Whistle back to work : TO BE TRANSLATED FROM METATAG ADMIN

Tanned and perfectly relaxed, everyone can see you’re back from holiday. But after catching up with your colleagues, your mood starts to sink as you open your inbox…

Going back to work after a long holiday has always been bittersweet: on the one hand, it brings promises of fresh starts, new possibilities, and the unknown; on the other, it signals the return of everyday life, with its hassles, boring routines, and stress. And so we soon start daydreaming about our next holidays, planning a weekend away, or postponing unpleasant chores. Why not try to reconcile ourselves with this tricky time of year, by learning to nurture our desire to work, lucidly?

MOTIVATION, WHERE ARE YOU?

Back to work often means back to existential questions, starting with the meaning of our activity. Instead of asking ourselves “why”, what if we asked ourselves “what” do we need to get out of bed in the morning?

What motivates you to work?

It’s not just the meaning of our work that can make us want to go to the office. Here’s a video exploring the different types of professional motivation and their limits.

3 minutes

It’s not just the meaning of our work that can make us want to go to the office. Here’s a video exploring the different types of professional motivation and their limits.

The many faces of motivation

What does this ubiquitous M-word even mean? Fiction can be our best guide. Let’s delve into five extracts from novels which explore motivation from the inside, in its various forms.

13 minutes

What does this ubiquitous M-word even mean? Fiction can be our best guide. Let’s delve into five extracts from novels which explore motivation from the inside, in its various forms.

The morning alarm, between alienation and freedom

These days when you hear the alarm you hesitate and smash “snooze” to postpone the start of the day. So let’s try to look at things from a different angle: could the alarm clock also be liberating, by pulling us from our existential questions and kick-starting us into action?

4 minutes

TAKE A TEST!

Test: what kind of “motivated” are you?

If we need to find meaning in our work in order to feel fulfilled, we oughtn’t forget that from one person to the next, the sources of motivation change. There are those who work for money, those who want to keep busy, those who want to be recognised by their peers, and those who want their job to be useful… How about you?

1 minute

HELL IS OTHER WORKERS

Returning from holiday also means seeing our colleagues again. Friends, strangers, inseparable sidekicks, that irritating boss… You don’t choose who you work with, and yet you still need to form a team. How can we meet this challenge?

Can we be friends at work?

Colleagues might first appear to be the opposite of friends, since they start off as total strangers we’re forced to spend time with. But this “accidental” relationship can conceal a joyful like-mindedness, and sometimes even an exceptional kinship of spirit. Maybe this could help alleviate your back-to-work blues?

9 minutes

Are you in a “work couple” without knowing it?

We all know a pair of colleagues who can’t wait to see each other again after the summer break – in fact you might be one of them! What are these workplace bonds made of, and are they a pro or a con for a team?

9 minutes

Test. What type of colleague are you?

Being a colleague doesn’t mean you can’t also be a character. Now that you’re back at work, why not ask yourself what type of coworker you are for other people? Rather friendly, or rather defensive?

1 minute

TIME, LOST AND FOUND

After a well-deserved rest and a successful disconnect from work, it can be difficult getting back into our old rhythm. But you’ve only just got back and you’re already racing between meetings, deadlines, and emergencies… Instead of finding your rhythm again, why not reinvent it?