I had a colleague once who didn’t know what it was to take a break. When she had down time, she would find busywork to do, such as fixing broken links on her Website while she waited for someone to call her back.
Sometimes I also would look for a similar busywork task to do during those moments of pause that are too short to start a new assignment. However, other times I would do what is now called a “micro-joy break.” For me, the micro-joy could be spending five minutes looking at adorable animal photos on Google Images. For others, it could be going outside for fresh air or to chat with a friend.
The publication, Inc., detailed Generation Z’s love of micro-joy breaks recently, sharing data from a survey of young people done by soda company Slice. “It found a large majority—fully 77 percent of all respondents—said ‘they intentionally build small moments of enjoyment’ to break up the 9-to-5 grind. Moreover, most micro-joy practitioners credited those pauses with making workdays feel less laborious, even as they helped improve productivity,” writes Bruce Crumley.
Making Back-to-Office More Palatable
As companies ask employees to return to the office, in some cases a full five days a week, encouraging daily micro-joy could help employees hold onto some of the happiness they felt at home.
The question becomes how best to let your work teams know it’s OK to take a few breaks in the day for short bursts of joy?
Create Offline Reading and Relaxation Nook
Offices often are stretched for space, but if you can swing it, consider reserving a small corner for quiet contemplation, and even provide a small number of books and print magazines and newspapers. Spending hour upon hour alternating between phone and computer screen can lead to what is known as computer vision syndrome/digital eye strain. Designating an area of the office specifically for employees to unplug could prevent eye strain while bringing greater joy into their day. For instance, you could have graphic books with large glossy photos of animals and nature, poetry books, or collections of short stories.
You could even have a “take a book/leave a book” area to give employees with commutes on public transportation a fun way to spend the time.
15-Minute Micro-Joy Break Affinity Groups
Fifteen minutes isn’t much, but it’s enough time to chat briefly with a group of people with common interests. Your Human Resources team could set up a place on your intranet for employees to sign up for micro-joy affinity groups that meet for 15 minutes on whatever basis the group wants. It could be once a month, once a week, or every day.
If the affinity group is travel, then maybe just once a month would make sense. Group members would take that short break to meet up and share interesting places they visited the previous month and places they plan to visit in the coming month. Aa group whose affinity is TV series could meet every week, or even every day, to chat briefly about shows they’re watching and enjoying and what they plan to watch next.
How about a baking affinity group that meets once a week to take turns sharing recipes and homemade sweets? Nothing says joy to me like a homemade brownie at 3 pm on a Tuesday!
Encourage a Touch-Base with Loved Ones
When a meeting ends earlier than expected, one way to spend the reclaimed 15 minutes is by fixing and deleting broken links on a Website. Another way to spend the time is by stepping into a break room or going outside and giving a friend or family member a call.
Other full-time working professionals may not be able to talk during those spare 15 minutes in the middle of the day, but a retired friend or family member, such as a parent, grandparent, or aunt or uncle, might. A teenage child just home from school might be able to spare time to talk to a parent and might even be more forthcoming about their day on a quick call right after they get home than they are at the dinner table.
Finding people to share quick hits of joy with or taking a brief break to look at beautiful photography away from screens can remind employees of the ultimate reason why they work hard—to enjoy life.
Could facilitating micro-joy in your workplace be a boon to employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity?