009. Kaffepaus (Fika)

Every morning around 10:30 swedish workers gather for a half hour mandated coffee break. Everyone sits down, drinks a cup of coffee or two, and spend some time together.

This mandatory break from work, ensuring that people have the chance to be near each other - not strictly in a work context - brings with it some opportunities that are all to easy to lose when all your time is meant to be about a specific aspect of work.

At the end of the last century the Harvard Business Review published an article on The Human Moment at Work.

"The human moment has two prerequisites: people’s physical presence and their emotional and intellectual attention."

The author told a story where newfangled electronic modes of communication, or even slightly more old-fashioned telephone calls, was held up against meeting someone face to face. The conclusion was that the transfer of emotional energy when two people meet and focus on each other is a powerful and positive force that can last long after the fleeting moment is over.

I believe that the enforced non-work time within our working day can help facilitate this personal focus and build trust. We need to schedule more non-work time and drink more coffee together.