A common problem for almost all workplaces is the lack of employees’ engagement. We may blame it on the employee, but when the majority of employees suffer from it, workplaces know they are also part of the problem, or perhaps their management techniques.
However, employees are not hard to satisfy, and they can be happy in a workplace even if they are not paid very large sums. In fact, in a study, 90% of employees said that a more fun work environment increases their engagement and 72% of the engaged employees confirmed that their opinion was taken into consideration by their company. One may consider stress as a normal factor in work, but constant stress is bad. And although a manager has more experience that the employees he manages, but it does not mean employees do not have great ideas.
So treat your employees like you would treat your date to make them happy: talk to them about their interests, care for their opinion and point of view, and offer them activities that interest them, not just activities that interest your company. Their engagement will return with plenty of benefits to the company!
I know that feeling down sucks. I am an anxious person, prone to depression. I hate feeling down, I tried to keep it low, I tried to ignore it, and yet, it did not go away. Eventually, it was either stop myself from living, or stop my darkness before it takes over my life. You can guess what I chose. I know many suffer like me, many suffer much worse than me. I am not a psychiatrist nor a medical expert, I am merely an emotionally recovering person. So I wrote about what I am doing to get better, I hope it helps you.
The first step is not blaming yourself for it. You shouldn’t force yourself to “feel better” just because people around you do not feel comfortable seeing you like that. You are allowed to feel sad, down, tired, and fed up. You are allowed to be angry, if you don’t feel anger and sadness, you are not being honest to yourself.
Keeping your feelings down, bubbling them up, it will lead to an explosion and a larger damage. But don’t ruminate your dark thought, you are hurting yourself, and hurting those who love you truly. Returning to the same old dark idea is similar to you running with a bungee rope: no matter how far you get, it will pull you back to zero. Cut this cord and keep it as lesson, not as If you can’t do it alone, don’t feel ashamed, seek the help of trusted people or of professionals. You are not a desperate case, you are not crazy, you are not weak, you just need an external party to see things clearer than you.
Allow yourself to give every event its worth, be sad until you feel better. But always give yourself a healing time. If you lost a loved one, grief them, but don’t grief them until you stop living, grief them and understand that it’s ok to move on. You are not cheating on them, you are not being unfaithful because they died and you are still alive. You feel anger? Use the rule of 5: will it matter in 5 minutes? 5 hours? 5 days? 5 months? 5 years? For each yes you give, allow yourself a 30 seconds of anger. If it does not matter even for the next 5 minutes, I will not say don’t be angry, but let it go after 20 seconds. Allow yourself to empty your feelings, but don’t abuse it.
If someone or something keeps upsetting you, fix it or throw it away. You are not someone to push around and abuse, and a job or item should not make you feel bad. Is social media making you feel bad about yourself? Disconnect yourself. Is your friend always negative and making you feel awful? Talk it out. If they won’t stop it, then they don’t care about you, they just want to throw their emotional baggage on you to feel better, and you’re better off without them. Is your phone always breaking and stressing you out? You either repair it or stop using it, but don’t let a pack of inert material make your life miserable.
Get rid of your negative feelings by expressing them and dealing with the source of these feelings, not by repressing them. You may take a hobby, you may curse, you may cry, you may scream, you may shop, you may break a plate. It’s OK, do it. But keep 3 rules: do not hurt others, do not hurt yourself, and put a limit on the time and the resources you consecrate.
If you feel like a fresh croissant with a hot beverage or a quick bite, and you want a really sweet and kind staff to serve you, then Agonist Coffee Shop is the place you need to visit.
Their employees are mainly people with special needs who were trained to become servers and cashiers in the cafe. They know the menus, prepare the orders, suggest additional items and make your experience full of sweetness. The owner of the cafe Dr Wassim el Hajj is also available most of the time there as to ensure that everything is going as it should.
The food there is really good. I got to eat breakfast there and I can honestly say that their croissant was cheesier and one of the most delicious ones I ever tasted. I would go there again in a heartbeat!
The decoration of the place is simple and cute, they also offer salads and sandwiches, plus some delicious specialties. Around Christmas, they were offering gingerbread houses and cookies for example. They also have small gadgets like inspirational quotes on wood planks that you can hang.
Bear in mind that the service may be a little slower than in conventional coffee shops. The kind staff working in the cafe may do a small mistake or forget a detail from time to time, but the way the team helps the customers, makes the location feel like home. They will make you forget your stress and help you enjoy your time. So just have a little patience and allow yourself to forget time restrictions and enjoy a calm simple meal in a really friendly mood.
Allowing people who face more challenges everyday than others to get a job is one of the noblest things anyone can do, and anyone with any type of handicap should be accepted and given a chance. If there is a lack of laws to give people their rights, you should not lack humanity to offer them a job just because they experience the world and approach life in a way that is different than yours.
For anyone looking for the place, it is actually facing the parkings of Rim company in Jal el Dib, next to La Durée catering, 15-20 meters from the Jal el Dib highway, direction Dora to Jounieh. You can also call them on 76 769 444 or check the map on their Facebook page Agonist Coffee Shop.
This is a beautiful initiative to allow us to see how anyone has the potential just when they are offered the opportunity. Other similar initiatives can be found in Lebanon, like in Sunbola Bakery where workers are mainly with Down Syndrom. Also internationally there are multiple places hiring, like in Farmers’ Market in the USA. If you know any and want to bring attention to it, share with us!
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If you are waiting for a sign to take a step towards a different direction, this is it! We have one life, do not waste it by following goals others set for you. No matter how minuscule your dreams may sound compared to other people’s, they should be enough for you. Each step forward, even if very small, is valuable.
You are a courageous creative independent soul, you were not made to be enslaved by another being. Do not let anyone convince you that you cannot be the change or the inspiration, not even yourself. You have beauty within you, treasures waiting to be discovered, and the first adventurer should be you.
No matter in what part of life you are, don’t give up. You know what is great about hitting rock bottom? The only way to go is up. But YOU decide if you wish to remain on the bottom or you want to climb up. No one can make the decision for you, even the people who love you the most cannot do it for you, but they can support you and guide you. Do not fear asking for help, it is not a sign of weakness, it is strength to know that you don’t own all the knowledge of the world.
You can be an inventor, innovation has no gender, race or age, you can be an explorer, a pioneer, an artist. You can be all of them, if you just let them show.
You can start creating your path any day. Choose today.
Hopeful Fatalist 