INNTEL Recovery Purple Paper

Recovery: Part 1 Why is this important? Because we are social animals. Inntel works with CHX, a science-led mental health, performance and culture consultancy. CHX co-founder Chris Beedie, Professor of Cognition and Neuroscience, explains that we perform better when we are with other people: “There are clear, tangible benefits in how we feel, behave and perform when we are around other people because we have evolved as social animals.” We benefit emotionally, psychologically and biologically. It’s a case of “survival of the friendliest” rather than “survival of the fittest”. Being with others gives us a social regulation of our moods, and being in physical proximity with one another in a team enhances our mood and engagement – a critical element to drive business post-lockdown. Damien Stork, co-founder of CHX, shines more light on the importance of getting together: “We think of o ces as stressful environments but they are incredible levellers of mood. Constant micro- interactions with people, seeing each other’s expressions, water-cooler moments, corridor conversations...” These are the human benefits of meetings that go well beyond the decisions made or actions agreed. However, transition will be di cult. The period ahead, easing from strict lockdown through stages of reduced social distancing, is quite likely to be more volatile, emotional and mood dominated, according to Professor Beedie: “We will lose the powerful unity of purpose we forged around Covid. And as people return to work – or get used to working from home for the long term – many will still feel biologically, emotionally and financially unsafe. These are powerful triggers for our unconscious brain and in particular its need for inclusion and equity. If the resultant emotions of fear and anger prevail it will manifest in our thoughts, decisions and behaviours, leading to erosion in engagement and trust.” This is a powerful motivation for business leaders to come together to predict and prepare for challenging, emotional times ahead. Inntel is working with CHX to develop further science-backed sessions that can help leaders better understand how to align how they and their employees are feeling – the science of our brain – with the restart of meetings and working together as teams. CHX can provide content, remote presentations and facilitation at meetings and events for your organisation. It is key to set your meetings policy now and plan its implementation before the post-lockdown backlog builds. Virtual meetings vs face to face meetings. From a recent Inntel client survey undertaken to measure confidence, changes and observations during the lockdown period. of respondents preferred face to face and that for e ectiveness in certain situations F2F was really important. % of meetings could be replaced with virtual or hybrid meetings in the future helping productivity, costs and e ciency. %