A good atmosphere in the workplace is worth its weight in gold. Harmony and respectful interaction not only ensure greater well-being, fun and productive collaboration. They also improve the health of the entire workforce - because warmth at work is good for the heart and soul. Read now how you can bring more humanity back into the office in times of increasing psychological stress and omnipresent pressure to perform.
The struggle with performance
How has the mood been at your workplace lately? Do you get on well with your colleagues, do you get along with your superiors and do you enjoy going to work in the morning? If you can answer yes to all of these things – fantastic!
Unfortunately, studies and surveys are increasingly showing that the world of work is facing serious problems. Psychological stress, such as stress and burnout, is becoming more and more common and can even lead to incapacity to work. More and more employees are doing their job by the book, without fun or dedication, and the phenomenon of quiet quitting is haunting all professional classes and the media for good reason.
What could be the reason for this? Of course, it is impossible to pinpoint a single cause for the complex difficulties in our working world. However, the top 4 stress factors are the same or similar in most cases:
- Too much pressure to perform
- Bad working atmosphere
- Permanent competition
- Poor leadership behavior
A lot depends on how well people work together. This is not surprising, as we humans are deeply social creatures and suffer from envy, an elbow mentality and bullying just as much as we benefit from warmth, openness and harmonious cooperation.
Why good cooperation comes from the heart
Can we manage to defy the stressors mentioned above and create a work environment in which everyone feels comfortable? The answer is yes. First and foremost, this requires a greater awareness of what our soul needs in order to feel good. With mindfulness and honest self-reflection, we can explore this in order to implement it in our everyday lives in the future.
Although not everyone always has exactly the same needs, there are a number of qualities that we all benefit from - and which subsequently ensure harmony and well-being. These include warmth and honest communication, as well as vulnerability and empathy. In other words: seeing and being seen, communicating your own needs and listening to others without judgment, as well as being able to take the other person's perspective are qualities that we all have by nature. Unfortunately, sometimes they get lost in the hustle and bustle of stress, ego, pressure to perform and a lack of self-esteem.
If we manage to remember this and recognize that we are all deeply human and want to be seen and heard, we can take the path to more warmth at work - but also in every other area of life. Let's take a closer look at the individual steps.
Ways to be more cordial at work
How can we specifically make our working environment more human again and experience more well-being and warmth? Whether employees or management - everyone involved can contribute to this by taking the following suggestions to heart.
- Honest communication
Do you like it when people talk about you behind your back? No? Neither do others. And conflicts cannot be resolved this way anyway; in fact, they tend to escalate. Being able to openly express difficulties, needs and suggestions and being heard without reservation are, however, optimal conditions for a healthy working atmosphere.
- Feedback and recognition
Good communication also includes a healthy feedback culture. Giving appreciative feedback - whether positive or negative - is not only relevant for superiors, but also very important within the team for productive cooperation. What could be done better next time? What worked really well and deserves an honest compliment? Why were some parts difficult? The main thing: recognition for the work performed should never be forgotten, because appreciation is the fuel for harmony and motivation.
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Togetherness instead of performance competition
Together you are less alone - and often get more done than if you grit your teeth alone. Asking colleagues for help with tasks, working on projects as a team or telling your boss if you can't do it alone is not a sign of weakness or a lack of competence. Rather, these steps express your humanity and create an opportunity for more togetherness.
- Team building activities
The best way to strengthen team cohesion is to spend time together. This doesn't have to be a corporate weekend at a wellness hotel: meeting regularly at lunchtime in the kitchen and enjoying a good, nutrient-rich meal together isn't a big effort, but it's a wonderful opportunity for relaxed conversations away from work.
Conclusion: Small gestures for more humanity
Often, it doesn't take any major changes to transform yourself into a more warm-hearted workplace . An honest compliment, constructive feedback, or asking a colleague for their input on your project: small gestures that don't require much effort but can have a big impact. Consistently taking small steps like this promotes general well-being and helps employees to appreciate their workplace more and to deal with difficult situations more easily.
If you want to start taking concrete steps to encourage collaboration in your company, take a look around our shop and send us a request for a customized Purora subscription for your office kitchen. So that your team always has a delicious reason to sit down together for an organic breakfast or lunch in the future.
