Working in the Wine Industry CAN Be Good for You. But There's a But.
That was the title of the ABG session at the wine2wine Business Forum this past Monday.
The answer to that question – our community’s answer, that is – of whether working in the wine industry can actually be good for you?
Yes, even with the rose-colored glasses removed.
BUT there’s a but. The “yes” response is not without qualifiers.
Our session shared a distilled version of your thoughtful, personal and considered opinions on three key insights:
1. Mindful Consumption
Not surprisingly, the topic of mindful consumption arose. But beyond drinking, it also expanded to consumption of everything, and what we “intake” over the course of our daily lives. Examples include the consumption of media (especially social media) and the consumption of positive community, or the people and things that we choose to surround ourselves with.
Cathy offered up some practical tips to help support mindful consumption, including the “60 Second Pause” that she has written about previously here, and the new norm for arranging in-person meetings, including outdoor dining and walking meetings with the benefits of exercise and fresh air.
2. The Influence of Culture on Wellbeing
What impact does our immediate environment have on our wellbeing? A lot.
Wellbeing is connected to mindful consumption, certainly, and also financial wellness, emotional wellness, safety and ultimately, the importance of a sense of belonging.
While mindful consumption is something we can control and direct at the individual scale, the next step outward is our working environments. As we re-enter the workplace in the post-COVID reality, your feedback pointed to the need for our industry and employers to cultivate an environment of wellbeing.
In other words, the steps forward that we made as individuals at home need a place to “land” at work as well.
Community and support systems have become critically important through COVID and what we heard through the focus group is that, more than ever in post-COVID times, people want to feel that they’re part of something. We want to feel that we are safe, and included in our daily work lives.
In practice, this means prioritizing flexibility for employees and accommodations for working families, particularly working mothers, and finding ways to connect informally and find common ground.
In addition, people have changed their relationship to drinking though COVID, and we need to look again at potentially outdated attitudes around drinking at work. It needs to be okay to drink less, or not at all.
Culture and leadership are inextricably linked. Again, we heard your calls for practical ACTION to be taken. From prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion, to more gender parity, and reviewing outdated concepts of “drinking at work,” we heard and shared your insights loud and clear.
3. Industry Leadership
COVID has blurred the lines between personal and professional lives. It has highlighted and exacerbated struggles and pain points that already existed.
From pay inequity across the industry, to the lack of flexibility for working families, particularly working mothers, many of you are looking for leadership to REALLY step up and lead.
If you are a leader, or have the audience of leadership, NOW is the time to show how you care for your people beyond their contributions to your company’s success.
Here are some ways to take practical steps include modeling behavior that prioritizes wellbeing:
Putting your workout session on your work calendar, just as you would any meeting
Making a financial investment toward pay equity and supporting financial security
Creating more opportunities for more women in leadership roles
Finding ways to improve flexibility to meet the needs of a changing workforce
Finally, prioritize health programs for staff, and evaluate and develop programs that don’t revolve around drinking or tasting to improve inclusiveness for ALL.
With boundless thanks to Stevie Kim and the wine2wine team for putting this topic on the agenda. More than ANY other organization globally, Vinitaly under Stevie’s leadership has supported the vison for a more diverse, inclusive, healthier, and higher performing wine workforce. For that opportunity, we are grateful.
Finally, a thanks to you all for taking time for to share your views that formed the survey.
We will be holding a zoom online session on Thursday, November 4 at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 6pm EU time to delve deeper into the results and share some candid, anonymous insights from the ABG community.
Want to join us? Register here and we will see you online. The session will also be recorded so you can access the link at a later date.
Namaste,
Beck
What We're Reading:
Here's what has piqued our interest this week in the world of wine and mindfulness.
How Kindness at Work Encourages Creativity -- Mindful.org
Andrew Swinand shares the simple practices that have helped to unlock new levels of creativity and innovation across his teams.
Constructive Rest: Workday Power Tool -- by Larissa Hall Carlson for Mindful Leader
If you’ve been seeking out mindful ways to reduce stress overload, but are still feeling tapped, it may be time to create space to just… do… nothing.
Lululemon pledges $75 million to physical, mental, and social wellbeing programs - Bizwomen
The athletic wear company named three organizations to receive initial grants.
Gary Vaynerchuk's Next Act: Spreading the Gospel of 'Kind Candor' -- Inc.com
Soft skills are the brash media executive's secret weapon. He explains his philosophy--and why he's not a walking contradiction.
Meditation for CMT is a No-Brainer
Can meditation benefit Charcot-Marie-Tooth symptoms? The overwhelming research and evidence points to a resounding YES… Here are 7 reasons why.
7 Psychology Podcasts That Will Make You More Successful at Work -- Inc.com
Understanding the human mind helps you be better at your job, no matter what you do.
Meet the Community!
Here we meet some of the people that make our community so dynamic.
Rebecca Lawrence, Head of Editorial for Cru Luv Selections / Education Development Consultant and WSET Educator (Verona, Italy)
Years in the Industry:
I've been in the industry proper since 2017 when I begged my local retailer to take me on whilst I was tackling my WSET exams. Previously I'd worked in a number of seemingly random positions after a career in academia was scuppered by a recession and people being somewhat skeptical of my doctorate in Psychotopography (an incredible niche part of architectural theory!).
I think the thing that drew me to wine was that it was geeky like academia, but also fun and completely varied. No day is the same (at least in my roles) and that has definitely appealed as I'm someone easily bored who needs a lot of projects. When I discovered I could combine my academic background with wine through teaching the WSET qualifications, helping other people develop educational programmes and writing, it all suddenly clicked for me.
My Three Top Challenges to Wellness:
Let's be real, the first is laziness. Creating habits and sticking to them is tough for me and perhaps because I tend to be working on a million different things, rushing around, my mind running all the time. Lazing in bed an extra hour, leaving the yoga mat in the cupboard, ignoring the running shoes, not saying "no" when it's easier to say yes. And of course the excuse of "I've already done XYZ today, so I've earned it.” That's all tied up in laziness, whether actual or just metaphorical.
FOMO! The challenge is real. Five years in the industry makes me a baby, a relative newbie, so it's hard to turn down the dinners, the tastings, the chances to both network and also build my skills and knowledge. It's tough, because I want to see these people, I've missed them! But you have to make a call. Okay, I can do dinner, but not the aperitivo and the after drinks...then you walk home wondering what you're missing.
One of the biggest challenges to my overall wellness is not wanting to turn down work. I have a really hard time saying no to stuff and most weeks I'm balancing three or four jobs. Take this week, I've got my main job with Cru Luv, but then I'm marking papers for WSET students, helping to coach a private client through their diploma, on the event team backstage for wine2wine, and working on my own podcast and prepping for teaching courses next week. I love it all or I wouldn't do it, but it's exhausting and I'm not the kind of person who can shut off my brain, plus of course it impacts the people around me so it's not just my own wellness at risk, but my husband's too.
How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:
I run! I've always wanted to be a runner (I have a tricky relationship with it which you can read more about here) so when my anxiety got too much during lockdown, like so many other people I started hunting for real solutions.
Running was great as it was a legit reason for getting out the house, I could do it safely and I realised it was the first thing I've ever done that truly clears my mind. Firstly because I just couldn't think because all I could focus on was my breathing, then later because I was just so thrilled to be doing it. I became so obsessed I even started a podcast about it! I'm totally evangelical about it, not least because I started from zero. I couldn't run for a minute when I started, now I happily go out for five miles. I really notice now when I haven't been out as the world all gets a bit too close, and I'm reminded to lace up my shoes and get outside. It's body and mind wellness for me.
What Inspires Me:
People who are passionate about what they do. Doesn't matter what. I just truly love watching someone talk about the thing that gives them joy and energy, and it helps to remind me to pursue that myself.
Quotes I Love:
"Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes, we need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens." -- From Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing
Of course there is also our podcast tagline, "It's important to stay hydrated, so everything in moderation!"
You can connect with Rebecca on Instagram @rosmarinoevino / @runningforthewine and through her websites www.rosmarinoevino.com / www.runningforthewine.com.
