One of the organisations I work for has just announced a meeting light fortnight, with strong encouragement to cancel all non-essential meetings during this time to give people a break from spending so much time online. Stuff like this can send a strong message. More please!

Following on from this tweet, I am regularly talking to people who are frankly, knackered. It is 100 days this week since lockdown commenced. Some of the weirdness and gut wrenching anxiety of those early days is passing, but many of us are going nowhere fast.....

and for many parents especially there is going to be no respite until September. Stuff like reducing meetings is one step organisations can take - but there are others. Reduce the length of your meetings. No one needs a three hour Zoom call.

Online meetings keep people sat down at desks. They don't even get to move from one room to the next. Make meetings 45 mins default rather than an hour so people can get away from the screen, stand and stretch.

Ask people not to schedule meetings over lunch. People need to take a break, and parents need to feed their kids. Encourage people to take their annual leave - even if they can't go anywhere they need the rest. Keep messaging this.

Encourage people not to send emails in the evening and weekend. Whilst I don't want to perpetuate the idea that work is 9-5, if you are working flexibly don't add to the overwhelm of others by making them open an inbox of 50 emails.

Set aside some time - one afternoon a week, certain times of the day - that is non meeting / non email time. Give people a rest from the constant notifications.

Keep checking in with people. If you see someone is looking exhausted, ask them how they are, ask them what they need. There might be many more months of working from home, no childcare, social distancing, adjusted expectations. Lets help people avoid burnout.

Adding one more tweet to this thread - more detailed thoughts here in my blog. https://twitter.com/hr_gem/status/1275505551171031040?s=21 https://twitter.com/hr_gem/status/1275505551171031040