important to acknowledge what is working and more importantly, what is NOT working so we can address these issues before they become that dreadful mountain that even the best mountaineer struggles to climb – burnout! Below are some tried and true ways that we have used to make sure our team is maintaining a life/work balance, not the other way around.
Check in with one another
Because we have the luxury of a smaller team, we are able to have more frequent check ins with one another. Sure, we check in with one another regarding work load, but we also check in to make sure personal lives are doing well. One thing that our team excels at is leading with grace, not only with our clients, but with each other. Nothing is worth a mental breakdown.
Over communicate your needs
Sometimes, things may seem obvious. But it’s important to remember that things are not obvious for everyone. Here at DM, we make it a point to over communicate so that we can appropriately navigate expectations. When you are able to assert your needs, it creates space for your needs to actually be met. Part of the insidious nature of burnout is that folks stay silent while they are slowly drowning. Asserting and flagging problem areas as they arise is helpful for all.
Use your time off
At DM, all employees have a generous amount of paid holidays (including Election Day!) in addition to sick and vacation time. AND – we are encouraged to take it! What good is PTO if it’s not used? You work hard and when you need a mental health day, your employer should invest in your health. Because healthy people are happy people, and we put people first.
Think in solution, not problem
Problems cannot solve themselves. It is best to bring the problem to management, and when possible, suggest what could help alleviate some of that stress. You know yourself best and you know what can be the key to making things run smoother for you at work. Bring these suggestions to your team or manager. All you can do is what you can do, and if you can use your voice to propose a solution, do it! You may be helping to inspire those who may not feel as confident to speak up.
Don’t be afraid to quiet quit
We are big fans of quiet quitting. If you want to know more about why, you can click here to read our last blog post all about it. We believe you are hired to do your job. Gone are the days of staying late or working for free to make sure you have face time with your boss. That is an exploitative business practice and we are glad to see it go. At DM, we recognize team members for their contributions and respect the boundaries that best serve their mental health. We believe an organization plays a part in the role of an employee’s burnout. And – we also believe that the employee must see their worth and know that they can ask for what they deserve in order to feel that their life and work are in balance. Conscious capitalism, which is a value we practice, means putting people first.
We’d love to hear from you about how your org works to combat burnout before it plagues your work culture. Comment any tips that can be helpful for other folks. At the end of the day, we just want to make sure that work is a productive, healthy, and positive experience for all involved. We’re not perfect, but we’re not afraid to take a look at what’s not working and implement changes for an overall positive forward shift. That’s why we walk the walk at Digital Mountaineers and make sure you never climb alone.
