At this time of year, it’s hard for a day to go by without hearing someone utter “The nights are definitely drawing in” or “It was dark at 7 o’clock
last night – 7 O’CLOCK!” We all seem to behave as if the changing of the season is something entirely new, and we’re all seemingly baffled by the darker mornings and shorter days.
Despite this happening year in year out, the change of weather always comes as a surprise. You've probably found yourself thinking "Hmmm, I was on the beach 3 weeks ago" or "What am I going to do with all these bloody disposable barbecues?!" Getting up to head to the office in the dark can be depressing for many people, especially when you're coming home in the dark too.
It might sound odd, but I find this time of year strangely exhilarating. Getting up in the dark brings back nostalgic feelings of half term holidays; my parents waking us at 5am to avoid the traffic on the way to Cornwall, running around excitedly whilst Mum made breakfast and Dad fretted over the A-Z. I'm a Winter baby, so the dark mornings are also reminiscent of early morning present opening, and taking my special birthday lunch to school - always with a little birthday note tucked safely inside from Mum.
At People Lab, we're really interested in psychology. The Company Director (Emma Bridger) is a psychologist, having lectured the subject in Universities before finding her way into employee engagement. I've got a keen interest in the subject myself, and I'm always amazed at how powerful the human memory is. Isn't it fascinating that something as simple as the mornings being slightly darker can conjure these memories of childhood, and of different points in life? Occasionally I'll walk past a shop or restaurant, and the smell coming out from the windows and doors throws me backwards into the school canteen, my Nan's kitchen or some other distant memory that I'd all but forgotten about until that moment.
The thing that interests me most about the human memory is that it's something we can all relate to. The stories we share to connect with others are formed of happenings in our past, funny memories or anecdotes that we share to form relationships or connections. Employee Engagement is a concept that relies entirely on memory; remembering the organisations that we've loved working for in the past (and the ones we haven't) are how we know what engages us as individuals.
With this in mind, I'd really love to hear your memories of organisations that you've loved working for. Whether it's comical colleagues or an insightful CEO, we'd really like you to share the things that have worked for you in the past.
