Today we’ll talk about three little things you can do to bring joy to your workplace: warmly greeting others, taking breaks, and wearing your smile.
How do you greet others when you begin your shift? Are you barely moving or alive? Do you at least smile and say, “Good morning, afternoon, or evening”? Or is the thought of speaking to others when you begin to work dreadful for you?
I am not a morning person. When I worked for the City of Noblesville, my day started at 8 a.m. (like many offices). Thankfully my morning walks helped me wake up and transformed me into my joyful self.
You may have to find your own routine to psych yourself up to greet others in a pleasant manner. Remember how we talked about acting enthusiastic to be enthusiastic? Some mornings even my walk wasn’t enough. Once I announced, “Good Morning, Suite 275!” when I entered the mayor’s suite, my mood and that of others who heard me were instantly uplifted.
A few people may not appreciate your positivity each day. But most will enjoy a happy person and they’ll benefit from a positive ray of light to start their work.
Once our work begins, sometimes it can feel like there is no way we can possibly take 10 minutes for lunch, let alone any other break in the day. But that’s exactly what we should do to be as productive and happy as possible.
Dale Carnegie said that it’s important to rest before you get tired. His book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living shares examples of how successful people are more productive when they allow themselves to take breaks.
Let’s think about a car. When a car starts to overheat, should we let it keep running or turn it off so the engine cools down? Of course we need to do the latter.
What about if it’s low on fuel? Do we just keep driving and watch the warning light flash and the countdown of miles left until it’s empty? Absolutely not. Unless we want to get stuck somewhere by the side of the road, we need to find the nearest gas station and refuel.
The same thing applies to human beings. Whether your job is physical or more sedentary, you’re using energy in some way. Our bodies need the occasional rest or meal so we can keep going.
And don’t just take breaks during your work time. Remember to take the occasional long weekend or vacation to get completely away for a while. Fortune magazine says that Americans are terrible about taking the time off that they so desperately need.
The publication shares that more than half of us did not take all our allotted vacation time in 2016. The reasons for this vary, including worry about returning to a mountain of work and the feeling that no one else can do the job. However, Fortune states that most managers agree that vacation time helps with health and well-being, boosts morale; and alleviates burnout.
As counterintuitive as it is, to be joyful in our workplaces, we need to get away from them occasionally.
Finally, sometimes we just gotta be our own little cheerleaders. My last tip in this column is probably the easiest thing to do, but it’s also easy to forget. We gotta smile. It involves that “fake it til’ you make it” mentality.
I’m not saying that we have to smile when something truly sad or upsetting is happening in our lives. Even I can’t do that. But when we’re having one of those “meh” days, sometimes putting that smile on our faces can help us sound and feel better. This works when we’re on the phone, interacting with customers, or encountering a difficult coworker.
And let’s smile and celebrate the little victories at work even when we’re by ourselves! Why not do a little happy dance when we close that sale, impress our boss, get that raise or promotion, or put on a successful event? Sometimes no one else knows how hard we worked, so giving ourselves those silly rewards can mean a lot.
Smile and celebrate the little things as much as possible and you will be a positive force to everyone around you in the workplace.
Amy Shankland is a writer and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John, two sons, two dogs and a cat. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.