A Swede cannot survive without fika. The 15 mins break once in the morning and again in the afternoon, is an absolute must at every single workplace. And when we are on holiday, sky is the limit when in comes to how many times we pull out the flask with hot filter coffee and cinnamon buns and purr like cats over the loveliness of fika in the outdoors.
During the winter months in London, this is what keeps me alive - the thought of summers in Sweden, of me and the kids sitting on the wooden jetty after a morning run and dip in the sea, having open sandwiches and coffee, savouring the moment with a great sense of gratitude and bliss...it's impossible to have a bad day after a morning like that.
But fika is also very good for business. If you encourage your people to take 15 mins break with the sole purpose of getting away from the screen, connect with colleagues to discuss anything from how to deal with your next desk colleague who chews loudly to advice on puppy training, it is going to have an impact on employee wellbeing and productivity. To those of us who are working remotely, this is even more important as we don't have the usual opportunities to bump into a colleague in the lifts or the canteen, and we don't have the benefit of the person sitting next to us giving us an encouraging pat on the back when they overheard a conversation from a meeting that had not gone well. A 'virtual fika' can give people a chance to simply vent and to connect with colleagues at a personal level, which makes it just that little bit easier to deal with the rest of the day's challenges. We are gregarious creatures, and fika is the perfect way of connecting with others in the most uncomplicated way.
So go on, why don't you invite someone for a fika today!
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