Micro behaviours are the electrolytes for workplace energy

Monday morning. Feet dragging. Brain fogging. Body slagging. This is a typical post-weekend scenario for people who dread going to the office.

“Strange how I feel tired at 11am Monday. Two hours into work and I feel stressed.” This sentiment is not uncommon. Going to your workplace has become tougher. Economies are down. Uncertainties are up. You open your inbox and it is oozing with emails that are screaming attention. You open your organiser and the day is jammed with meetings that are overloaded with agendas. And, the whole day long you play the catching up game. It is surely very exhausting.

In such circumstances, where is the much-needed break? In my coaching sessions many leaders react vehemently to my suggestion of breathers for employees. Many leaders complain, “We have so many pressures and constraints we cannot afford to let up the incessant work pursuits.” While this is true, it is also a mindset that needs to be challenged.

In this “too busy”, “too hectic”, “too bogged down” world, the bad news is that days of happy hour breaks in the morning may no longer be feasible. This could lead to a massive energy drain. The workplace fatigue is on the rise. World fatigue statistics 2024 reported that a staggering 97% of employees face at least one workplace risk factor that can lead to fatigue, with over 80% encountering two or more. The report also studied the major causes of fatigue. 30.9% of respondents cited stress as their leading cause of workplace fatigue, with workplace culture being another contributor at 20.3%.

Fatigue is poison for productivity. It slows you, stumbles you, and shatters your mental and emotional faculties. Workplace fatigue costs employers approximately $136 billion annually in health-related lost productivity. When the physiological body becomes drained, but not broken, energy support is provided through medical electrolytes. 

These provide electric charge that revives the body energy as electrolytes have a natural positive body charge. With elaborate events/retreats becoming difficult, to maintain the employee energy, a variety of micro behavioural electrolytes can be used as workplace energy chargers: 

Micro behavioural electrolyte#1 – The energy spreaders: Micro behaviours are the small actions and reactions that a leader makes to set the tone of an interaction. Every move and expression that a leader makes is an energy creator or an energy destroyer. Just imagine in a meeting a leader walks in with a frowning or smiling face.

Just imagine during the employee presentation the leader is leaning forward and listening to him or is constantly looking at his watch. Just imagine a leader who is patient and calm while others who are nervy or fidgety and about to interrupt. While the leaders may think of these reactions as perfectly normal for the employees, these are energy boosters or busters.

One repeated comment that I get about leaders who bring energy is: “Even in the biggest crisis, he would say to us with a warm smile, yes things are tough, but you are tougher”. Another version by another employee about his leader’s ability to infuse hope was…“He would say very intensely, ‘Remember tough situations do not last, tough people do’.”

Micro behavioural electrolyte#2 – The non-work boosters: The daily status updates and meetings are a gruelling routine. How to add a bit of pizazz to them? Think of one appreciation message before the start of the day. This could be an employee who performed well last week. This could be an idea that was shortlisted from your department. Send the message. Put it on the group. Write a short buck-up phrase with the right emoji.

Be specific. Say, “Your presentation to the client was very logical and convincing.” Roam around and greet people. Put in the personal touch. Ask an employee who had mentioned his mother being unwell about how she is faring. Offer to get her connected for a second opinion. End the day with a thank you for some employee who tried to pitch in. Write, “You saved the day for us. Really appreciate it. Thank you.”

Micro behavioural electrolyte#3 – The humility inspirer: When people are so pressed for time and work, fear of failure creeps in. They mentally feel that in such tight circumstances, one mistake and you are gone. That is why the micro behaviour of the leader to be owning up to his own flaws is such a big relief. Think of a project that has been delayed and the team meeting is taking place to discuss this delivery failure.

Such meetings are easily a blame game vent outs. The leader points out where all the team had defaulted. The team waits in anxiety for some repercussions of this failure. Imagine a leader starting by saying, “I made a mistake in planning the timeline for this project.” That one sentence can transform the culture of the meeting. People will breathe easier. People may start defending the leader. The discussion will move from fixing the blame to fixing the problem.

Micro behavioural electrolyte#4 – From teller to learner: Leadership team meetings and one-on-ones are more about telling the team about his own experiences. One-on-ones are more of number tracking meetups where the leader tells the team what more needs to be done. An overburdened team feels more pressurised.

Instead if the meetings become more about “you people are closer to the market, I want you to advise and suggest what more can happen”, the engagement quotient will go up. If after listening the leader replies, “Thank you. This has been great learning for me. The first two suggestions given by you hold merit and should go into execution.” That will push the energy meter right up.

Micro behavioural electrolyte#5 – From mentor to mentee: While giving feedback is the bread and butter of leadership, seeking feedback is a bitter pill leaders do not want to swallow. The mere sentence by the leader asking his team member “Do you think I provided the relevant context to the client and if there was something that would make it better, please advise”, would create a buzz that will echo across the corporate corridors.

A smile, a warm tone, a firm handshake, a soft eye, a concerned body bent, a pleasant greeting, a kind word, a heartfelt clap, a welcoming clasp, a joke on oneself, a thoughtful gesture, all are powerful enablers. They look almost too small to be noticed. But noticeable they are. They are more power-packed than power breakfasts and power meetings. Micro behavioural electrolytes have the power to light up the dullest of days, the darkest of moods and the dreariest of hearts and minds.