In an evidence-based Harvard Business Review article, Michael Norton (2024) speaks about the research on workplace rituals from his book titled The Ritual Effect. The author also includes results from 140 Harvard Business Review readers. The author found that rituals assist employees in balancing their work and personal lives, help cultivate team cohesion, de-stress employees, and help set the tone for the day.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKPLACE RITUALS
Rituals assist employees in successfully starting and ending their workday. The author believes rituals are helpful because they boost employees’ performance by calming them down before they encounter a stressful situation. For example, taking deep breaths before presenting at a conference can help lower stress levels.
The author also discovered that teams implementing group rituals into their workday have more of a connection. Eating together or speaking about a positive event from their week creates a lasting positive effect on the team. This could assist in fostering a productive and motivated work environment.
Finally, rituals create a separation between work and home life. For example, employees can start the day by briefly meditating and end their workday by closing the tabs on a work computer. This can create a mental boundary and help employees ensure that work life does not impede on personal life.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The research suggests that individual and team rituals set people up for success. It assists people with managing self-care and creating a balance between work and personal lives. Team rituals ensure that the human connection among co-workers continues beyond work. Employees may want to start by adopting one ritual as part of their workday. They may want to consider how it can trickle down and positively affect the rest of their day.
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