Somehow the “we are all in it together” feeling does not assist when we are all “in it” but are clearly not together. It is tough for all of us to generate or maintain an esprit de corps when alone and working on our respective kitchen tables.
Work and workplaces can be a source of huge stress, but I think we underestimate, at our peril, the support most of us get from being around each other at work – whether it is a sharing of pain when things are tough, the swift engagement of collective thought when problem-solving is required or, and perhaps more particularly, the sharing of successes. A jump in the air or a fist pump is an oddly empty act if there is no one there to share it.
We don’t know how everyone we interact with is feeling; we don’t know if their home life is blissful or chaotic – whether work, for them, is a pleasure or a burden. The only thing we can do is try to make all our interactions a positive experience – whether offering solutions rather than pointing out problems, deciding to be helpful where help is needed or just being grateful for their engagement with you.
The Time to Change movement (see https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/) encourages us all to grow up a little about mental health – having a mental health issue is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of normality and humanity. Most of all and to my mind (no pun intended) most importantly, they point out that it is small acts that often make the biggest difference – a call instead of a text, a kind word, or a thank you note. We all know how a small positive message from a colleague or client can radically change how we feel about our day. We are all going through far too much right now without making things harder for each other, so let’s not.
For employers in need of reasons to change or finding it difficult to drive change in their organisation, the profit motive might work! Endless studies have shown that positive engagement at all levels of a business drives productivity far harder and faster than any other form of motivation. In terms of getting the best out of people, money comes a poor second to “thank you”. Employers have a legal obligation to care for the mental health of their employees – why spend tens of thousands of pounds on lawyer’s fees when a simple “how are you” could have avoided the situation.
Perhaps one change we could make is parking performance targets for a bit, giving ourselves a kindness target, and doing two or three nice things a day just because it will make someone else feel good!
