6AM’s 15+ Culture Hacks – Maintaining Mental Wellbeing & Vibe in the Tribe during Lockdown

In March 2020 the world was collectively thrown into turmoil as the Covid-19 pandemic made an unexpected appearance in every corner of the globe. It has forever changed the way  we live and work.

Eighteen months on, suddenly hard lockdowns mean we are still navigating life in a pandemic: closed borders, no travel, deep isolating restrictions are all very much still centre stage in our lives. But as humans we learn to adapt, we soldier on, that’s what we do. We try to look forward.

As a specialist wellbeing and good living business, at The 6AM Agency we have always acknowledged the importance of supporting both the mental and physical wellbeing of our team, through connectedness and support, particularly in times of lockdown and working in isolation. This has played a critical role in boosting motivation, team engagement and has helped nurture our people and cultivate resilience.

Each week the agency delivers on at least two of its ‘wellbeing’ activities, decided upon by either a group activity or something unique for someone in need of special support. All are designed to be personalised to connect at a deeper level, fun or emotionally nurturing and delivering instantaneous gratification.

• Daily Check-In Connectors – morning team meetings and sunset check outs enable us to keep on top of work as see how we are faring, and who needs support. Sunset check outs bring clarity to end of day, as lines are blurred between work and personal time at home.
• Lockdown means a 9.5 day fortnight – fortnightly on a Friday the agency shuts down at 12.30pm for Self-Care Friday, to give the team time to engage in activities which fulfil, replenish and uplift.
• We take Mental Wellbeing very seriously – we provide on demand support for all team members to book in with a long-standing people coach in confidence to talk about anything on their mind – work or personal challenges such as managing isolation, home schooling or even the strains of financial issues..
• Fortnightly ‘Stop and Drop’ Connectors – themed team socials include fun activities that help us get to know each other better – be it Show and Tell, Charades, Trivia, live fiction writing, competitive word roulette, virtual celebrity heads, dancing charades or baby photo competitions, with a $30 book voucher for the winner. Who doesn’t want to buy a book to read in lockdown?
• Bespoke Microsoft Teams channels from Wellbeing to Inspo & Insights and even 6ASX to learn about share trading, designed to fill our team with ideas and also celebrate successes. All are encouraged to share content.
• Surprise and delight deliveries – throughout the weeks, to team members to lift their spirits, celebrate wins and bring joy to the day – books, cakes, teacups, flowers and other special treats
• Step into Spring – walking meetings and encouragement to get outdoors at least once a day for a dose of Vitamin D and get out of our home office
• Virtual Weekly Snaps – Peer-driven team shout-outs for great work and intent, shared at our weekly Monday All Agency meeting
• Training on Tap – the team is encouraged to sign up to a course they’ve always wanted to do from design to SEO to French language, team members select, agency pays.
• Anonymous Feedback – through Office Vibe – continual monitoring and feedback on the mood, motivation of the team measuring all aspects of craft, culture and activities to ensure we can see how everyone is feeling
• Personalisation goes a long way – Handwritten greeting cards from the leadership team to say thanks, to uplift and motivate.
• R U OK Day – meaningful sessions to help traverse this challenging time, facilitated by an expert people coach, sensitive to the needs of the team
• Accolades and celebrations for GREAT WORK and PERFORMANCE – Career planning during lockdown delivers a focus on an opportunity to shine.
• Our Furry Friends bring us Joy – without doubt the presence of our three 6AM furry friends – Miss Lola, Layla and Mowgli are the highlight of our meetings and set us up for uplifting moments!

Transparent communication, an ‘open door’ policy and genuinely investing time to get to know the humans who are our team during times of intense change and uncertainty is key to bringing to life the authentic kindness and care and mental wellbeing during lockdown. One step at a time, we will reach the other side.

We would love to hear of any cool ideas you have to share to make life better during these lockdown times. Feel free to share by emailing hello@the6amagency.com.au