Prioritize Downtime for a Competitive Strategic Edge

Credit unions must continually envision ways to innovate and improve member service to survive and thrive in this complex and changing talent and strategic execution environment. At stake is the ability to attract and retain members and also to attract and retain talented employees. Innovation that improves the engagement and productivity of the workforce serves both goals. The impulse to compete through encouraging longer and harder work by employees, however, can produce the opposite effect by diminishing productivity and creativity. Given how our brains are structured, mental energy diminishes throughout the day if it’s not refreshed. The brain needs downtime and quiet spaces during the day to remain productive, gain perspective and generate creative ideas.

Yet, in today’s current environment, people feel stress from both work and personal life, lack engagement, and are becoming more and more unfocused from our constant technology bombardment. Gallup reported work is a primary source of stress. About eight in 10 Americans experience stress frequently or at times during the day and incur the related psychological and physical cost. It is ever more important for people to make time for quiet unplugged moments that are essential for well-being, even if it appears impossible to achieve and for leaders to encourage this for team members.

Contrast stress-filled busyness with the quiet time that Albert Einstein allowed himself. His biographer, Walter Isaacson, described how Einstein, one of the most creative minds of the 20th century, would pass hours alone thinking, often during long walks in nature or sailing on his boat. Serene quiet times produced creative and novel answers to difficult problems.

Realizing creativity and clarity in quiet unstructured time is not unique to a genius like Einstein. It is a function of how the brain works. Cognitive neuroscience’s investigation of creativity, which employs brain scanning technology, is uncovering the workings of the brain. Science confirms the importance of downtime to refresh the brain and allow creative thoughts to arise.

In one series of studies, Dr. Roger Beaty at Penn State led an international team of researchers who identified patterns of brain connectivity associated with novel idea generation. While relaxing or daydreaming, when the mind is not occupied with a task, the brain is still working. Important processes are occurring, particularly in a neural network called the default mode network (DMN). Even in this “resting” state, the brain consumes about 20% of the body’s energy production; when the brain is deep in concentration, it uses only 5% to 10% more. Beaty and his team found that creative thought appears to emerge when the areas of the brain associated with focus and memory engage with the DMN. Like Einstein, our quiet moments lost in thought are possibly the times we are most open to novel, creative and innovative thinking.

Well-structured downtime for employees can improve productivity, engagement and well-being. Harvard Business School’s Dr. Leslie Perlow’s research, involving professionals with demanding positions, documented that mandatory, specific, predictable time away from work and devices improved both productivity and employee well-being. In Perlow’s study, managers, team members and the individual made sure that each person took their regular scheduled personal time without exception. The professionals were better able to prioritize work, and each person knew that the team members had their back, in the same way that they would cover for others on the team. People felt refreshed. They experienced their work as more fulfilling. Work products improved, engagement increased and turnover decreased.

Companies are increasingly providing quiet spaces to improve employee well-being and workplace function. This is especially important for millennials and Gen Z employees, who are just entering the workforce. There are a myriad of imaginative ways to integrate quiet time into the culture, like acknowledging that the afternoon post-lunch slump exists and providing ways to address it. Companies are attending to this prime-time need for mental replenishment by providing time and places for walks outside, for example. To really benefit, employees leave their phones back at the office. Additionally, lounges may be available for a brief rest. Naps of no more than 20 minutes can let people start anew. Mindfulness meditation has proven benefits in creativity, concentration and health, and an increasing number of companies teach, encourage and support this technique.

For credit union leaders, well-structured opportunities for employees to recharge and refresh benefits the organization through enhanced productivity and increased employee satisfaction, engagement and retention. For employees, a commitment to personal quiet time each day is a commitment to oneself. As the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said: “Silence is a source of great strength.”

Stuart R. Levine is Chairman and CEO for Stuart Levine & Associates LLC.