You know the feeling: a client has unleashed all their frustrations on you during your weekly call, your boss has unfairly hauled you over the coals for something that wasn’t your responsibility, or you’re dealing with a difficult team member who just makes you want to scream.
At some point, all of us have had situations at work where we have felt dangerously close to nuclear meltdown––or a walkout. Instead, you sit at your desk, taking deep breaths as you try to calm both your racing thoughts and your feelings. And sometimes, tears can threaten too.
Despite long-held prevailing advice that crying at work isn’t professional and one thing you should never do, a study found that most people have cried at work at least once, and 49.7% of workers say it has definitely happened a few times. Most people can empathise.
If you think tears are on the way, the usual port of call for an office crying jag is the staff toilet. Sitting in a cold, sterile bathroom while you sob, mopping up your sobs with 2-ply loo roll is, admittedly, grim.
What if there was a better way? It turns out that there is. During the pandemic, several NHS trusts began to provide what is known as a “wobble room” to help nursing staff who were more stressed and anxious than usual.
Other industries are doing the same thing too: if your office has a space dubbed “calm”, “wellness” or “recharge”, then this is the place you can go to when the new hire spends a morning asking you quick-fire questions for three hours in a row, and you just need a bit of space to regain your equilibrium.
The names say it all, really. But in addition to having a dedicated space to go when you need a moment of calm, what is also so important about these rooms is that they exist as a result of leadership acknowledgement that yes, sometimes work is stressful, and sometimes we need a time-out from it.
However, it is also important to discern what is too much stress for you. Work will always have its difficult moments, but if you are finding that you are clenching your fists at your desk more often than not, then it could be time for a little career re-assessment.
January is a good time to start a fresh job hunt and if you’re in the market for a job at a company where your wellbeing will be prioritised, then you can start your search on The London Economic Job Board. It contains thousands of open roles, like the three below.
Version 1 has more than 26 years’ experience in technology services and as a consultancy and service provider, it is a digital-first environment focused on core values. Now, it is seeking an innovative and self-starting Senior Deal Finance professional to support driving the business’s competitiveness and profitability. This group-level position will be a key enabler in accelerating business growth and success, and will provide you with the opportunity to develop into a key business leader as the impact and scale of the pricing function grows. See all the details here.
Rothschild & Co is a leading global financial services group with seven generations of family control and a history of over 200 years at the centre of the world’s financial markets. The Group IT Finance Manager role is responsible for the administrative and financial management of IT and key IT service contracts. You will deliver, own and be accountable for key IT financial and contract processes. The role is based in London and will involve occasional travel to Paris and you will engage with global IT teams, working closely with them to ensure correct financial processes are being used and that reporting is complete and accurate. Apply now.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic well being, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. In the role of Director of Finance, you will be the senior strategic finance leader responsible for driving financial results and transparency, supervising various finance functional areas, and helping shape IRC’s strategy and delivery in Europe together with the Europe SLT and Senior Vice President (SVP) of Europe. Get all the details here.
