F2CONSULTING®

I know this may sound a bit banal, verging on the naive, but expressing recognition of the work and commitment of a colleague or a collaborator is vitally important.

We live under constant stress, with breathless work schedules scrambling to respect permanently impending deadlines, many of them quite unrealistic. We frequently gulp down a sandwich while working, or skip lunch altogether (making the excuse that we’ll fit into our jeans a bit better), and by the evening we’re ready to crumple weakly onto the sofa.

I know that one ought to learn how to turn off the switch and find time for a reasonable lunch-break, but I recognise that this isn’t always possible. After a prolonged period of this kind of lifestyle, your moods become unsettled, you sleep less and badly, you become irritable, you start feeling that you’re a victim, that someone else is to blame…

This is when you need someone to make a gesture: a verbal or non-verbal “Thank you”, expressed by someone who clearly acknowledges and appreciates how much you’re giving in your work. This is when it’s so important that colleagues refuse to feel embarrassed about showing gratitude, because it’s unbelievable how powerful a tonic this sentiment can be for people under stress.

It can help make the weight of stress lighter, so that situations resume their correct proportions and the sense of unfairness and isolation melts away.

It’s so easy to slip without noticing into the prison of stress, because it’s such a gradual thing: like the frog in the saucepan of hot water…

So if you start feeling uneasy, tell people.
If you’re beginning to feel angry, frustrated, isolated… say so.

The same thing applies if you see that one of your colleagues is in this kind of situation: thank them for the hard work and commitment they are devoting to the team effort.

A few genuinely kind and appreciative words can make a big difference to those who receive them, and those who have made the effort to offer this encouragement will also feel rewarded by having taken this step towards a more rewarding and productive human relationship.