Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Our Story
    • Partner with us
    • Reach Us
    • Career
    Subscribe Newsletter
    HR KathaHR Katha
    • Exclusive
      • Exclusive Features
      • Research
      • Point Of View
      • Case In Point
      • Dialogue
      • Movement
      • Profile
      • Beyond Work
      • Rising Star
      • By Invitation
    • News
      • Global HR News
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Diversity
      • Events
      • Gen Y
      • Hiring & Firing
      • HR & Labour Laws
      • Learning & Development
      • Merger & Acquisition
      • Performance Management & Productivity
      • Talent Management
      • Tools & Technology
      • Work-Life Balance
    • Special
      • Cover Story
      • Editorial
      • HR Forecast 2024
      • HR Forecast 2023
      • HR Forecast 2022
      • HR Forecast 2021
      • HR Forecast 2020
      • HR Forecast 2019
      • New Age Learning
      • Coaching and Training
      • Learn-Engage-Transform
    • Magazine
    • Reports
      • Whitepaper
        • HR Forecast 2024 e-mag
        • Future-proofing Manufacturing Through Digital Transformation
        • Employee Healthcare & Wellness Benefits: A Guide for Indian MSMEs
        • Build a Future Ready Organisation For The Road Ahead
        • Employee Experience Strategy
        • HRKatha 2019 Forecast
        • Decoding and Driving Employee Engagement
        • One Platform, Infinite Possibilities
      • Survey Reports
        • Happiness at Work
        • Upskilling for Jobs of the Future
        • The Labour Code 2020
    • Conferences
      • Rising Star Leadership Awards
      • HRKatha Futurecast
      • Automation.NXT
      • The Great HR Debate
    • HR Jobs
    WhatsApp LinkedIn X (Twitter) Facebook Instagram
    HR KathaHR Katha
    Home»Special»Employee Benefits and Engagement»Dear Diary…
    Employee Benefits and Engagement

    Dear Diary…

    Liji Narayan | HRKathaBy Liji Narayan | HRKathaMarch 15, 2019Updated:March 19, 20195 Mins Read23550 Views
    Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
    Share
    LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    The good old diary has been the source of many stories. Films have been based on the experiences noted down in the diaries and journals of people.

    While writing a diary was a hobby that most people indulged in not so long ago in the past, there are very few today who have the time to pick up their pen to scribble a note in their diary or journal.

    In this hectic and chaotic world, writing a journal can actually be very cathartic and therapeutic, especially for employees who have very challenging work schedules.

    In fact, it will be a great idea for employees to keep a journal in which they can write regularly about their feelings, their colleagues, the activities at work, what they like, what they learn, what they approve of and even what they dislike. The exercise will help them in more ways than one, and to an extent help improve employee engagement.

    Mental health: The diary or journal can play the role of a therapist. Just as a therapist lends a patient ear, quietly listening to all that a person has to say, the diary allows the owner to write anything and everything that comes to his mind. It allows the owner to pour his heart out, which can be a very healing experience. The whole exercise, if indulged in regularly, can keep the mind relaxed and light. For people who find it difficult to mingle and make friends, especially at work, keeping a journal can go a long way in helping them express their feelings and rid them of the feeling of loneliness. It may even help keep depression at bay for some.

    Reminder: A journal can be the best place for employees to put down their goals. Every time they pick up their diary or journal, they will be reminded of the goals they hope to achieve in life, and how far or close to them they are. Encourage your employees to also put down their team’s and the company’s short-term and long-term goals in the diary. It is the best way to not only keep track of how much has been achieved and remains to be achieved, but also to not let the goals out of sight.

    Creativity: While putting thoughts down on paper, the writer expresses clearly, sincerely and with honesty. Regular writing can stimulate the brain and awaken the creativity that may be lying dormant within an individual. If team leaders ask employees to maintain short-term diaries, only for specific projects, at the workplace, and request them to exchange these diaries amongst team members and also with the leader, it could be a very enlightening exercise. Of course, such an activity cannot be forced. The employees should volunteer to share their project-based diaries. Such exchanges can lead to very powerful insights.

    Introspection: Journal writing forces the writer to go through all the events of the day— the situations faced, the reactions shown, the action taken, mistakes committed, and so on. This analysis of one’s own actions can help a person identify personal weaknesses, strengths and shortcomings. Being aware of one’s own self is the first step to achieving success in life. Again, a weekly activity can be organised within teams, where the members can be asked to share one quality that they learnt about themselves on going through their diaries and on self-introspection.

    Report card: An individual’s diary or journal is not very different from a report card. In fact, it is even better than a normal report card and has a long-term impact on a person’s personality and career trajectory. It documents the personal and professional achievements of individuals, which one can go over frequently and at any time. It gives a good boost to one’s self-esteem. Encourage the employees to make a table at the back of the diary, and list the achievements and failures alongside the date. This table can be a ready reference for them as well as their team leaders/reporting managers, if required, and may even be handy during appraisals.

    Expressions: Not all thoughts can be openly discussed. Not everyone is comfortable discussing their emotions with others. So the diary or journal offers the best means to express one’s deepest thoughts, secrets and emotions. Writing regularly makes the writer become intimate with one’s own self. Such intimacy is healthy for the mind and helps the writer or journal keeper develop healthy and intimate relations with others too.

    Memories: The moments recorded in a diary bring back memories every time it is read. These memories go a long way in preserving relationships and keeping one rooted. Also, going through a diary at leisure can be a good pastime. It is almost like reading a novel, authored by the reader.

    Simply put, employers who care for the mental well-being of their employees should encourage them to maintain journals or diaries. Even though it may seem like a huge task at first, once they begin, they are sure to develop a fondness for this ‘friend’ that listens, absorbs, manages to rid them of their anxiety, helps them identify their negative and positive traits, and offers them guidance without uttering a single word. Those who are in the habit of writing regularly admit that it is their way of meditating, and swear by its calming effect.

    Go on! Encourage your teams to maintain personal journals and fill them with their experiences. Help them vent, release, de-stress, introspect, organise their thoughts and find their island of calm within the pages of a diary!

    Employee Engagement maintaining a personal journal writing a diary
    Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
    Liji Narayan | HRKatha

    HRKatha prides itself in being a good journalistic product and Liji deserves all the credit for it. Thanks to her, our readers get clean copies to read every morning while our writers are kept on their toes.

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    four × one =

    Related Posts

    Telstra to cut 550 jobs in latest phase of overhaul

    July 11, 2025

    Internal criticism hits Meta’s AI division amid growing discontent

    July 11, 2025

    NASA to lose over 2,000 senior employees amid budget restructuring

    July 11, 2025

    Boss allegedly targets employee for using ‘open to work’ tag on LinkedIn

    July 11, 2025

    QUICK HR INSIGHTS

    EDITOR'S PICKS

    How a thumbs-up became a generational minefield

    July 11, 2025

    Why HR must unite hiring and development to survive

    July 10, 2025

    The 5-to-9 Trap: Is Gen Z’s quest for perfect evenings fuelling a new burnout?

    July 9, 2025

    How AI is creating a workforce of the mentally walking dead

    July 8, 2025
    Latest Post

    Telstra to cut 550 jobs in latest phase of overhaul

    News July 11, 2025

    Telstra, the Australian telecommunications provider, has announced plans to reduce its workforce by 550 employees…

    Internal criticism hits Meta’s AI division amid growing discontent

    News July 11, 2025

    Meta’s artificial intelligence ( AI) division is facing fresh internal criticism as concerns about its…

    NASA to lose over 2,000 senior employees amid budget restructuring

    Global HR News July 11, 2025

    In a significant shake-up at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), over 2,100…

    Boss allegedly targets employee for using ‘open to work’ tag on LinkedIn

    News July 11, 2025

    A workplace incident has sparked conversation on Reddit after an Indian employee claimed they were…

    Asia's No.1 HR Platform

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram LinkedIn WhatsApp Bluesky
    • Our Story
    • Partner with us
    • Career
    • Reach Us
    • Exclusive Features
    • Cover Story
    • Editorial
    • Dive into the Future of Work: Download HRForecast 2024 Now!
    © 2025 HRKatha.com
    • Disclaimer
    • Refunds & Cancellation Policy
    • Terms of Service

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.