MANUFACTURING can be an all-consuming industry.
After all, how many nights have you spent on the factory floor trying to solve that one problem that will put a project back on track? Often just because you clock off at the end of a day doesn’t mean that your brain stops trying to calculate what you could have done better during the day or what the next step in the process should be.
Unfortunately, this can often lead to burnout or undue stress, which can, in turn, side-line valuable members of staff. With this in mind, it’s important to make sure your team are getting a variety of mental stimulation outside the workplace. Here are some of the best activities your staff can do that will not only fulfill them, but also boost their productivity in the long term as well.
Help your staff de-stress and watch them flourish
Music
No, we’re not talking just having the radio on in the office or blaring from the factory speakers, in fact, there are a good few radio stations that would be more stressful to listen to than static. Instead what we’re suggesting is getting your staff excited about music outside of the workplace, be that learning to play an instrument or having them go to live gigs.
There’s a good reason that many of the world’s top businessmen pick up a sax or clarinet when their working days is done, given that focusing on nothing but the instrument and the sounds it makes decompresses the brain after a stress filled day. If your staff would prefer not to toil away on piano keys or guitar strings, why not incorporate a gig into a staff night out, to ease everyone into the night, rather than forcing awkward conversation in a quiet pub or bar.
Climbing is a great way to clear your mind and stay fit at the same time
Outdoor Sports
Chances are that during a working day your staff don’t get a huge amount of sun (or rain) on their backs. This makes it all the more important that they get outside in their spare time, rather than locking themselves away in darkened rooms. There are always the tried and tested 5-a-side football games or cycling clubs to join, but for something more invigorating – and perhaps more interesting to the technically minded – why not suggest the likes of rock climbing or surfing.
Climbing, in particular, has proven itself to be an excellent way for people to leave their work strains behind them and focus on nothing but their hand and foot holds. However, the benefits don’t stop there, as well as getting your staff supremely fit it will help them to adopt a more professional mindset, especially when it comes to preparation prior to embarking on a task. It will also help them problem solve under intense pressure, but a pressure that will manifest itself in gratifying athletic strain rather than undue mental wear and tear. Climbing is already helping everyone from CEOs to gaming pros improve the mental side of their games, so your staff are sure to benefit as well.
Meditation and Yoga
Previously laughed at as mumbo jumbo, meditation and yoga are now seen as vital parts of people’s lives, enabling them to stay supple after hours spent in sedentary positions as well as clearing minds packed with unhelpful stresses and strains.
Both are particularly handy for those employees with busy schedules away from work, as they can be tailored down into 5 or 10 minute sessions that are easily worked into even the tightest of timetables. Perhaps the best way to set the ball rolling with these activities is to hold taster sessions at the workplace. You may just find that after the first session more and more people begin turning up to work sporting yoga mats and a new-found sense of zen.
