Eight lessons to support your return to work

The transition can hit hard when you return to work after a break. You are often returning to a workplace that seems exceptionally familiar but also so different. There may be new team members or management to get to know, whilst you work out who you are after your time away. Supporting a person through their return to work is multifaceted; the reason for their leave may still exist – such as stress, illness, or grief – or they may be juggling with a new version of themselves – through parental or adoption leave. So many people put unnecessary pressure on themselves when they return, whilst others don’t always have the most supportive environment to return to. With all this in mind, I want to share with you eight books, and the lessons within them, that may support your return to work.

I’ve dug down into my book reviews, right back to March 2017, to create this list. Whilst (unsurprisingly, bearing in mind it’s what I coach on) return to work is a common topic for my articles, this is the first time I have reviewed the lessons learned with returning to work in mind.

 

So, without further ado, let me share eight books, and the lessons within them, to help support a return to work.

 

1. Review your work (and life) through PERMA.

In Flourish, Martin Seligman talks about his life work, PERMA, which stands for Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment. This is the framework that he believes, and his research supports, creates a life and a world of positive well-being. He argues that the ongoing aspiration of happiness, on its own, isn’t enough, but that the outcomes of happiness are something that should be taken more seriously.

View your work and life through these elements; what do you have, and what you want more of?

 

2. Emotions aren’t a distraction, they are communication.

This message hits home during Chapter Four within “ No hard feelings” , which is about decision-making. The key to the equation is considering the RELEVANT emotions; what does our reaction tell us about the decision and what is it trying to tell you?

Understanding that listening to your feelings is different from acting on them but noticing them is important. This is an important lesson, not just for decision making, but for all aspects of our lives.

 

3. Rework your expectations around your workload.

So many of us battle with the wish to rest versus the desire to take every opportunity, often sacrificing health, relationships, or our own needs to make sure they happen. The simple message within “Four Thousand Weeks” is simply accepting that you cannot do everything. That isn’t a personality failure, or an issue of discipline, but human nature. You will have to let things go to live a decent life! Let go of the FOMO!

 

4. Examine who you are surrounded by.

We have all heard the phrase “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Atomic Habits shows us the habit-forming power of being connected to the people who have the identity you want, and the cultural norms within that group. We can not only see the impact of being surrounded by people who are who you want to be but also the negative impact of being around people who show the behaviours you want to reduce or stop. Who do you need within your circle?

5. Productivity isn’t always an activity.

I LOVE this quote from page 108 of Struggle by Grace Marshall;  “productivity is knowing when to work and when to let the work breathe.”  We have all been primed to think we need to be in motion or always producing something tangible. Sometimes our best work or ideas are created when we step away from work and place our attention elsewhere. We have all been there, pushing through low energy, stress, or distraction; sometimes the best way to be productive is to STOP! Are you making enough space in your day to just create and think?

 

6. The smallest thing can make the biggest difference.

The concept of marginal gains is slowly making its way into the day-to-day conversation. It also appears in Trusted. You may have heard it as the “1% rule”; “If you improve every area by just 1% and there is a 1% margin for improvement in everything you do, those small gains would add up to remarkable improvement. So, look at all areas that make up you; your career and your life, and decide what slight changes could add up to something quite brilliant! When you want to make improvements or changes, start small; it all adds up!

7. You can improve your memory.

The emotional load that comes with returning to work can mean our memory takes time to reset, but did you know that we can support our memory with imagery? Within “How to Remember Everything” we are told about researcher Allan Paivio, and their cognitive psychology model called the “Dual Coding Theory”. Simply put, this shows that the brain remembers visual information very well. The brain sees pictures, and then associates words to them: it remembers the visual and the verbal! So, when you are trying to remember information, don’t try and remember the words. Create a visual representation and it doubles your memory power!

 

8. It’s never too late to learn new things.

In the early 1990s, it was discovered that the brain is adaptable and can learn new things. As technology has developed, the ability to measure the way the brain structures change in the areas associated with new information has developed. In “Peak” we learn about Black Cab taxi drivers, who show that their posterior hippocampus (associated with memory and spatial awareness) grew when they learned the “knowledge” and those learning to read braille had an increase in the areas of the brain associated to an increased sensitivity of their three “reading” fingers, plus the parts of the brain that “light” up, as the same when sighted people read. The brain is still massively undiscovered, but it has been shown to grow, change and develop depending on the parts that are needed; much like a physical muscle, it develops with continued use. So, you CAN remember what you did before, and learn new things, over time. You just need to be patient.

 

I’ll be honest, I’ve had to work hard to cut this down to just these eight lessons; the variety of books within my personal development book club hold a wealth of information that can help those returning to work after a break. After you have worked through this list, feel free to peruse the list!

I’d love to know about any books that have helped you in your return to work. Share them below!