Are you experiencing a summer productivity slump? Here’s how having more fun in the workplace could help.
The office may have traditionally been seen as a serious place, but things are changing.
Alongside triggering the shift towards hybrid working, the pandemic (and the working dynamics it forced us to adopt) provided us all with a chance to be more open with our colleagues. And as a result, more of us are leaving our ‘work personas’ at home in favour of an increasingly open, laid-back approach.
That’s according to new research from LinkedIn, which has revealed just how powerful being emotionally ‘open’ at work can be for workers’ productivity and wellbeing.
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Based on the experiences of over 2,000 UK workers, the research found that 49% of workers feel more comfortable opening up to their colleagues now than before the pandemic, with 65% feeling more productive as a result of this shift in the atmosphere.
The research also found that humour is the number one emotion British workers typically share with their colleagues, with over half (59%) cracking a joke at least once a day.
However, this doesn’t mean that we’re not sharing our more vulnerable sides. In fact, according to the survey, the pandemic has made us more comfortable sharing ‘negative’ emotions with both our colleagues and managers; 57% said they now let their boss know when they feel overwhelmed, while 45% said they now feel comfortable enough to speak about their mental health.
“A major benefit of having the lines between work and home blur during the past few years is having people feel like they can show more vulnerability and candour with each other,” Charlotte Davies, a career expert at LinkedIn, said about the research.
“This is reflected in what we are seeing on LinkedIn, where members are more open in sharing how they are dealing with situations at work, whether it be balancing work and family priorities or setting boundaries to take care of their wellbeing.”
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Davies continues: “The funny reaction, which is a laughing emoji that can be used to express joy in response to a post or comment someone has shared, has been one of the most requested features from our members.
“We’re all human and it’s okay, even for professionals, to show our vulnerable and humorous sides, both at work and on LinkedIn.”
While you might not be in a position to make big changes in your workplace, this research proves that making small moves – for example, by opening up to a colleague – could make a big difference.
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