CAN UK SOCIAL WORK LEARN FROM SCANDINAVIAN CULTURE?

With Scandinavian countries routinely occupying the top spot of the world’s ‘happiness’ rankings, social workers Andrew Gambrill and Bethany Crosby ask, could ‘Fika Fridays,’ Hygge-inspired offices, and ‘Friluftsliv lunchbreaks’ be the key to bringing work/life balance to social care?

The concept of meeting with colleagues for coffee and cake is a foundation stone of the work/life balance culture in Sweden and is an absolute given - in addition to lunch!

We have set out to emulate this in Warwickshire with ‘Fika Fridays;’ a halfhour online meeting where our NQSWs get together to chat with only two topics of conversation off the agenda: work & ASYE portfolio. Popular culture, holidays, and pets are common themes.

The initial impact is obvious, in addition to the overall message: it’s OK to rest. It’s OK to look after yourself. It’s OK to laugh and talk. Sometimes those lighthearted moments are what we need to help us press the reset button, and return to a task with renewed energy.

In the noughties, the Danish concept of Hygge - being cosy and warm, wrapped up in a blanket whilst the storm rages around you - swept across the UK. In social work, the storm is your workload, the problems that you cannot figure out, and the pressure from other teams.

The blanket is a supportive team, and a comfortable environment to work in. So, what if your office were a little more Hygge? What if, instead of pure function, there were plants, posters, and pictures? An actual staff room, where you can remove yourself and chat without disturbing others?

Friluftsliv roughly translates to ‘openair living,’ and is deeply ingrained in Norwegian heritage. Now we’re not necessarily urging you to go on a 10-mile hike, or climb a mountain, but social workers have traditionally fought against being office dwellers, and longed to be ‘out in the community.’

Then Covid came along and impacted us to the core. Lockdown reconfirmed our need for the outdoors, for space and time away from our four walls.

Now things are opening up again, this drive to appreciate what is around us should not be lost. Being outdoors in a natural, green environment has countless benefits to our health. A regular dose of Vitamin D from the sun, the daylight exposure regulating our Circadian Rhythm, and lowering those nasty stress hormones, to name a few.

It doesn’t have to be a forest. It doesn’t have to be an enormous garden. It could be a little corner of your room, windows open, surrounded by plants, or walking to a nearby park.

So, in the spirit of Friluftsliv, try to build time in an outdoor space into your daily routine. Enjoy a Fika break with friends, and incorporate some Hygge into your office setting. And keep your lunch break. It’s yours, so don’t give it up.

Take that time to friluftsliv, fika and hygge. You never know, you may be happier for it.