How to Build a Culture of Rest in Your Business
Guest post written by Jordan Maney. Visit Jordan’s Website
We have never been more primed to question our relationship to work than right now.
Capitalism is predicated on exploitation, but after almost two years of a pandemic there’s a new question we should be asking as business owners. What would it look like to build a business that prioritizes rest for all instead?
Rest isn’t just sleep but creative, mental, and spiritual.
You may not be able to provide for all of those but you can begin to create the space necessary for your team to feel like they can rest. Here are three ways you can begin to do that today.
Be Honest about Your Rest Needs
Start by being honest about your rest needs. We’ve been conditioned to believe that rest can be confined to two days we know as the weekend but we know that’s not true. Rest is essential and necessary amounts can vary. You may need more or less sleep depending on the season or your mental health. Maybe you need more rest when your kids are in school. Maybe you need more after lots of client interfacing or managing your team or developing a new offer.
Whatever rest looks like for you, it’s time to get real. How much rest do you really need? Don’t answer according to what you think is acceptable but according to what is essential to you. It’s okay if the answer surprises you.
Lead by Example
Now that you understand your rest needs, you have to lead by example. Rest is for everyone. So what you do for yourself should be available to all on your team. When your team sees that you’re allowing yourself to rest it gives them permission to do the same. It bolsters the sense of employee autonomy and morale. Ask questions about everyone’s rest, encourage it, and let them see you practicing what you preach.
Talk about Rest
To really cement this new culture of rest in your business make sure to introduce language about rest into your marketing and operations. Don’t let it be a surprise to anyone that you encourage your team and clients to take care of and nurture themselves. You can incorporate that in simple ways like showing you working or responsive hours in your email signatures.
You can also communicate ahead of time how long it takes for you to turn-around emails, proposals, and more. Explaining why it takes the time it does sends a gentle reminder to people that they can do the same for themselves.
Plan Rest before You Need It
Another way to introduce rest into your operations is to plan your year with your holidays well in advance. If the entire business is off for one month, let people know at least three months in advance. Set up autoresponders in your inbox and market it on your website and social media.
With a few tweaks you can begin to make rest a major function of your business. If you’re nervous, remember capitalism has been around for hundreds of years, this is going to take a while to get used to. Happy resting!
