Example Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

COVID caught everyone by surprise. From the world’s strongest nations to families with small  businesses. The company I work for was not the exception. Without hesitating, our employer quickly  sent us all to work from home while they figured things out. The first days were tough for everyone. We  all had to make changes to our daily routine and of course our lives. While we were all adjusting to our  new life at home, work started to build on top of our desks. Slowly but surely, most of us managed to  get back on track. We started sharing our stories of how we were coping with everything. The reason we  started doing this was to contribute ideas and suggestions to work as efficiently as we did back at the  office. Eventually we realized these storytelling sessions were sort of therapeutic and helped us speak  our mind. We all learned from each other and found new or different ways to pick up our pace.

Application

As work progressed, the storytelling sessions happened less often. When it was time for a monthly  performance review, we noticed a coworker had lost track and momentum. We would all share words  of encouragement and hoped for the best. I felt he needed a pep talk to get his spirit up. I read several  articles in newspapers, magazines and social media about families and businesses that managed to  overcome this hardship. I saved the ones that had really caught my attention and shared with him. It  appears this had the opposite effect.

I decided to check in on him and setup a short video call at the end of the day. We started with small  talk about work and then moved on to talk about the articles I shared with him. As the conversation  moved along, I realized I heard an echo when paying close attention to him. Echo you would hear in an  empty room or house, perhaps? I then asked about his family and he said his parents were back home in  the countryside and that his brother and sister married a few years ago so they lived with their new  families. He had no girlfriend or wife, so this meant he lives alone. One of his comments confirmed this.

Insight & Approach

My coworker trusted me with his personal thoughts and said the lockdown and being away from his  family made his solitude feel worse. He explained that the storytelling sessions we had at the beginning  were some of the few times he would socially interact with others. I had not realized how much he  enjoyed participating and how much he benefited from them. At the end of the call, we agreed that we  should go back to holding the sessions more often.

You might say that I got this all wrong and did not share one of my stories with my coworker. I learned  that in storytelling, the figure of the story is the problem we face (mental health impacting  performance) and the challenge it represents for individuals and the organization. Most importantly, get  everyone to understand how big this problem is and what we can do.  Therefore, I decided to share my  coworker’s story with upper management. They were already concerned with his performance, so it was

easy for them to pay attention. This all happened on the second week of September, and with the World  Mental Health Day just about a month away, the company decided this was a great opportunity to start  an awareness campaign. There was no doubt that others in the company might experience similar  situations and we all understood the importance of mental health education in the company. I am happy  to say this initiative is currently under discussion so it can be carried out yearly moving forward. Not only  will the company raise awareness and promote mental health education, but it will also start advocacy  against social stigma. My coworker and others with similar situations will benefit from this initiative by  helping them improve their wellbeing and performance as we continue to work from home. It will most  definitely impact their life and not just work.

