I’m still alive and have not got Burnout! I can’t believe that I have actually written my book. It was like a sprint, I wrote it in 4 days and 2 hours, nearly 30,000 words.
It ushered out of me like the Niagara Falls, and no I wasn’t trying to cross these majestic waterfalls in a barrel or on tightrope, trying to beat some Guinness World record.
Yes, there were the early hours and amazing people that helped me complete it (I must give the following people special mention, Ahmed, Lilly, Simon, Stuart and Pauline. No they did not write one word before you ask! It was my own work.
I was like a small kid waiting for Christmas to arrive, anticipating the delivery of my book to my home. I must have driven my publisher mad, by the number of calls that I gave him, asking where it is. What day is it going to be delivered? I wonder if he is going to change his contract wording…should he be brave enough to work with me again in the future.
You won’t believe what happened, it only arrived when I was out. And a card on the door mat, stating from the delivery company they had missed me!!!
Missed me…….Missed me……Missed me.
I raced to the local shop where it had been left, card in hand, like a mad man.
The shop owner looked at me somewhat surprised, “can I help you Sir”. “Yes, you can… I mumbled, handing over the card”. He duly went away and returned with a small parcel.
Saying it looks a like a book. I ripped it out of his hand and teared it open, I screamed it’s my book. Wow he said “This is a first for me” And indeed for me too! So head over to Amazon and check it out!

Well! After a long battle against procrastination, I have decided to write my own personal story about Burnout, how I recovered and more importantly the lessons that I learnt.
There’s part of me, before a typing a word is thinking… “I do hope that it will not be purchased and become a Number One best seller on Amazon, based on the reviews…. that it aided them in their fight against sleep apnea”!
No seriously, I don’t want people to experience it…… is the worst thing that I have gone through, and if not dealt with can lead people to having a full nervous breakdown.
Then there’s the cost to industry every year, its staggering.
So, I have planned out the time scales, chapter headings, along with the sub headings, and ideas for book cover. Watched a few YouTube videos to gather ideas from others.
It is going to be a warts and all (personal story) that is going to be read by individuals, I do feel somewhat exposed writing it, like a nudist swimmer taking their first dip in public!
And of course it’s easy for people that don’t know reading it, but what about my family….What is my Mother going to say.
If you don’t hear from me in March you know that I have got burnout writing it, and my Mother has asked to be the editor!!

Well, I can’t quite believe that we are already into the New Year, and a new decade! I trust that your Christmas was not too dramatic and you managed to be kind to those members of your family that drive you nuts…

You know the one’s…that you only see at weddings, funerals and the occasional Christmas…Who tells you the same dreary story…. and oh, how their life is so wonderful. Makes one wish that there was some of that gorgeous trifle left over, waiting to be poured over their heads, and see how they respond to this!!! Oh, please don’t tempt me, yes, I know I’m meant to be all grown up now, but come on, get real! Wouldn’t it just be worth it for one time only!!!!

Coming back to my senses….It sort of hit me rather suddenly, like being attached by our new puppy, jumping up at me and seeing how I’m going to react! One minute it was the lead up to Christmas and the New Year celebrations and then, blow me down it’s all gone, like a train arriving at the station and leaving without me!!!

Yes, I enjoyed seeing my family this year and the nieces and nephews opening their presents it got me thinking, so what are my aspirations for the Year 2020? Where will my life take me and what’s in store…….

Did I achieve everything that I wanted to do in 2019? Or what haven’t I attained yet, and more importantly, how am I going to make sure that they are not still on my- to do list, hidden away, only to be reviewed and added to the following years!

So watch this space and let’s make 2020 are year never to be forgotten, minus the trifle

Well I can’t quite believe where this years has gone…and the month of December has arrived.

The cold weather, dark nights and cold snaps, makes me grab even warmer clothing to wear when leaving the house.

As the leaves appear everywhere within the garden, pavements and fields, dropping to the floor, having said their goodbyes to the tree that has supported and nourished them throughout this seasons, their once stunning green display, now gone and replaced with a tree that looks so lonely and bare.

Got me thinking and reflecting about what have I learnt throughout the different sessions, (spring, summer, fall, and winter) this year, within my own life, and more importantly; what did I need to shed and replace within my personal life….

Yes, people would say there is a lot to shed in my physical shape!!! But more importantly, how have I adapted to change? And have I created needed new habits and mind-sets to take me further than I did this time last year!

What can I learn from nature that needs to be reflected and acted upon…? Did I make the most of spring time, planting new daily behaviours and ways. One of the step changes or daily habits that I have really worked hard on, since the start of spring; is drinking more water, and as a result, I don’t feel so dehydrated and my mind feels more alert. It’s like I’m a packet of mikeHabbott seeds, being sold at B&Q, if given the correct, soil, food, sunlight and water, come May/June will make a fine centre piece on your table! As long as you keep watering me!! And additionally, it sure helps with the steps on my Fitbit!

Or those wonderful long summer evenings, where the day never seems to end, enjoying the fruits of my labour and all the effects that I had put in…what was now growing in my own garden… Had the Queen enjoyed the new exhibit at Chelsea Flower Show, or looked in dismay and said, “Oh my word, what’s that!!!. If I still had my Corgis, they would have enjoyed watering it!

Well here’s to the start of next year’s sessions, 2020, where I will continue to make the most of each new season and adapt to change.

Within my own personal life and experience of the retail industry, I have witnessed first-hand the speed of change, from the introduction of 24 hour shopping, Internet shopping and self service shopping, just to name a few. Why have we had to adapt and change? Simply to keep acquainted of our customer’s shopping habits and high expectations, as well as keeping ahead of our competitors. Who would of envisaged the discounters Lidl and Aldi having such a major impact on the once dominant large supermarkets, in the United Kingdom. As shown in (Fig 1) Chesters (2016).

“Bill Grimsey, a Former chief executive of Wickes and Iceland, makes a courageous statement, “In the next five to 10 years one of the Big Four could disappear”. We need to adapt to change; if Bill Grimsey is right, and organisations don’t change there in danger of not being in existence.

As a coach I believe it is very useful and advantageous to understand what my clients are experiencing when the ‘coachees’ are working through change. I certainly have had to change my limiting beliefs and life scripts about the new ways of working, getting used to new technology and the never ending way we have to do things now. Remembering how vulnerable and exposed I felt at times and not been given the time and space to change did not help.

Having worked within HR for over 20 years, I have seen what happens when people and individuals fall out. Sometimes over such trivial matters that you think you are back in the school playground…working with 4 and 5 years old.

It all starts with an innocence comment, feedback taken in the wrong way and then it snowballs, faster than an Olympic skier, skiing downhill on their way to win a gold medal!

I’ve also witnessed management on one side of the room and the worker’s on the other side of the room, supposedly holding a meeting, which ends up with everyone shouting at each other across the room, and sadly resolving nothing.

It’s sad to see People that once had great working relationships now not talking, and that office atmosphere that can be cut with a knife. The looks, the silence and snarling glares; to sadly seeing the working relationship completely breakdown.

The time it takes to get everyone speaking and working again! Costing industry and companies thousands of man hours and pounds to get resolved. With all parties satisfied. Or in the worst case scenario, ending up in an Employment tribunals….

So how can Abbott Workplace mediation help restore and enable people to work thorough these muddy waters? What does workplace mediation look like and why does it work, and importantly how can it help?

Mediation is a confidential, voluntary and informal way of resolving disputes using an independent third party to assist the parties to examine the causes behind their conflict and find a joint resolution.

Sometimes it can be that I have been called in as a professional mediator to facilitate a meeting between the two parties, taking up just one day. In a neutral setting and allowing both individuals to state their difference’s/point of view. And finding a workable solution that has been reached between those involved and not by me!

In essence it’s allowing people to be seen, heard and recognised. So give Abbott Workplace mediation a call…. and see how we can help get the office playground back to being that happy place it once was!

Well I was suffering a bit of discomfort down my right hand side and so a trip to the Doctor was in order. I don’t often go and this was under duress from my wife!

I don’t know what it’s like for you getting an appointment with your local GP surgery, but ours has now got this new vetting system. Gone are the days when you phoned up at 08.30 and got an appointment that same morning, with a GP that you recognised.

The call waiting message tells you that you are 20 th in the que and then there is a countdown to your turn. This can last up to 20-30 mins. To then be cross-examined by a receptionist that has previously trained as a barrister…this experience makes you feel like you are in a Crown Court, giving evidence on your condition via the witness box…with why have you phoned? And could it not have been answered via our online service.

After defending yourself, they call this triage…. you then wait to see if you are successful in getting a Doctor to call you back…..Yet again explaining your symptoms condition.

After eventually now realising that they need to see you in person you have to drive to the nearest available surgery… I really wonder how my elderly neighbours cope with this, especially if they don’t drive.

After several prods and pokes… The Doctor tell me “I think it could be this or that, you need to have an ultra-scan and CAT scan to fully understand what is occurring” and then come back… Great

You think your ordeal is now over……..but wait! They then proceed to tell you that you are overweight, a man of your age is prone to risk of becoming a diabetic. Wonderful!!!

Come back in three months and have a blood test to see if you are. No advice or suggestions on what to do next! Where to start and more importantly the things to avoid eating and drinking.

Why did I have to have a pain in my right hand side, in the first place? Hasn’t this experience with my GP surgery been painful enough…

I had gone to visit old friends of my parents last weekend to say my goodbyes. The husband had been fighting leukaemia, and it was a fight that had gone the distance. He had decided, bravely, to now die with dignity.

The countryside passed me by on the way down to Sussex, and rays of sunshine blinded my view as I drove. I began to think how precious life is. One minute he was having a check-up before Christmas to see how he was doing; within four weeks his condition had declined, and he was planning his final days.

During the 90 precious minutes I spent with him and his dear wife in the hospital, we laughed, cried, and reminisced how good life had been to him. He remarked leukaemia could have wiped him out years earlier, and it was only by God’s grace that he had enjoyed his life to the full. He had moved to Eastbourne some ten years before, and fled the corporate rat race for a life by the sea.

He had come to terms with his illness. However, it was his wife who now had to come to terms with the reality of managing things he had always done; even everyday tasks like ironing her trousers. She said: “I always seem to get creases in them – what will I do without him?”, and tears were now streaming down her face. I felt her pain as she squeezed his hand, knowing she would soon be left holding onto memories and love.

I began to think of all the things my wife does that I haven’t a clue how to – things that I take for granted. As I saw last Saturday, life is fragile and needs to be handled with care.

I’m so thankful for the courage and conviction I saw in my friend’s face, as he faced death in a practical and simple way. I prayed with them before I left and remembered his final hug, and smile.

What an honour it had been to be in his company for one last time.

We approach the time of year when the clocks go back, adverts promoting medicine and flu jabs… and we wave goodbye to the summer and autumn months. I am now reminded of what can employers do to promote honesty and transparency around absences, between themselves and their employees.

Absence from work cost businesses millions of pounds each year. Not only for those employed but for the wider population as well – in lost income, and the NHS clogged up by people seeing their GP.

Some argue that by having the flu jab it protects you from catching dreaded winter sickness bugs and flus, but what can employers do to protect themselves and their employees? MikeHAbbott.com takes a practical look at what employees and employees can do to work more openly in the coming, colder months.

1) How flexible have you been throughout the year supporting employees in getting the work/life balance right? (for example, when they wanted time off to do something outside their holiday allocation, family party, or that special occasion).

I once heard of someone that phoned-in work to go off sick just to go shopping with their partner. How sad is it that they didn’t have the decency to inform their employee of their real intention? Does your absence policy support you, or handcuff you to not being flexible enough and is it covered in more red tape? Yes, it is frustrating when you are a small business covering holidays etc., but have you been flexible enough when they have gone the extra mile for you?

2) How do you deal with genuine absences, and find out the truth of things happening in your employees lives? Real listening comes to mind and is a great starting place. Have you taken the time to find out what is really occurring in your employees lives? Yes, I agree there is a fine balance between getting the job done and not becoming an agony aunt – but taking a few minutes getting to know about your employees problems is imperative!

3) We all get sick from time to time, so how do you find out how long they are going to be off with a short absence? Personally, I think by asking the right question and being curious is a great starting place – open questions. “How long is it before you will be returning to work?”, “Do you think by taking a tablet for that migraine you will be in later today?” These can help, and though simple enough you may say, too often I have heard managers berating staff at the end of the line.

4) What about those individuals going in for a planned operation, and have been waiting months for their allotted slot? Whether it is sitting down and discussing the period of time they will be absence from work, how to keep in touch to find out how they are doing, being genuinely interested… all these things go a long way in the emotional bank balance. Too often employers lose out in doing the small things right, especially when employees return to work and require a programme and support plan. Many line managers need to learn that some day they may need an operation, and coming back after a long period of time can be daunting for employees.

5) Do you provide hot drinks and an office with effective heating? Staff say it how it is: “management have never fixed the heating for years!”, “no one listens!”. As goes the old saying, you reap what you have sown!

6) Finally, how do you ensure that your absence policy deals with those who abuse the system – and supports those that genuinely need it? Walking this tightrope can be difficult, and if not done right, can cause more expense and loss of production.

MikeHAbbott.com can help with the right absence check-up to ensure that your business keeps running this winter!

(Does your absence policy work? When was the last time you reviewed it? How flexible is it? What does it do – put employees in fear and trepidation when they are genially sick, or make them resort to lying?)