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Fika: Building Relationships at Work

Fika: Building Relationships at WorkDo you know your co-workers?

I often say that, at work, we know a lot about each other, but we don’t really know each other.

What I mean is, we likely know our coworker’s interests, professional strengths, family members, whether they have pets, and so on. But many teams don’t have a deeper, group-wide understanding of their teammates’ personal drivers – the unique things that motivate each of us.

One example from this month: I’m not a birthday person. So when two of my team members had back to back birthdays, I didn’t think to mention it or give them a call on the big day. What if they found that kind of recognition really gratifying? What if they took offense to my lack of acknowledgement? This may seem like a simple example, but it’s a way of knowing them that would benefit my management of the team.

What is fika?

I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across a Swedish practice that seems perfectly designed to enhance this kind of knowing at work. The concept even has a name that’s incredibly fun to repeat – Fika.

‘Fika’ literally means “a coffee and cake break.” It’s typically an impromptu, short break either mid-morning or mid-afternoon for socializing. A ritual pause in the workday. But Swedes actually resist defining the term literally because it has such wide-ranging and flexible use. A whole team can fika in the break room at work. Two people might be said to fika well together. You can even fika alone.

I’m a little bit late to this trend and it seems a lot of companies have adopted fika for productivity benefits, reducing stress, and increasing innovation. But I’m not suggesting you run out and implement mandatory fika breaks in your office. In fact, you can read about the mixed success of such a venture here.

What I would like you to consider is whether you have an office culture that values casual, face-to-face conversations, like those that are inspired by fika. These build a critical foundation for times when you need to have more difficult conversations. One of the biggest barriers to execution I see among senior leadership teams is the inability to tell someone their baby is ugly. I mostly mean that metaphorically – but that’s the level of candor you need to make hard decisions, quickly. I think there’s a real benefit for leaders who explore what fika could mean for their organization and make a plan to put some of these ideas into practice.

Wisdom at a Glance

Explore the Swedish concept of fika, not just for a productivity bump, but for the ability to communicate clearly when it counts.

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