'Now more than ever leadership needs to recognise the value of rest' - Women in Tech Festival speaker Dr Nerina Ramlakhan

Physiologist Dr Ramlakhan tells Computing how she’s helping businesses prevent burnout during lockdown, and her hopes for next month’s Women in Tech Festival

"I want to go through the head to reach the heart. This is about gaining a competitive advantage."

So says Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a physiologist and sleep therapist.

After a decade spent conducting sleep and wellness programmes at Nightingale Hospital in London, and founding BUPA's Corporate Wellbeing Solutions, she turned her attention to the world of business.

As a research fellow at Ashbridge Business School, she's clear that focusing on good sleep practices has a clear return on investment.

"You do have to demonstrate some sort of ROI. I look at how can we measure that people are feeling better as a result of coming to work and resting, or having had this keynote on sleep and starting to look after themselves differently?" She said.

Ramlakhan coaches at Ashridge Business School and is also one of CRN and Computing's Women in Tech Festival speakers, alongside the likes of techUK President Jacqueline de Rojas and Stemettes CEO Anne-Marie Imafidon.

The event will run virtually from 30 November to 1 December.

Regardless of gender, Ramlakhan will deliver the message that now more than ever, with COVID-19 lockdowns lingering on far longer than many anticipated, encouraging employees to have time to rest has real value.

"What I noticed with organisations is that some went into this mode of ‘let's just batten down the hatches and just do more of what we've been doing but more intensely.' But then, we now have more enlightened organisations that are realising that they have to find a different way.

"They have to rewrite the script."

"And so leaders are coming forward openly saying we're going to encourage you to cherish your time with your family, switch off your phones, we don't expect you to be on call. I had one CEO who said he's finally getting the three phones; one for work here, one for international clients and one for home."

Ramlakhan concedes that not all C-suite executives have come round so readily.

"This is why I say I go through the head to reach the heart.

"I recently did a TED talk called ‘Come to work and rest'. And I talked about the science of resting. I talked about good practice being about allowing yourself to come to work and take breaks during the day and why it's better for people's mental health.

"Because we don't want to just do the default, and throw ourselves into answering the mobile phone or going through the inbox with the 10 cups of coffee or whatever is needed, we'll mustn't miss the chance to really pause and consider what makes us passionate about what you do.

"What is wonderful is I see a lot of women in this industry who are passionate about what they do, but passion is a high-energy attribute. It takes energy to fuel that."

Ramlakhan says her keynote will talk about what leadership can look like in a world of extended remote working, with the boundary between home and career lived becoming increasingly blurred.

"I hope people come away with a realisation that they need to be clear on what they hold as their non-negotiables, or as I call them; stability anchors. Especially as we're looking out at the new terrain of the next six months.

"I think the oxygen mask theory is apt here. You know you have to put your mask on before helping others.

"Sometimes as women we're not so good at doing that. But it's necessary within your own business or to be that trusted advisor to others and lead people through uncertainty.

If you want to find out more about the Women in Tech Festival, a full line-up of channel and end-user speakers is available online.

And click here to view highlights of last year's inaugural event.