Feel Less Lonely – talk to a woman

I spotted this fairly flimsy bit of American research earlier this week. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-art-closeness/201707/feeling-lonely-talk-woman

Apparently, lonely people of all genders are more likely to feel slightly less lonely after a conversation with a woman than a man.

Which made me wonder, is that because women are great listeners or good talkers?

There is something about the way women interact, something in their willingness to listen while others offload and an instinctive curiosity about emotional triggers that makes me think it could be true.

This lovely little infographic better describes the behaviour ofGood listeners practised conversationalists than great listeners.

It’s about interacting rather than listening alone which I think is what my female friends are especially good at. My Girlfriends will be delighted to know that for me they mainly epitomise trampolines – not sponges – that’s you Mrs B.

If your social circle includes 5 or more supportive buddies you should count yourself lucky.

If not you should probably think about devoting a little time to nurturing these life enhancing relationships because another less flimsy bit of research told me they can help you live longer.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the…/want-live-longer-make-good-friends

AND stay healthier …

https://www.livescience.com/53315-how-friendships-are-good-for-your-health.html

Find more thought provoking, resilience building and wellness enhancing information at https://embraceresilience.com/workforce-resilience-wellbeing/

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6 No Quibble Reasons to Embrace Change

Let me be clear about one thing, I’m not a person who takes a casual approach to change

I’m a big fan of caution – up to a point.

I do like to think things through. 

Never the less, when it comes to change, advancing age makes me bolder and bolder.

Waiting for fate to give me a shove is not an option. As hard as it is when it’s time to make a change, I chose my own path because I’m the only person who truly knows what will and will not bring me happiness.

If you rely on another person to make you happy they will disappoint you, every time.

Fact.

Taking care of your own emotional well-being is your responsibility and yours alone. So, if you want to be the best person you can be, the best parent, partner, employee and friend you’d better take that particular responsibility very seriously indeed.

Change is inevitable and meeting it head on can be terrifying, but waiting for Lady Luck to shuffle the deck is also pretty nerve wracking and much less reliable in terms of positive outcomes.

So, I offer you …

Six excellent reasons to give caution a punch on the nose and make change work for you too.

1 Real problems rarely get easier with time.

That job that you hate is unlikely to ever become your reason to live.

Whatever it takes to change it is probably going to make more sense than staying put.

40 miserable hours per week is a completely unacceptable waste of life, right?

2 If change matters to you, it matters for a reason 

If you find yourself living with the wrong person, however perfect they may be on paper, wanting to leave doesn’t mean you’re  bad or ungrateful. In fact, wanting to leave just means you recognise the value of getting things as right as you possibly can in this one and only life.

3.Whatever you think about yourself is true.

And that’s ok because if you don’t like it, you can change it.

Believing you’re not strong or brave enough is life limiting.

Some people cling to the security offered by sameness even when it bores them literally to tears.

Others reach through the mist of uncertainty to get what they want.

Yip, they could fall off a cliff, but there are loads of us climbing back up cliffs, it’s pretty life affirming.

4. Embracing change will immeasurably improve your self-esteem.

Even if you think your self-esteem is more or less ok, like an ex-smoker tasting fresh coffee, the difference will be immediately obvious.

5 If not now when?

Perfect opportunities come and go like ether.

You can’t plan for them, you’ll most likely miss them, and anyway, they may arrive too late.

Have faith in your own resilience, work to your own timetable.

Be as kind as you can to others but remember, the people who would hold you back have their own agenda which won’t necessarily reflect your own.

6. Regrets – why have a few? resilience in happiness

When you look back at life from your creaking bath chair, will you be delighted to have stayed in an empty marriage, turned up for that soul-destroying job, and made everyone but yourself feel better?

If you doubt it – the time to embrace your own potential is now.

for more information about coping with change go to

https://embraceresilience.com/embrace-resilience-wellbeing/

and for even more inspiration check out

https://www.goalcast.com/2017/07/17/peter-dinklage-ready-never-comes/

 

 

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Embrace Pilot – Free Wellbeing and Stress Management Modules Available

Embrace pilot Free Resilience and Well-being Modules

Embrace FREE workplace Resilience and Well-being modules as part of our new pilot scheme?

The team at Embrace Resilience are ready to pilot our all new Resilience, Stress Management and Wellbeing e-learning modules.

No costs – no strings, just a willingness to help organisations discover new ways to become happier, healthier and more resilient workplaces. 

If this is important to your organisation please call Michael or Tricia on 0161 928 9987

Or click here to access our pilot project and get FREE  on line learning for your team https://embraceresilience.com/contact/

T&C apply

 

 

 

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A guide to optimising efficiency with an older workforce

How to ….

6 simple ways to help your workforce lead a fuller working life.

Reduced migration rates after Brexit and an ageing population means employers will need to find new ways to attract and maintain this extremely valuable resource

The DWP Fuller Working Lives document, 2013 predicts that by 2020, 33% of the working population will be aged 50 or over.

Before you know it,  a full third of your employees could be in the final phase of their career – good news, right?

Older workers are looking, feeling and acting younger than their years. they’re also growing in number and their contribution to your company could positively impact your bottom line for years to come.

Older workers 30% of UK workforce y 2020

 1.  Respect years of hard won experience and put what they know to good use.

This commodity takes a lifetime to evolve, you can’t buy it but you can borrow it. Like everyone else, mature workers appreciate appreciation so delving into their personal knowledge archive could be a mutually beneficial exercise.

2. Older workers are experts in understanding the type of work that will challenge and reward their skill set.

For this reason, they may be reluctant to venture into areas of work that they’ve already written off as ‘not for them’. The good news is that this group are also much more likely than their younger colleagues to look for non-financial rewards, so get ready to appreciate and apply their stash of life experience and know how. This might well cover several areas of expertise and your new store-man/woman might also be able to fix the roof … if you ask nicely.

3. People sometimes lose confidence when life changes force a new career direction and when that happens …

Even one insignificant CV gap can psychologically overshadow 100 amazing transferable skills. Make your training proposition as visible as possible to attract candidates who are keen to learn and hope to spend years becoming more and more valuable to your organisation.

Remember, not all older (or younger) people are equal, look out for those who appreciate your company as much as you appreciate their skills.

building resilience

4. Create a truly resilient workforce. A team with the ability to see problems coming and learn from unavoidable mistakes without falling apart in the process.

Having seen it all before older workers are world experts in this field.

To make the most of this characteristic, you need to bolster the self-esteem of everyone in the team – but especially those who are returning from a period of unemployment. Make sure they know how much you value them and just as importantly, give them the tools they need to estimate their own worth to the organisation.

You can find much more information about resilience and wellbeing at work by going to www.embraceresilience.com

wellbeing at work

5. Drop the assumption that older people will take more take time off sick than others. 

While it may have a faint ring of truth to it, the most recent data tells a different story.

In 2016 those aged 25 to 34 took an average 1.5% of the working year off sick.

Meanwhile, those aged 50 to 64 averaged 1.8%. You can live with that, right?

6. One thing we know for sure is that health and well-being are very much on the agenda for all workplaces.

And the return on investment is massive. Employers who add well-being learning modules to their training agenda get a lot of kudos from their workforce. It’s an easy way to help keep your older – and younger – team members in great shape, feeling appreciated and able to work harder for longer.

For more information about adding on line well-being modules to your training agenda, see  https://embraceresilience.com/the-wellbeing-ecosystem/

7. Forward thinking employers maintain a happy and emotionally healthy workforce by building a certain amount of flexibility into the working week.

This might mean fewer working hours for some people but for others, it just calls for variety. Older workers typically have a range of skills and work experience to call on, which means you get a highly adaptable employee, with the skill and expertise to carry out more than one role in your business.

Ultimately, the perfect job for many older workers is likely to be a blend of roles which best showcase their range of experience and skill – it may also be the key to streamlining peak period staffing across your business.

Get more information about stress management and other related learning here https://embraceresilience.com/embrace-resilience-wellbeing/

And see the statistics relating to workplace stress at http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress/stress.pdf?pdf=stress

 

 

 

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Tailor Made e-Learning for Expert Employers

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Embrace Resilience and Wellbeing

Reasons to be less than cheerful, embracing the negative emotions that we all try to swerve.

why very happy people are sometimes sad

Why even very happy people are sometimes sad

No one can be happy every day because sadness is not an optional extra.

Whilst it’s normal to try to avoid the emotion, and healthy to focus on more positive feelings, buried emotions as you probably know, can snap at your heels when you least expect them. Which is why finding your own special way to manage feelings of sadness is absolutely essential to good mental health. 

Sharing experiences of all kinds really can help a lot. The process of revealing your feelings to another person fosters closeness and helps to develop a feel good sense of mutual trust. With solid friendships in your resilience toolkit, you needn’t worry about loneliness and isolation.

In fact investing time and attention in meaningful friendships is one of the best ways to develop a really effective emotional balance. People who say they can call on more than five close friends, also say they are generally happier than others, according to http://hackspirit.com/7-habits-authentically-happy-people-nothing-positive-thinking-3/ 

Friendships aside, it’s also helpful to have a great visualisation trick handy for when reality brings us face to face with sad or painful memories and experiences.

Try this one for size next time you have a blue day.

Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height.

Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches.

Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is like the roots going down into the womb of the earth.

Both are needed, and the higher a tree goes, the deeper it goes. The bigger the tree, the bigger will be its roots.

 In fact, it is always in proportion. That’s its balance.”- Osho

Go to  https://embraceresilience.com/the-wellbeing-ecosystem/for advice on building resilience and well-being into your workplace with the Wellbeing Ecosystem

 

 

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Fuller Working Lives Six Great Reasons to Hire Older Workers

 

Older workers 30% of UK workforce y 2020

The next time you need to make a hiring decision, you should seriously consider the added value of the 50+ workforce.
The Department of Work and Pensions forecast a third of the workforce will be aged over 55 by 2020. Now’s the time to sit up and pay attention to the many advantages of bringing older people into the fold because their contribution to your company could positively impact your bottom line for years to come.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/600620/fuller-working-lives-evidence-base-2017.pdf

Views on the value of older workers vary dramatically amongst employers. Some argue that older workers cost their business more and offer less. Not true. Apart from a few high-end professional positions, average wages for women peak in their late 30’s (late 40’s for men). Meaning that despite many additional years of valuable experience we actually get cheaper with age.

As the years go by we learn more and more about what makes us happiest in our working life and the kind of roles and challenges that suit us best.

As the years go by we learn more and more about what makes us happiest in our working life and the kind of roles and challenges that suit us best.

Workers in their 20’s can expect to have an average of 6 different job roles in 6 different companies during their career.

Given that the cost of repeatedly recruiting – post resignation down time, candidate selection, interviewing, induction and training – is potentially ruinous, for business and for morale, it makes good commercial sense to hire someone who knows a great job when they see one.

Years of work experience add up, and hindsight is at its most useful when used to inform process. Older workers have a greater grasp of efficiency – and the confidence that comes from knowing (rather than guessing) what works, means they’re likely to feel very comfortable sharing their ideas with management.

 

Choose your battles wisely, the resilience older woman

 

People spend a lifetime learning to choose their battles wisely. By demonstrating the value of perspective in workplace politics, an older colleague can influence the stability and personal resilience of younger employees.

Doversity of all kinds builds resilient businesses

 

A workplace full of fresh faced fast thinkers is a joy to behold, but balance and great instincts hardly ever top the typical 20 something skills list.
One of most meaningful advantages of ageing is the ability to listen and reflect. The right older worker will bring more than their fair share of common sense and equilibrium to the table.

Wellbeing workplaces older mentor embrace well-being ecosystem

 

Millennials with leadership qualities are a rare find., but millennials with refined leadership skills and applied experience are even rarer.

Millennials with refined leadership skills and applied experience are even rarer.

Life and work experience, genuine dedication to the company and a desire to make a difference are all qualities that can make older workers great mentors, trainers, counsellors and business backstops.

Contact info@embraceresilience.com for more advice on developing an exceptionally resilient workforce

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