UNICEF Team Workshop: Less Stress, More Connection!
When I was invited to deliver a team workshop for UNICEF, I knew I’d be stepping into a space full of passionate, purpose-driven people.
However, even a team doing incredible work can feel overwhelmed or disconnected sometimes, especially when the pace doesn’t slow down.
This session wasn’t about teaching anyone how to do their job better.
It was about giving them space to breathe, reconnect with one another, manage stress, and focus on what’s still going well.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through what we did, why it worked, the difference it made, and how you can bring similar shifts into your own workplace to help your team feel closer, more positive, and a little lighter at work.
Contents
Why UNICEF Needed This Workshop
What the Workshop Explored and Why it Worked
The Outcomes of this Workshop for UNICEF
How Can You Create These Results in Your Workplace
Unicef Team Workshop Video
Why UNICEF Needed This Workshop
UNICEF is full of employees who genuinely care about the company’s mission and the great work the organisation does across the world.
Most employees work tirelessly to continue the great work that UNICEF does worldwide.
However, like most organisations, even with a clear purpose and mission, people get stressed, burnt out, and disconnected.
Senior management noticed that their team needed a break!
They wanted to organise a chance for the team to connect, share a meaningful experience and learn practical tips that could support their performance and wellbeing.
That’s where Loving Life came in!
We were given the task to design and deliver a workshop that addressed some of the unique challenges the team was facing.
The goal was to share practical tips that could help employees reduce stress while helping the team to connect and build a more grateful mindset.
What the Workshop Explored and Why it Worked
The workshop was titled “Turning Stress Down & Gratitude Up” and we explored ways we could do just that.
The beginning of the workshop started with a stress meter, which gave employees the opportunity to think about their stress levels and gauge how they were feeling.
We then explored what stress is and the types of stress many of us experience whilst at work.
The workshop continuously allowed moments of reflection where team members got to discuss with each other their common stressors and bond over these experiences.
However, we couldn’t dwell on this for too long, as we then went on to explore practical solutions to reducing stress for the unique circumstances of individuals.
This allowed employees to use these tools and frameworks to understand how they could apply them to the things they considered stressful.
There was a lot of group discussion, and willing participants shared their reflections with the group, explaining how they would easily use the frameworks going forward.
After solely exploring stress, we explored the concept of gratitude and how this could be utilised to help our working days.
Small groups discussed the things they were grateful for, both in their work and personal life, with some really heartwarming conversations across the room.
One employee said, “I love that the session focused on stress and gratitude. I feel like when you’re truly grateful for the things you have in your life, your stress levels go down, and sometimes it’s a privilege to be stressed about certain things.”
At the end of the session, everyone was buzzing with enthusiasm and reflecting on the key things they took away.
We also returned to the stress gauge and everyone said that their stress number had now decreased.
The Outcomes of this Workshop for UNICEF
Two weeks post-workshop and senior management reported that the team was still buzzing from the session and were continuously referencing the key takeaways to support each other.
One senior leader said, “Although nearly two weeks have passed, the team is still talking about your workshop, particularly how small actions can create meaningful change. Thank you for inspiring us Tyler”
Another senior leader said, “Thanks for the session and totally nailing the intent and energy of the day”
The response from the team showed just how important and powerful moments like these can be.
When people are given the opportunity to connect, share experiences, and feel appreciated, it contributes to a happy, healthy working environment.
UNICEF was bold enough to take action and create a meaningful day for their team, and it was great to be a part of their commitment to supporting their workforce.
How Can You Create These Results in Your Workplace
Creating a workforce that feels valued, appreciated, and supported doesn’t need to involve a big transformation all at once.
To get started, small and intentional moments can make a big difference.
If you’d like us to deliver a tailored workshop to help you get started on this journey, please get in touch at Hello@LovingLifeCo.com
However, if a workshop isn’t in your budget at this moment in time, then why not run some activities internally?
Here are a few helpful blogs that will help you get started.
Author
Tyler Lowe
Workshop Facilitator and Wellbeing Speaker
