Under successive lockdowns, never before were we so closely acquainted with our computer screens. When the days bled into one another, so did the boundaries between work and personal space. Most of us arrived at an epiphany of sorts: Exactly when do you press pause on being an employee and press play on the remainder of your life? Or are we meant to do the waltz simultaneously forever?
Click start to play today’s Word Search, where one’s various roles in life, from “employee” to “spouse”, star.
Look to your neighbouring colleague – this person is more than just their ability to hit daily targets. As you spend time with co-workers in close proximity, you might be incognisant of this very obvious truth. Something even your boss could be equally guilty of.
In 2009, writer and wordsmith John Koenig released new words over a period of 12 years in his original dictionary to describe what the English language could not. In ‘The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows’, you will find a useful neologism to put a name to this specific feeling. ‘Sonder’ is defined as “... the realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own – populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries….”
Maybe balancing work and life would come easy if employers could see both sides of the coin. For those who can, they are often far more emotionally intelligent. If the root cause of your work anxiety is your boss’ mercurial temper, outbursts and moody behaviour, then you are being led by someone with a low EQ (emotional quotient). Not only do they fail to read others’ emotions but are also poor managers of their own.
The cog in the machine wants in on the empathy, engagement, encouragement and feedback, not just the paycheque. Kimberly White, author of case study ‘The Shift’ and a former facilitator of the leadership consultancy firm Arbinger Institute, states the obvious on a Talent Culture podcast: “People aren’t objects. You can’t possibly be an effective leader if you simply don’t know what’s going on with them.”
When we shift perspectives and truly see that the next person could be a beloved family member, friend or spouse, would we still treat them the same?
Does your boss see you more than just an employee? Play today’s Word Search and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
