The Myths vs. Reality of Workplace Joy: An Honest Conversation

Last Sunday, I was in my workshop, the scent of fresh-cut wood filled the air as I upcycled my broken stools into flower stands.

My hands were covered in sawdust and my mind was fully absorbed in the craft. I lost track of time. I forgot about dinner. I was in the flow. I felt that pure, uncomplicated happiness that could only come from doing something you genuinely love. Then came the familiar Sunday evening dread, tomorrow was Monday, and the thought of trading my workshop for the operating room felt like a weight settling on my shoulders.

It's funny how we can love our profession deeply and still feel this way, isn't it? -The heavy-laden feeling of Sunday evening transition from what we want to do to what we need to do, and the dread of Monday mornings. No wonder it’s sometimes called “Manic Mondays”.  

Over the years however, the weekly shift from “workshop feeling and mindset” to the operating room has become a powerful teacher. It's shown me that there are different flavors of joy - the immediate, uncomplicated happiness of a hobby versus the deeper, more complex satisfaction of a meaningful career. Understanding this difference changed everything for me.

Breaking Down the Joy Myth

Here's the thing about joy at work that nobody talks about. It's not the Instagram-worthy, perpetually smiling, "living my best life" highlight reel that floods our social media feeds. If you're waiting for the day when you'll bounce out of bed every Monday morning, bursting with enthusiasm for the workweek ahead – well, I hate to break it to you, you might be waiting for a long time. And that's perfectly okay. However, if you truly bounce out of bed every Monday morning bursting with enthusiasm for the workweek, please DM me. I need to tap into your superpowers.

Seriously though, as an anesthesiologist and someone who genuinely loves her profession, I'm here to bust some myths about workplace joy:

• Myth #1: Joy at Work Means Constant Happiness

Reality: The toxic positivity culture really needs to stop - the perpetually cheerful social media posts suggesting you should be jumping for joy every single moment of your professional life. You know those types. Joy at work is more like mining for gold rather than finding it scattered on the surface. Some days, you have to dig deep – really deep – to find those precious moments that make it all worthwhile. There are mornings when I'd rather be anywhere else than the hospital. But then I'll experience a moment that changes everything like an unusual sight through the windows; or a patient opening their eyes after prolonged surgery and launching straight into a conversation as if they'd just taken a brief nap, completely pain-free or a 90 year old patient overtly and unashamedly flirting with me, 'come with me to me to la la land dr and I'll show a good time'. In those instances, I remember why I chose this path. Knowing I could make them temporarily forget the impending stress their bodies are about to endure from surgical procedures brings me enormous joy. Workplace joy isn't about eliminating negative emotions. It's about building resilience, finding support, and understanding that your worth isn't determined by maintaining a constant state of happiness.

• Myth #2: If You're Not Always Excited About Your Work, You're in the Wrong Career

Reality: Here's a truth few people want to admit: No job is exciting 100% of the time. Not mine. Not yours. Not anyone's. Even the most fulfilling careers have their mundane moments. Just as my weekend woodworking involves cleaning up sawdust and maintaining tools, meaningful work includes necessary tasks that aren't particularly thrilling. The joy isn't in every minute – it's in the overall purpose and those breakthrough moments of connection and achievement.

• Myth #3: Workplace Joy Should Come Naturally

Reality: Much like tending a garden (another weekend passion of mine), joy at work often needs to be cultivated. It requires attention, care, and sometimes a bit of weeding out negative thoughts. I actively look for moments of joy: the shared laugh with a colleague who needed it, the quick check-in with a team member who seems stressed, the simple "Hey, do you need a hug?" that can transform someone's day.

• Myth #4: Higher Pay Automatically Creates Happiness
  Reality: Money talks, but it doesn't always sing. Let me be direct: fair compensation matters but if you think throwing more money at someone will magically transform their workplace experience, you’ll be in for a surprise. I have lived this experience, and I've seen brilliant professionals with impressive salaries who are absolutely miserable. Conversely, I've watched colleagues find profound joy in roles that didn't necessarily pay top dollar. The difference? Connection. Purpose. Impact. Money can buy comfort. It can provide security. But joy? Joy is crafted, not purchased.

• Myth #5: Fancy Perks Create Genuine Workplace Satisfaction
  Reality: Culture Trumps Cosmetic Improvements. Free kombucha are nice and ping pong tables are cool, but they're not substitutes for genuine human connection. I've worked in state-of-the-art facilities and more modest settings. The difference in team morale never came from the building's aesthetics or the quality of the coffee machine. It came from leadership that genuinely cared, teammates who supported each other, and a shared sense of purpose.

True workplace joy is built through:

• Authentic leadership
• Meaningful communication
• Opportunities for growth
• Genuine human connections

• Myth #6: Most Employees Are Fundamentally Unhappy
  Reality: Potential for joy exists everywhere. The pervasive narrative and idea that most people are miserable at work is false. My, and other people’s experiences tell a different story. Yes, many professionals struggle. But I've witnessed incredible moments of joy, resilience, and connection across various fields. From the maintenance staff who takes pride in keeping our facility spotless to the junior doctors finding their first moments of clinical confidence - joy is everywhere if you're willing to look.

The Four Pillars of Workplace Joy are:

1. Purpose: Understanding how your work contributes to something larger
2. Belonging: Feeling genuinely connected to your team and organization
3. Achievement: Recognizing and celebrating progress, not just massive milestones
4. Positive Relationships: Building genuine, supportive connections

Beyond the Social Media Facade

In an era of #LoveWhatYouDo and "follow your passion" mantras, we've somehow created an impossible standard for workplace satisfaction. These Instagram-perfect versions of career fulfillment have made us feel inadequate for experiencing normal human emotions about work. It's time to reject these unrealistic expectations and embrace a more authentic relationship with our professional lives.

The truth about joy at work is both simpler and more complex than we've been led to believe. It's not about maintaining a constant state of euphoria. Instead, it's about recognizing that joy often lives in the small moments – the brief connections, the quiet achievements, and the subtle differences we make in others' lives.

Some days, joy shows up uninvited, like sunshine breaking through clouds. On other days, you have to actively seek it out, like searching for that perfect piece of wood in a lumber pile. But it's always there, waiting to be discovered.

The Art of Joy Mining: Finding Your Golden Moments

When I'm having a particularly challenging day, I remind myself to look for these moments. They might be hidden beneath layers of stress, deadlines, and responsibilities, but they're there. Sometimes it's in the relief on a patient's face when they realize their surgery went well. Other times, it's in the simple act of helping a colleague through a tough situation, celebrating a small victory with the team, sharing a common joke or reflecting on near misses. Workplace joy isn't about perfection. It's about presence, connection, and finding meaning in the everyday.

So, What’s Next?

You could start by being intentional about seeking and finding joy at work. Here are some ways you could do that:

1. Let’s Try Finding Your Workplace Joy Bingo Challenge

You can play this game with your teammates and award a prize to the first person to complete challenge.

2. Or Try this: At the end of each workday,
3. Identify one moment – just one – that brought you a spark of joy. It doesn't have to be dramatic or life-changing. Maybe it was a patient's grateful smile, a colleague's supportive words, or even just that perfect cup of coffee you shared with your team.
4. Write it down.

                     iii.         Drop it in a jar or post it on your wall or whatever you prefer

1. Keep a log of it.
2. After a week, you'll have a small collection of joy-filled moments that might surprise you with their abundance and in 52 weeks (1 year), you can go back and read about all the joy-filled moments you created at work.

This exercise can be a powerful source of resilience and strength during difficult moments.

Joy-Fostering Leadership

While finding joy is a personal journey, as leaders, regardless of your industry, we have a unique responsibility and opportunity to create environments where joy can flourish. Through my years of working in surgical teams, I've discovered that cultivating workplace joy isn't about forcing fun or scheduling mandatory happiness activities. It's about creating the conditions where authentic moments of joy can naturally emerge.

Creating a Culture of Joy

As leaders, we're not responsible for manufacturing joy for our teams. Instead, we're gardeners creating fertile soil where joy can naturally grow. Here's what I've learned:

1. Create Space for Small Victories

• Acknowledge the seemingly minor wins: a smooth patient handover, a well-organized supply cart, or a particularly efficient turnover time, a deadline or target met.
• Start team huddles with a "golden moment" from the previous day.
• Create a team "joy wall" where people can post their daily moments of satisfaction.

2. Enable Authentic Connections

• Model vulnerability by sharing your own challenges and joy-finding moments.
• Make "How are you really doing?" a genuine question, not just a greeting.
• Create brief "connection points" during shift changes, coffee or lunch breaks, pre-or post meeting conversations etc- even two minutes of real conversation can transform someone's day.

3. Remove Joy Blockers

• Address systematic frustrations that drain team energy.
• Give permission to take mental health moments when needed.
• Shield your team from unnecessary bureaucratic stress where possible.
• Challenge the "we've always done it this way" mentality when it's causing unnecessary friction.

The Leader's Joy-Fostering Checklist

 While all of the points stated above have well-meaning intentions, there are real possibilities you will be met with resistance. Not everyone will jump on board with the idea of actively seeking workplace joy. And that's okay, the real question is: how do you manage such resistance? When your boss, your superior, the boss of your boss tells you, ‘We don’t deal with mushy stuff in this business’, how do you deal with that?

Here's how to handle common resistance patterns I've encountered:

Handling Resistance: When Joy Feels Like Just Another Task

1. "We Don't Have Time for This": This is perhaps the most common pushback, especially in high-pressure environments like mine. My response? We don't have time not to do this. Burnout is far more time-consuming than taking two minutes to acknowledge a team win or share a moment of connection. Start small - even 30 seconds of genuine appreciation can shift the energy of an entire shift.
2. "This Feels Forced and Inauthentic": If it feels forced, you're probably doing it wrong. This isn't about manufacturing happiness or forcing people to share when they don't want to. It's about creating space for authentic moments to be recognized when they naturally occur. Sometimes, joy might look like quiet satisfaction in a job well done, or relief after handling a difficult situation effectively.
3. "Just Do Your Job - Joy Is for After Work": This mindset often comes from a place of professional pride or past disappointment. Acknowledge the dedication behind this perspective while gently challenging its sustainability. Share specific examples of how finding joy in small moments has improved patient care or team performance in your experience.
4. "This Is Too Soft for Our Professional Environment": Remind skeptics that this isn't about turning the workplace into a party zone. It's about building resilience, improving team performance, and ultimately delivering better outcomes. Share research about the connection between team morale and patient outcomes, or how positive work environments lead to fewer medical errors or greater achievements.

The Path Forward

So, tomorrow morning, instead of waiting for joy to find you, try becoming a joy prospector. Whether you're a team leader or team member, look for those golden moments in your workday. They might be buried under meetings and deadlines, but they're there. And once you start finding them, you'll develop an eye for spotting them, just like an experienced gold miner who knows exactly where to dig.

Remember, workplace joy isn't about changing your job – it's about changing your lens. And sometimes, the simple act of helping others find their moments of joy becomes a source of joy itself.

Because at the end of the day, we're not just building better workplaces – we're building more resilient, connected, and humanized healthcare environments. And that's something worth mining for.

 Lastly,

If you already have joy-fostering culture in your workplace, do you care to share? I would love to know how you do it and sustain it? 👇🏾