Today is the national day of reflection, a day to mark the anniversary of the UK’s first Covid lockdown where those who died during the pandemic will be remembered and people can reflect on the past year. As part of the day of reflection, there will be a doorstep vigil at 8PM where it is hoped people will create a nationwide beacon of light from their doorsteps by beaming phones, candles, and torches into the night sky.

Here at AJ, we wanted to take part in the national day of reflection by also using it to reflect on the good and the positives that have come out of an incredibly difficult year. As a team we have been discussing and sharing what good things have happened in the last year, what we have achieved and what we are proud of. This has been a real morale booster and helped to drive engagement in our own team. Perhaps this is something you can replicate in your organisation to help positively drive team engagement.

Take a look at our team’s reflections on:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook

It is important now more than ever to focus on the health and well-being of both yourselves and of others around you, especially in the current climate, where pressures from the pandemic will be having a greater effect on your employees.

Here are a few statistics:

• 676 million people are affected by mental health issues worldwide.
• 1 in 4 adults in the UK will experience a mental health issue per year – this figure is the diagnosed number, so the true statistic will be far higher.
• According to a survey from the Mental Health Foundation, 54% of the adult UK population have felt anxious, worried, or stressed over the last few months, specifically because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can become stressed when you have been through a time that has been traumatic, and this can cause you to go into what is called a ‘sympathetic state’. When in this state you go into overdrive to survive and your fight or flight instincts kick in. This can occur both personally and also within organisations and the Covid pandemic has proven this. When in a ‘sympathetic state’ it is important to recognise this in yourself and in your workforce and take the appropriate steps to help move back into a ‘parasympathetic state’, the place where we are able to rest well and our well-being is in a positive place enabling us to do our best work.

The national day of reflection can be used to remember the good and the positives that have come out of a really difficult time. Use it as a turning point to reset from what has been a gruelling and demanding year in ways nobody could have expected, and to help get back to a more positive place for ourselves, organisations, and our teams.

We also recommend reading ‘The Positive Dog’ by Jon Gordon: A story about the power of positivity
This book will help you and your teams to discover the benefits of being positive. We all have two dogs inside of us. One dog is positive, happy, optimistic, and hopeful. The other dog is negative, mad, sad, pessimistic, and fearful. These two dogs often fight inside us, but guess who wins the fight? The one you feed the most. The Positive Dog is an inspiring, heart-warming story that not only reveals the strategies and benefits of being positive but also an essential truth for humans: Being positive doesn’t just make you better. It makes everyone around you better.

So, what have you or your teams done in the last 12 months that has been good or positive that you can reflect on?

If you would like to discuss the above further, please let us know. To get in touch please email [email protected] or call us on 03305 552233

As a specialist, family-run recruitment business, we provide a proactive and consultative approach to recruitment. We help organisations to target issues such as continuity of staffing, reducing spend where you have a high volume of agency usage, and supporting those who have specific talent requirements or are in hard-to-fill locations. We can help with any immediate staffing requirements or longer-term recruitment projects to ultimately save you time and money on agency spend.

Click here to see what our clients say about how we have supported them throughout the pandemic.