Did you know that we receive 11 million bits of information every second, but the executive, thinking centers of our brain can effectively process only 40 bits of information? Shawn Achor, co-founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and author of The Happiness Advantage stated so in the Harvard Business Review, highlighting the importance of building resilience by compartmentalising your cognitive load.
But what is resilience? According to Psychology Today, resilience can be defined as ‘Resilience is the psychological quality that allows some people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back at least as strong as before.’ We all know that tech can be one of the most demanding industries to work in- can harnessing resilience be the superpower to remaining happy and healthy in the face of any challenge? We look at common scenarios that tech professionals face and suggest ways to build resilience to overcome stress and remain focussed on your own goals.
Tight Deadlines and High-Pressure Environments:
Be it an engineering deployment, a product discovery presentation, a sales negotiation or a marketing campaign, tech projects often have tight deadlines and demanding schedules. Resilience helps workers manage stress, prioritize tasks effectively, and maintain focus under pressure. One aspect of resilience is emotional regulation, which is particularly helpful when the pressure is mounting. How to do this? I like to release stress by drawing or scribbling notes during an intense meeting, others may find journaling or deep breathing exercises really helpful. The trick is to do these emotional regulation exercises in the moment, or if it’s not immediately possible, then as soon as possible afterwards. This helps your body to release stress quickly and avoid the stress mounting and taking its toll throughout the day.
Rapid Technological Change:
We can barely believe that AI burst onto the scene two years ago. In a short amount of time, AI itself has changed the way we work and live. Most tech professionals will be used to the transformative nature of tech, as it is constantly evolving and responding to new products, innovative forces and market demands. And as new technologies, frameworks, and tools emerge quickly, this makes it essential for anyone in tech to consistently learn and be on top of cutting edge technologies so that they can keep up to speed with the skills that employers need.
So in the continuous flow of learning, where does resilience come in? Resilience exercised through cognitive flexibility can help us to embrace these changes as opportunities for growth rather than as threats to our skills. By effectively reframing negative or challenging thoughts, we make way for confidence and a more growth oriented mindset. The next time you find yourself worrying about whether AI will take your job or if you need an MBA or doctorate to progress to senior management, ask yourself, ‘What skills can I learn that bring me closer to a more fulfilling role’? It is important to acknowledge worries as valid yet also to take action by seeking out projects or courses that align with your values and professional goals.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance:
The fast-paced nature of tech work can easily lead to burnout if not managed properly. Resilience helps workers establish healthy boundaries between work and personal life, prioritize self-care, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
If we had a penny for every time someone mentioned work-life balance! In today’s digitalised world, it is too easy for the boundaries to become blurred. It’s easy to say that you won’t check your emails when you’re not at work, but with remote working, many of us work where we live, so even if we have clear boundaries around work, it can still feel harder to switch. A good way to cultivate boundaries is to fill your personal life with plenty of self-care rituals that help you to rebalance energy spent during the day, such as eating healthy foods and scheduling breaks to enjoy snacks or calling someone you care about. Resting is also incredibly important: making sure you have enough sleep as well as time to ‘do nothing’, (yes, being unproductive is good for you!) allows your brain to properly switch off and wind down. Another component of resilience is how good your social support system is: how often do you see your friends? Do you spend enough quality time with your partner and children? Feeling supported and connected to your friends and loved ones is key to balancing everyday stress, as you can lean on these connections if the going ever gets tough.
There are many ways to cultivate resilience in life however we hope these scenarios and tips are helpful, regardless of situation. It’s also good to remember that cultivating resilience is like training for a marathon, so expect slow and steady progress over time. We may not have control over our careers but we can have immense control of our wellbeing by mastering resilience techniques that enable us to unlock unprecedented levels of growth and the ability to overcome adversity.
Mental health at work: it’s a topic we’re used to hearing about. But how can we actually make space in our working lives to promote our mental wellbeing?
What risks are there?
Let’s consider the risks posed by our jobs. Yes, as developers or tech professionals, there are inherent risks posed by our chosen trade!
Firstly, let’s acknowledge that there is still a stigma attached to talking about mental health, particularly at work. If you ever have concerns, speak with your Taxdoo people team and also your health practitioner who can advise you of the best route to take.
Secondly, tech is inherently fast-paced, projects are tied to go-live dates and communication can be pressurised. Let’s face it, the stress of deadlines and implementation unknowns are inherent to software engineering. Furthermore, the nature of remote work or even hybrid limit social interaction- often a boon for productivity but not for your mental health in the long run.
So, what steps can we take to care for our mental health as busy tech professionals (a heavy hint dropped with ‘steps’)?
Read on for suggestions.
What can tech professionals do?
Mind and body are connected.
Movement helps.
The theme of World Mental Awareness Week 2024 is Movement: Moving more for our mental health’, according to the Mental Health Foundation.
Based on the concept that the mind and body are connected, movement helps to boost mood and promote feelings of empowerment and stress release. As desk workers, we lead sedentary lives which poses not only physical but also mental health risks if not managed properly.
Taking this year’s theme into account, why not consider ways to get up, out and about to help keep your brain healthy?
Some fantastic suggestions include:
- Create a playlist that motivates you to go for a walk or a run
- Set a timer to do work and do some chair yoga every time it pings
- Associate movement with a break or treat: plan things to look forward to like a lunchtime walk to a new coffee shop or a hike with friends at the weekend
If you are someone who lives with a long-term health condition or disability, you may find movement difficult. Not to worry! Focus on what you can do and how you can create a mind-body connection that can limit the effects of stressful desk jobs. The Mental Health Foundation shares the lived experiences of staying active for your mental welllbeing, despite living with a long-term health condition.
According to the British Medical Journal, ‘Poor nutrition may be a causal factor in the experience of low mood…’ This is not to say that you should never treat yourself to a packet of crisps or your favourite chocolate bar, more to consider the entirety of your diet and whether it is balanced and that you are eating regularly.
Although more research on the link between nutrition and mental health are needed, why not consider whether incorporating elements of the Mediterranean diet into your cooking routine may be beneficial. How come? As a non-restrictive diet, it’s easier to adhere to and boast benefits such as better sleep as well as improved mental health. Either way, any balanced diet that improves gut health is good for boosting mental health and combatting the effects of stress.
Speaking of stress, many of us have been there: when a deadline looms, it’s tempting to reach for some comfort food. This isn’t a bad thing but if it becomes a habit, you might need to be more treat-aware. Afterall, we know that excessive consumption of trans fats can wreak havoc on our gut microbiome and immune system, so it might not hurt to keep an eye out for a healthier choice the next time you reach for a snack.
As much as working remotely can be flexible, allow for travel and more time with family and friends, it can also mean spending most of your working week alone. But alone doesn’t need to mean lonely, especially if you focus on building connection with your co-workers, as well as being productive. At Taxdoo, we encourage employees to go for in-person and virtual coffees- we’ve installed an app that reminds colleagues to reach out and schedule time to socialise.
Interestingly, Scott Stockdale from Gun.io recommends encouraging employees to give, which can promote connection and takes the focus away from personal feelings of detachment towards feel-good memories of helping others out.
Given this, why not offer mentoring or coaching to junior developers? It’s a tough job market, especially for those with little experience, and they would benefit from your help and guidance.
We all know how stressful it can be when the end of the sprint is coming up or the project deadline is on the horizon, and we somehow have more work than we expected.
It’s normal for humans to not always accurately predict how quickly work can get done, but it’s important to be realistic when communicating this. If the project turns out to be more complex than expected, speak up soon- it will help your project or product manager know that you are invested in delivery as much as they are and will contribute to perhaps getting more time or resources to complete the work. Viktor Iyomipo shared his personal experience of a project that focussed on rebuilding an entire web app based on legacy code, how it impacted his mental health and how he recognises his own triggers and project ‘red flags’ to guard against experiencing burn out again. Stockdale also mentions that he finds ‘fear setting’ helpful: made famous by Tim Ferris, fear setting is the practice of writing down your worries, rating their impact on your life if they were to ever happen and writing down how you could prevent or repair these situations if they were to ever come to fruition. Perhaps when the mid-project meltdown rears it’s head, perhaps getting a pen and a piece of paper out might help you to be mindful that you are resourceful and able to handle even the worst scenario, despite the slim chances of it occurring.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, nothing is ever worth sacrificing your health for. We are lucky to work in an industry where we will always find great opportunities: the same unlimited chances cannot be applied to our health and that’s why everyone should make their own health their top priority.
On Mental Health Day this year, what intentions will you be setting to keep well?
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Hello World, this is Onboarding
Almost 150 new colleagues. This was the badge we wore with the most pride in 2021. So many fresh and excited new-joiners started their Taxdoo journey with us: all coming from various industries and different backgrounds. At Taxdoo, we believe in the beauty of diversity. In fact, we aim for it, because we know that when different skill sets, experience levels, and cultures mix together, magic happens.
Working hard but happily over the years in the People Experience Team to develop our onboarding approach, we decided to take it to the next level. Quality being our passion, we know that you only get one chance to make a first impression.
My name is Kristin, and over the past few months, I’ve been working on designing and evaluating the content for the Taxdoo onboarding experience and making sure that it’s tailored to the individual paths of all of our employees. By having a dedicated People Experience team and in close collaboration with our recruiters and teams, we make sure that the newbie feels welcomed and is equipped with everything needed to get started.
Today, I’ll be taking you on a journey to explore what it took to develop our mission and execute our vision when it comes to welcoming all our new joiners.
Since the start of the pandemic, a lot of our colleagues began their new journey with us from home. And because our team is made up of people from not only all corners of Germany, but also from different countries, we like to do our onboarding virtually. Apart from just creating content and making it available to all, we like to create it in a way that makes it engaging, but also allows for the process to be scalable.
Keeping our goal “Let’s maximize your impact” in mind, from day one we have been aiming at building an empowering onboarding experience that demonstrates the impact of all Taxis. Inspired by a favorite Benjamin Franklin quote that you see above, we encourage everyone to get involved by showing that their input is crucial to the company’s success – even from the beginning when they’re still new to Taxdoo.
This by itself fosters an environment of collaboration, allowing everyone to simultaneously experience how their work impacts other teams, and how other teams’ work impacts their own.
All under one roof
We know that learning is highly individual. Exactly because of this, we launched our first Learning Management System back in June. To keep it short, we either call it the LMS, or Learndoo: a name chosen by our team, perfectly encapsulating our collaboration approach.
Learndoo is not only here to make the lives of each of our Taxis much easier, but it also helps us in creating a more personalized, trackable, and automated experience for everyone – all that under one roof. As every day is a work in progress, we are now in the stage of reviewing all the content, making it more precise and impactful, and transforming it into engaging e-Learning formats, such as videos, animations, quizzes, and exercises that will help our employees track their own progress.
As collaboration plays an essential role in our process, we rely on the experts in our team to provide the Learning content. This allows the Learning Experience Team to focus on identifying the best ways for learning and optimize the processes even further.
Fast or slow, we encourage all
Time is valuable, and we know that. Being self-determined and learning at one’s own pace is essential when easing into a new role. Our high-quality and up-to-date content in a one-stop platform equips everyone with the necessary knowledge, all whilst providing them with an overview of our mission and vision, and making the whole experience as flexible as can be.
It doesn’t matter if someone prefers to do a deep-dive into the Onboarding in their first days and only concentrate on that, or they would rather have a balance between that, and getting acquainted with the team: Learndoo provides our new joiners with the perfect opportunity to work on their onboarding as they go. Equipped with its own learning dashboard and all the tools needed for acing each section, our LMS offers the support and the overview needed to get started.
Personal contact and bonding
We realize the importance of these two. Some people prefer working from home, while others love the environment they feel that only an office can provide. All we can do as an employer is to encourage everyone to work where they feel most productive, but still know that there is another option for them. We remain committed to synchronous video sessions like daily morning get-togethers or “Meet the Team” meetings. These are perfect platforms for getting to know each other. For those who want an even more social touch beyond the screen, social gatherings and events are the perfect glimpses into the Taxdoo company culture.
Personal contact and bonding can be difficult to construct in a remote-first office. This is why one of the first things a newbie learns about is Donuts. Donuts are 30-minute (more or less) conversations with another Taxi about anything they want and we encourage it to not be work-related. It can be done face-to-face, over a video call, in a coffee shop, or whilst having a walk. Anything goes. The only thing each newbie has to remember is: a donut a day keeps discomfort away.
Culture is key
Especially in the first weeks, there is a steep learning curve where anyone can feel overwhelmed by all the content. What we especially consider during onboarding is that learning not only refers to knowledge and skills but also to the newbie’s mindset and experiences. At Taxdoo we believe that it is not about knowing all the answers but about feeling confident and knowing who to ask when you feel unsure.
Ours is a culture of knowledge sharing, constructive feedback, and critical thinking – and it goes hand in hand with our values of Quality, Diversity, Simplicity, and Trust. With Trust, we aim to be self-directed and independent, Simplicity teaches us to be efficient, Diversity points us to respecting different levels of knowledge and individual learning goals, and Quality is all about approaching everything with sustainability in mind.
Last but not least
Taxdoo is a place where everyone can discover themselves and add new building blocks to their career. Personal development goals are key, so our development talks, which happen twice a year, are designed to help our Taxis take the next steps in their careers. The Learning Experience team will help our Taxis enhance their skills, knowledge, and competency. Some skills may only be reachable by partnering with other teams. In this way, we build bridges between different units and encourage even more collaboration, all whilst creating more empathy.
Taxdoo has its essentials, but also the benefits
At Taxdoo, our employees’ well-being is our main priority. Guided by our values of being bold and passionate, excelling, and driving change at the core of our company culture, we aim to create a working environment where our colleagues feel seen, heard, appreciated, and where their well-being is a responsibility for us as an employer.
With all this in mind, and with dedication and appreciation for our employees, we set ourselves a goal to develop the Taxdoo Core and the Taxdoo Benefit Pack.
What is the Taxdoo core pack?
The Taxdoo Core Pack is a lineup of must-haves that every Taxdoo employee and new joiner has immediate access to. From day one, we’ve got your back.
Here is what the core pack is all about.
Knowledge is power: Tailored Onboarding
A few years ago, the Taxdoo onboarding program was born. With a diverse training schedule to provide all the support needed for you to thrive from day one, our approach is simple but effective.
You’ll never walk alone: The Buddy Method
From day one, each new joiner is assigned a Buddy who is there every time you call their name. Ok, maybe not every time – you could also Slack them. Helping you settle into your new position and team, a Buddy is all about exchanging experiences. Feel free to share your knowledge and constructive feedback: the Buddy Method is always growing and improving.
Level Up: Professional and personal development
Taxdoo is by your side every time you need some extra support to grow your knowledge and develop your skill set. For this, we offer our employees a personal learning budget that is flexible and accommodates their goals. Furthermore, our company-wide training sessions and courses across all departments are open to all permanent employees.
Opportunities
Taxdoo is proud to be by our employees’ side when they want to expand their horizons. Our team will always provide support with finding the right workshop, seminar, or training so you can feel confident in your job and future career.
Flexibility
By empowering our colleagues and teams to be the designers of their workdays, we support autonomy and creative thinking. Have you caught a travel bug? We offer you the option to work from almost anywhere around the globe for up to 40 days a year.
A workspace of today
Our office is in the Speicherstadt, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Hamburg. This location is very central, surrounded by endless walking routes, restaurants, and shops. City hustle and bustle isn’t your thing? Not to worry – close by are many transport links that can take you across the city and beyond in minutes.
Home office
Our remote-first culture supports all colleagues who want to make their home their office, with Taxdoo offering support with setting up if it is needed.
Team spirit
Monthly team events, after-work activities, and get-togethers are just a few of the things that contribute to the respectful and feel-good atmosphere you will enjoy at Taxdoo. Don’t live in Hamburg? We’ve got you covered! If you live over 40km away, we’ll help you enjoy Taxdoo team events by supporting you with transport and accommodation.
Health is Wealth
Not only do we provide yoga classes, we also provide self-help tools and services for mental health with our provider Open Up. Treat your body like a temple with our partnership with sports and wellness provider, Urban Sports Club, which takes our holistic commitment to our employees’ health to the next level.
The Taxdoo Benefit Pack: what else do we offer?
Now that you know all about the Taxdoo core pack, you may be wondering what more there is that our employees love about Taxdoo. We understand that everyone is motivated by different things, so we’ve tailored our benefits package to reflect a range of optional bonus items to make each day better, however, that looks for you.
VSOP
Taxdoo is on an exciting journey and it is of the utmost importance to make it possible for our employees to participate in our success. We have created our Virtual Share Option Pool, otherwise referred to as VSOP, which gives our colleagues virtual stock options on successfully passing your probation period.
Tell Your Friends Bonus
Sharing is caring! We all know someone who is good at what they do. Sometimes, they might be open to new opportunities in their professional life. At Taxdoo, everyone who refers a friend or a former colleague who would be a good fit for our culture and common values receives a bonus.
Pension plan, but make it corporate
We take the words “Think about later” seriously. This is why we offer you the opportunity to supplement your statutory pension in the form of a company pension plan, which is otherwise referred to as ‘Betriebliche Altersvorsorge’.
Public Transport
We help you get to where you need to be, by offering a subsidised ‘Deutschlandticket’, a benefit which covers unlimited public transport in all of Germany. Unsurprisingly, it is a Taxdoo-favourite. Not only can you use it for commuting to and from the office, but also to discover everything Hamburg city has to offer.
30 days of paid vacation
The more, the merrier. With 30 paid days of holiday per year, you can take time off to recharge your batteries and come back in the best of spirits.
Sabbatical
Our employees benefit from the option to take some extra time off work. We know that sometimes taking a break is the most productive thing you can do, so we always strive to foster an environment of well-being and mental health first.
The Taxdoo culture is dynamic but steady; nuanced but to the point. We like to provide direction, but we know that self-driven employees are the reason why Taxdoo is where we are today. We want to empower our Taxis to be in control of their growth journey, and this is exactly why we want to make sure that we give them everything they need in order to achieve it.
At Taxdoo, we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. In our recruitment process, we consider applicants regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, or age. Diversity is one of the core values that we embrace on different levels within the organization- from our employees to our products and clients.