In an always-on world, it’s difficult to shut off devices and take time for self-reflection. Here we’ll discuss the benefits, and how it can exponentially increase productivity and workplace relationships.
Five days a year. That’s how often BetterUp shuts down so that all employees put down phones, cancel meetings and instead head inward to personal growth our CEO, Alexi Robichaux, dubbed “Inner Work Days.â€
On Inner Work Days, we cease all external work, completely unplug, and shift our attention to the inner world within us. How we do this is up to each individual, but recommended practices include mindfulness, hiking, or reading books that promote deep reflection. Â
It sounds fantastic to spend five days a year out of the office focused on any form of self-reflection we wish, but it’s also highly practical. In fact, Inner Work Days can be critical to human flourishing and thus worker performance, building a better world, at work and at home. Â Here are six examples of how Inner Work Days can make an impact:
Support healthy relationships
Consider what it means to have team members who are markedly less reactive to negative situations. When employees make time for inner work, they are better able to respond vs react to challenging interpersonal situations.
When we return to the office, we are given a forum to share our experiences if we choose. The stories we hear are inspiring, and often vulnerable. It’s a rare privilege to get such a meaningful glimpse into a colleague’s inner world.
Foster positive development
Inner work is effective in mitigating negative interactions and boosting positive ones. A recent study from Harvard demonstrated that after just 8 weeks and 24 total hours of mindfulness training, a group of 6th graders demonstrated notable shifts on brain scans. Specifically, their amygdalas, the part of the brain that responds to fear, were less reactive. Studies focused on adultsOpens a new window show a similarly striking impact of the practice on the structure of the brain.
Promote equal access
One question I’d expect others to have is, “Why can’t you just do inner work outside of work hours?†This is a great question, and many people do, but for those with significant external responsibilities, such as caring for young children or aging parents, unstructured time outside of work hours is just not readily available. After their first Inner Work Day, new employees who happen to be parents often share that this was the first day in years that they actually time for themselves, without a specific “to do†item.
Complement a vacation policy
Research shows time off from work reduces stress and boosts productivity. But a vacation policy alone is not enough to encourage employees to step away. Many employees don’t use their allocated vacation days. When we do take a vacation, most of us work while off.
When it comes to unplugging from the day to day, Inner Work Days counteract some of the ways vacation policies fall short. According to the 2018 State of American Vacation reportOpens a new window , the top reasons employees cite for not taking days off include the fear of looking replaceable and overly heavy workloads. When the whole team is off for a strongly encouraged Inner Work Day, these concerns lose relevance.
Inner Work Days should never replace a vacation policy but rather can serve as a complement.
Encourage ownership
When discussing the notable impact of inner work on an individual’s brain structure, I specifically referred to research measuring the impact of mindfulness. A logical next question would be, “Why not hone in on one specific approach that we know works, like mindfulness?†While this question makes sense, the decision to focus on Inner Work more broadly is intentional. Inner Work is inherently personal. The benefits increase with sustained practice. I personally am a long-time mindfulness practitioner, but as an executive coach, I remind my clients that the most effective inner work you can do, is whatever kind you will actually do. When it comes to encouraging inner work, it’s important to do so in a way that is as expansive and non-prescriptive as the practice itself.
The best work starts within
Dedicating time for inner work can be a game changer for performance and retention. And while five Inner Work Days a year is great, it’s important to share that there other ways to incorporate inner work into the fabric of one’s culture. Not every organization can give full days devoted to inner work, but most can offer helpful nudges to incorporate it into the day-to-day in small chunks of time. The best work output starts within, and it is, therefore, critical to embrace inner work as a valid part of any workday.
As Alexi says, “The reality is that when we’re buried deep under a pile of outer work, it’s difficult to get to that 10x place creatively. That’s because good knowledge work is about how you think, not just what you do. And, how you think isn’t outer work. It’s inner work.â€