Whimsy Is Not A Privilege
When was the last time you felt like you were in a flow state of mind that carried you through into your work? Is it the day-to-day tasks that keep you engaged? Perhaps it’s the culture of colleagues or clients that keeps things fresh and exciting? Even on days when it’s challenging, what brings you back to your why?
I think about the barista at one of my local coffee shops who doesn’t just make people’s orders because it’s her job. She’s intentional. Every part of the process to create the best possible cup of espresso is valued and appreciated—right down to the moment it leaves her hands to mine, when she asks, with genuine curiosity, how my morning is going. There’s a type of quiet excellence that doesn’t ask permission to matter and to do excellent work.
Yes, it’s good customer service. But it’s also a part of the human experience that feels like it’s becoming a lost art form.
We are to work to live, not to live to work.
Some would argue that this mindset is privileged. I disagree.
My work doesn’t define who I am. I don’t subscribe to the belief that a job is to make me happy and to bring me all the desires of my heart. This applies to all matters in life, generally speaking.
Meritocracy is often the lie—or the illusion—that shapes how we think about and perform in our roles. If that premise is false, the alternative is to do things differently.
Consider the playing field for most working adults right now. With rising unemployment rates coupled with return-to-office mandates, it’s a breeding ground for low morale. According to Forbes, 8 in 10 companies lost talent directly due to return-to-office mandates, with women, skilled workers and managers—the employees companies can least afford to lose—leaving at the highest rates.
It’s not just who’s leaving. It’s who’s disappearing from the count entirely.
And even when unemployment numbers move in the right direction, the full picture doesn’t hold up for the group most affected—Black women. Fortune reported the same month that Black women’s unemployment rate fell from 7.07% to 5.73% between March and July, driven largely by workers leaving the labor force altogether and not finding jobs.
None of this is easy to sit with. But it’s exactly why how we choose to show up matters more, not less.
I don’t know about you, but work ethic, discipline and a positive mindset—a few of the very traits that leave room for whimsy—are worth protecting.
And not just the serious or more mundane parts of business—handbooks and manuals, SOPs, the red tape processes just to reorder more paper for the printer (I’m so sorry if this is your experience). It doesn’t have to be this way. Even the driest process has room for a little whimsy. Honestly, if the status quo isn’t working for even the simplest of processes for an individual or team, why not make the necessary improvements?
What would culture across workplaces look like if more whimsy were involved and celebrated? People’s uniqueness is celebrated. Well, it looks like diversity, equity and inclusion.
There are dozens of playbooks, think tanks and annual conferences unpacking the how-tos and the best ways to continually perpetuate the illusion of diversity of thoughts, people, places and things.
Thank goodness some workplaces understand that adding and embracing people’s uniqueness and experiences are beneficial to increased productivity, morale and business outcomes.
Bringing your full self to work shouldn’t feel like betraying yourself out of fear of retribution.
The lack of progress isn’t necessarily rooted in an SOP not having been created. But it is the lack of valuing the very people who show up daily to their jobs, to do their best, with the knowledge and skills they bring to their role.
The impact matters way before the output. It looks like a barista whose name happens to be Raquel, who radiates joy to every customer. I’m sure her colleagues agree, too.
Checking In: What would “bringing your full self” to work actually look like for you? Drop your thoughts in the comments or send a note to hello.untilfurthernotice@gmail.com.
The Conversation Continues
This piece is part of a larger conversation. Here’s where it started.
