Written by: Sam Rehan, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Let me introduce you to an organisation that prioritises wellness for its employees. This organisation understands that business success can often be attributed to staff members’ well-being and motivation: a relationship referred to as 'employee engagement. However, one particular department in the company measures higher employee engagement when compared to a similar department. There is also a noticeable contrast in staff turnover and employee sickness, and the marked difference has come to the attention of the senior leadership...
When it comes to employee wellness, we often think of keeping a good work/life balance, exercising and getting enough sleep. But as social animals, humans also thrive on their connections with one another. The human brain is wired to relate to those around it, so much so that we physically reflect back on their expressions and movements. We may feel an urge to yawn when we observe someone yawning or want to smile and chuckle when someone laughs for a long time. The urge to reflect back is triggered by specialised brain cells (mirror neurons) that mimic the actions and emotions of others.
While these instincts help us to learn, understand, and bond (for example, by laughing with each other), they can also be our undoing when the witnessed behaviour is stress-related. In short—you can catch stress.
Imagine a scenario where a department head fails to take regular breaks and only pays lip service to workplace well-being initiatives rather than taking part. This leader is restless, easily distracted and unable to focus. They have trouble being present in the moment, and they appear nervous and irritable. When this leader is demanding an update, their unrelaxed behaviour can quickly be contagious to employees, who can then mimic these behaviours. Now the stress is spreading. This second-hand stress can be very harmful to employee health and the productivity of the workplace.
Researchers have long known about the infectious nature of stress. The stress contagion effect, as it’s known, can run rampant in work settings. Mirror neurons enable us to experience other people's emotional moods and absorb others' mental strain, anxiety and tension. It gets worse... The more empathetic workers are, the more susceptible they may be. Research has even suggested that when people watched nervous speakers talk, their heart rates went up—part of the body’s stress-induced fight-or-flight response.
Employees are hugely impacted by how their leaders behave. Successful leaders cultivate a healthier workplace by making sure that they are constantly caring for themselves. Regular breaks allow them to step back and evaluate and identify the details. Thriving leaders have and use a toolkit of well-being techniques and relaxation methods to calm and turn off the false danger signal associated with stress. As a leader, be aware of your own triggers; work smart to ease stress in ways that suit you.
Perhaps due to the perceived pressures of ‘setting a positive example, some leaders do not talk openly about their struggles. But this can perpetuate the problem. Consider speaking to your teams about your stress and your personal strategies for handling it. When a leader speaks out about their personal challenges, it can cause a huge shift in their followers’ understanding. Leaders who are vulnerable adopt a mindset that can help them see things from other people's perspectives. This can start a ripple effect to bring about a much happier, healthier workplace.
One immediate step that leaders can take to reduce their own stress... Move your muscles.
Under stress, your heartbeat speeds up and you breathe faster in order to get more oxygen. The body is designed in this way to equip itself for emergency action—for example, to either fight or flee. To help combat your stress, you can do something that uses this extra boost of energy supplies. Any physical activity, like a quick stroll, helps your body burn that stress energy. One executive shared with me that she locks her office door and does a short burst of fast dancing to one song. Another manager I worked with chose to expel stress energy by using boxing moves while seated in his parked car. One immediate step that leaders can take is to support others with stress (as well as themselves)... Use a genuine smile.
Smiling with your eyes as well as your mouth (called a Duchenne smile) can help lift your mood, calm you down, and strengthen your connections with other people. Do you flash a fake smile at work? Research suggests that it may have unexpected consequences, such as worsening your mood. Smiling just for the sake of looking polite can lead to emotional exhaustion and withdrawal and is not great for organisations. When people are shown photographs of subjects with fake vs. genuine smiles and asked to spot the false and the true, they normally get around 60% right. Research has shown that when workers smile through deeper efforts, by cultivating pleasant thoughts and memories, their moods improve, and their productivity increases.
With a genuine smile, your brain starts to feel more positive emotions. It shows you’re relaxed and comfortable, which aids relationships and communication. You radiate confidence and warmth, and others are more comfortable approaching and engaging with you. In addition, when you smile at someone, they tend to smile back—as we mentioned earlier, our brain cells (neurons) pick up and mimic the body language and facial expressions of those around us. By smiling, you can activate the neurons of others and get them smiling too, and they will start feeling more positive and receptive around you. The more this happens, the more positive experiences you’ll have with your co-workers and peers.
As a leader, make your own well-being a genuine daily concern and prioritise your self-care habits. Watch how this tangibly supports your employees' health—or instead, watch them leave.
My productivity tip: Surround yourself with images of people smiling and laughing as a reminder of the power of mirror neurons. Be aware of your behaviour and let your team catch the contagion of smiling instead of stress.
Some extracts are taken from the author's book, Laugh More: Soar in Your Health, Career and Relationships (Sam Rehan, 2020).
Sam is a Wellness Professional and a highly experienced workplace trainer. Sam has shared her smile and supportive strengthening techniques with humans in over 44 locations worldwide. Sam works with individuals, employees and leaders to access more well-being easily, FAST with sustainable results. Her aim is for everyone to have a positive experience. She teaches you to Be well. Work Well. Lead Well SamRehan.com
Sam Rehan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sam Rehan is a high-impact well-being motivator, wellness professional, author and speaker with an exceptional track record. Sam has been a corporate trainer for 21 years and has over 30+ years of expertise working in everything from corporate training and management to health, science, and scientific research, to holistic therapies and cognitive coaching.
Sam’s motto is: Be Well. Work Well. Lead Well. She currently helps teams and individuals in high-pressure environments to reduce anxiety, accelerate thinking, and integrate sustainable self-care techniques into their lives. Sam’s gentle, nurturing, yet highly transformative methods are all backed by real science with a focus on long-term success. She not only teaches these methods to her clients but lives and models them in her own life as well.
At age 50, Sam continues to teach happy aging and improved wellness with her trademark approach, utilising the lightness of laughter, powerful relaxation techniques, and her magnetic energy and enthusiasm – all of which are on clear display in her breakthrough book, Laugh More: Soar In Your Health, Career and Relationships.
References:
DimitroffSJ,Kardan O,Necka EA,DecetyJ,Berman MG,Norman GJ.Physiologicaldynamicsofstresscontagion.SciRep.2017;7(1):6168.Published2017Jul2
