An HBR study of companies reporting high levels of exhaustion among their employees found Zoom fatigue, decision fatigue and pandemic fatigue to be very real!
The exhaustion, however, was caused by something unexpected.
People were exhausted because they were…lonely.
That’s what was bubbling up for people; feelings of fatigue and exhaustion coming from a sense of loneliness and isolation. I see it around me and the feelings of isolation are palpable.
We distance to protect ourselves, our family and friends.
It seems counter-intuitive and there are (or will be) real consequences to our relationships and emotional well-being.
As leaders, we get the sense that our team members are disconnected and feeling alone too as they face many challenges in front of them.
Most people are not talking very much about their emotional and psychological well-being.
Most leaders aren’t comfortable asking either. That’s the dilemma.
The most caring, cutting-edge leaders believe it’s vitally important to know how wide the gap is between what we think is going on and what’s really happening in people’s emotional lives.
When you are equipped to have these meaningful and sometimes uncomfortable conversations, people respond. Teams learn to trust and support each other. Together you build a culture others want to be part of.
That’s why we’ve embarked on offering Emotional Safety and Trust: The New Workplace Imperative as an online course. It’s a place where leaders will learn more about conducting meaningful conversations and using that knowledge with confidence.
If you would like to know more about applying the principles of Emotional Safety and Trust with your team, click here to read more:
