The holiday season is an opportunity to unwind and relax with family and friends. Everyone should step away from the daily grind and forget about work sometimes.
However, mental fatigue remains a big issue — especially at this time of year. What’s more, research suggests it has a measurable effect on behavior, leaving people exhausted, unproductive, and more likely to be aggressive.
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So, how can you effectively deal with mental fatigue? Six business leaders tell us how they combat workplace pressures.
1. Listen to your body
James Fleming, CIO at the Francis Crick Institute, said professionals must recognize when they are mentally tired.
“Don’t just say, ‘I’ll work a few more hours and try and cram more,'” he said. “Respect that you do fall off in terms of performance, and you will not do your best work when you’re exhausted.”
Fleming told ZDNET how this sense of self-respect has made him a better manager.
“The more I’m disciplined, the more I’m disciplined upwards,” he said. “You can email me over the weekend. However, it doesn’t matter how high you are in the organization — unless the office is on fire, it’s waiting until Monday morning.”
Fleming said establishing those boundaries means you remove the perpetual fear that any time that you’re awake is work time.
“You respect those boundaries, they’re respected downstream as well, and among your team, and you create a better culture because of it — and hopefully you all succeed.”
2. Know your responsibilities
Keith Woolley, chief digital and information officer at the University of Bristol, said a good team around you will share the load and help reduce the strain.
“As a senior IT professional, you constantly have to reassess your operating environment, and you can’t take it all on,” he said.
“You’ll have to be able to prioritize the things you need to focus on right now. Have the right team around you, where you can delegate correctly.”
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Woolley told ZDNET that his team members have clearly defined authorities to ensure people know their responsibilities.
He manages a team of 300 people, including six direct reports. Mental strength comes from great teamwork.
“Look after each other. Be part of that whole process. Make sure that you’ve got the human factor,” he said. “Be very clear around expectations. We’re all human at the end of the day; there’s only so much you can do.”
3. Develop coping strategies
Wendy Redshaw, chief digital information officer at NatWest Retail Bank, said she uses micro strategies to overcome mental fatigue.
“One of the things I do is to look for things to be grateful for all the time,” she said. “I find that approach is so calming. I’m looking out my window now, and I can see the sky. It’s beautiful. It’s blue, and just being grateful calms me down.”
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Redshaw told ZDNET she also turns challenging meetings or situations into learning opportunities. Rather than seeing people as difficult, she assumes they want to enlighten her.
“Then, you suddenly step into being curious. You’re like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting. I wonder, wonder why that’s happening?'” she said. “That approach completely disarms whatever was giving you stress, turns it into a game, and makes it something you can learn from.”
4. Stay curious
Niall Robinson, head of product innovation at the Met Office, said embracing change is the best way to deal with mental fatigue.
“I think that’s about taking nourishment from the curiosity side of things, constantly learning new things, and ensuring every day is a school day,” he said.
“What keeps me going is thinking about where we could go next. The world’s changing very fast. Our context is changing very fast. And I find that exciting.”
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Robinson explained to ZDNET how the skills he learned in academia have helped him take a curious approach to change.
“There are more transferable skills than people might appreciate. Dealing with high levels of uncertainty is something every successful PhD student has to go through.”
5. Use the right tools
Dave Moyes, partner of information and digital systems at SimpsonHaugh Architects, said a good work/life balance is crucial — and technology can play an enabling role.
Moyes told ZDNET that his practice is spending £1.21 million on its technological platform, which includes Citrix Virtual Apps, Nvidia GPUs, and ControlUp’s DEX platform.
“A lot of the things we’ve put in place around Citrix, remote working, and AI is to try and give people time,” he said. “It’s the one commodity organizations undervalue so much. Our approach is about giving our employees space to breathe.”
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Moyes said he hopes this combination of technology and an effective remote-working strategy help lessen the risk of stress.
“Anything we can do to try and reduce those loads, particularly around work, can only be a benefit,” he said.
“The industry we’re in is high pressure. It’s a very competitive and aggressive marketplace. So, anything we can do to make people feel more creative and get the right tools to help them support their creativity can only be a win/win.”
6. Find a supportive culture
Raymond Boyle, vice president of data and analytics at Hyatt Hotels, said you must enjoy your job and the people you work with.
“Work your way through the tougher conversations as a group and ensure you’ve got those issues on the table,” he said.
Boyle told ZDNET that the right company fosters a working environment that is highly engaged and collaborative.
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“Hyatt has a culture of care. The way the company functions is open and with high trust,” he said. “I think you’ve got to have a lot of openness and high trust in a world where we’re trying to work through the implications of AI and the opportunities with data.”
Boyle said you can manage mental fatigue if you’re part of a workplace culture that encourages you to work through issues.
“People talk about having a sense of security in the work they do. I think that’s important psychologically.”
