The Best Ways to Banish Workplace Blues

Small wins, meaningful work, and colleague relationships are more likely to banish workplace blues than dramatic benefits like a four-day work week, the option of full remote work, or weeks and weeks of extra holiday.

After analysing 12,000 diary entries provided by 238 employees, Harvard researchers concluded in 2011 that what seem like mundane work moments can make or break the way someone views their job. A “sense of making progress on meaningful work” was found to be the most important factor boosting employee morale.

The way people relate to their coworkers also has a major impact on workplace happiness. A report published last week by pollster Gallup said staff who are more engaged at work tend to have stronger workplace relationships than those who have mentally checked out.

But in a warning shot to the HR gurus now racing to host a bonding day, the Gallup research said there are “no quick fixes when it comes to human relationships“. Recognition, as well as feeling heard and cared about, were all more likely to boost morale than “simple team engagement activities“.

Vocabulary:

mall wins – (expression) minor achievements or little bits of success that happen on a daily basis, “Celebrating small wins helps keep the team motivated during long projects.”

meaningful work – (expression) jobs or daily tasks that feel important, valuable, and purposeful to the person doing them, “She left the corporate world to do meaningful work at a local animal shelter.”

colleague – a person that you work with, especially in a professional job or office environment; a coworker, “My colleague kindly helped me prepare the presentation slides.”

banish – to completely get rid of, drive away, or eliminate something unpleasant, “Drinking a warm cup of herbal tea can help banish a winter cold.”

workplace blues – (idiom) feelings of sadness, low energy, or a lack of motivation that people experience during the workweek, “Having a friendly chat with a coworker is a great way to fight the morning workplace blues.”

dramatic benefits – (expression) large, highly noticeable, or extreme perks given to employees that cause a major change in the workspace, “The startup offered dramatic benefits, including free daily catering and unlimited time off.”

four-day work week – (expression) a modern employment schedule where staff work four days a week instead of the traditional five, usually keeping the same total salary, “Many European companies are testing a four-day work week to see if productivity stays high.”

remote work – (expression) the practice of working from home or another location outside of the company’s main office, “The company offers full remote work, so employees can live anywhere in the country.”

extra holiday – (British expression) additional paid vacation days or time off work allowed by an employer, “She was rewarded with three days of extra holiday after successfully hitting her sales targets.”

analysing – (British spelling) studying, checking, or examining something very closely and in detail to understand it better, “The data team is analysing our website traffic from last month.”

diary entries – (expression) short, daily written notes or records of a person’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings, “The researchers studied the workers’ private diary entries to see how stressed they felt.”

concluded – decided or judged that something is true after carefully looking at all the available facts and information, “The doctor concluded that the patient simply needed more rest.”

mundane – ordinary, routine, and boring, lacking any excitement or special interest, “He disliked doing mundane office tasks like scanning papers and organizing files all afternoon.”

make or break – (idiom) to cause something to either become a total success or a complete and total failure, “This final exam will make or break my chances of passing the course.”

views – thinks about, considers, or looks at a specific situation or topic in a particular way, “He views his daily commute as a great opportunity to listen to audiobooks.”

factor – a specific fact, situation, or influence that contributes to a final result or outcome, “Good pay is an important factor when choosing a new career path.”

boosting – increasing, raising, or improving the level, strength, or value of something, “The restaurant started offering lunch discounts as a way of boosting its daily sales.”

morale – the amount of confidence, enthusiasm, and team spirit felt by a person or a group of people, “Winning the championship game was excellent for improving the team’s overall morale.”

relate to – (phrasal verb) to understand, connect well with, or feel sympathy for another person, “It is easy to relate to my manager because she remembers what it was like to be a beginner.”

coworkers – the people who work at the exact same company, store, or office as you, “She went out for a nice dinner with her coworkers to celebrate the weekend.”

major impact – (expression) a huge, powerful, and highly noticeable effect on a situation, person, or object, “The rainy weather had a major impact on the weekend football game.”

workplace happiness – (expression) the overall state of satisfaction, comfort, and positive emotion that an employee feels while at their job, “Providing free coffee and comfortable chairs can greatly improve workplace happiness.”

pollster – a person or a company that conducts public opinion surveys and interviews to gather data, “A representative from the pollster called to ask which political candidate I preferred.”

engaged – deeply involved, highly interested, and fully committed to an activity, goal, or job, “The students were completely engaged during the fascinating science experiment.”

tend to – (expression) to usually or regularly do a specific action, or to have a natural habit of behaving a certain way, “Tired employees tend to make more spelling mistakes in their emails.”

mentally checked out – (idiom) stopped caring, paying attention, or putting effort into a situation while still being physically present, “He had already accepted a new job, so he was completely mentally checked out during his final week.”

warning shot – (idiom) an action, statement, or sign intended to alert someone to a major potential problem or danger ahead, “The dropping sales figures served as a sharp warning shot to the company directors.”

gurus – recognized experts, masters, or highly influential authorities in a specific field of study or business, “The technology conference featured keynote speeches from several famous Silicon Valley gurus.”

racing to – (idiom) rushing, hurrying, or trying to do an action as fast as possible to beat others, “Tech companies are racing to create the smartest artificial intelligence apps.”

bonding day – an organized event or day dedicated to helping coworkers or group members build stronger personal relationships, trust, and teamwork, “The department planned an outdoor bonding day featuring fun team-building games.”

quick fixes – (idiom) fast, easy solutions that solve a problem immediately but usually only work temporarily and don’t fix the underlying cause, “Drinking energy drinks is just a quick fix for a lack of sleep.”

when it comes to – (idiom) regarding, concerning, or speaking about a specific subject or topic, “When it comes to math, my sister is the smartest person I know.”

human relationships – (expression) the social connections, interactions, and emotional bonds between two or more people, “Building strong human relationships is a vital part of managing a large group of people.”

recognition – official appreciation, praise, or acknowledgment given to someone for their achievements or hard work, “She finally received the corporate recognition she deserved after completing the massive software project.”

team engagement activities – (expression) organized games, exercises, or events designed to make employees feel more involved, connected, and excited about working together, “The manager planned several outdoor team engagement activities for Friday afternoon.”