What is Hygge?
According to Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2024), hygge – pronounced ‘hooga’ – is a concept referring to comfort, wellbeing and simplicity; promoting time away from daily rushes and instead, preferring relaxation and enjoyment of life’s quieter moments. The concept of hygge places great emphasis on informal time together with friends or family and it is rooted heavily in Scandinavian culture, tracing back to the Middle Ages, with a similar word translating to ‘protected from the outside world’. Its importance has been elevated in recent years, with international fascination particularly occurring during the years of Brexit and Trump’s election; with Hygge’s cosy, safe and content feelings helping to focus the public and prompt them to enjoy little things in life (Buder, 2023). Therefore, the term hygge and the subsequent experience it advocates helps to foster comfort and safety amongst people, often being viewed as an inherently soothing concept.
How is Hygge used?
In Denmark, hygge is a concept practised all year round – with outdoor dinners being enjoyed in summer, walks enjoyed in spring, or tea being sipped by fires in winter (Buder, 2023). Whilst hygge is seemingly an abstract concept, there are tangible ways to integrate this style of living into everyday life. Clarke (2021) suggests that lighting is an essential part of hygge, as the use of warm and soft light, as opposed to harsh, white lighting – helps to transform a space from uninviting, to warm and welcoming. Likewise, décor has huge links to hygge- with the concept being synonymous with comfort and cosiness. Therefore, Clarke (2021) encourages the incorporation of soft textural accessories, wooden elements, indoor plants and photos of enjoyable experiences - subsequently, helping to foster a warm and inviting environment, enabling people to be present, connect with those around them and appreciate the everyday joys.
Hygge in the workplace
With the concept of hygge promoting comfort and enjoyment, its existence can be fused into the workplace, to help create a more soothing and simplified experience for employees. The key learnings of Hygge – that of encouraging time away from daily rushes and advocating for informal time to be spent with friends and families - can help ensure symbiosis between people’s personal and working lives (Corbett, 2023). With Clarke (2021) reiterating the ease of implementing and integrating hygge into the workplace; it is understandable why a lot of businesses are taking inspiration from this Scandinavian concept. Whilst décor and textural accessories can help create a tangible hygge experience, Cattermole (2016) suggests hygge can also be embraced in the workplace by offering employees an extended lunchtime break, smart casual uniform and encouraging them to satisfy their sweet cravings by enjoying tea and sweet treats. Therefore, Hygge is a concept which can easily be fused into professional domains, through physical or experience-based means.
It is important to assert that the learning of hygge culture and its subsequent teachings are particularly important in post-pandemic life, where employees have been re-evaluating their priorities in the workplace and subsequently demanding their employee experience to be redesigned. Subsequently, this helps reiterate the importance of this concept, as Hygge can help bridge the gap between work and home – offering employees comfort amidst stress and clarity amongst often unclear working boundaries.
Benefits of Hygge
The hygge lifestyle has received the utmost attention and praise in recent years, as it is heavily associated with a more optimistic and happier way of living. With connections to comfort, cosiness and well-being – this does not come as a surprise and as such, the scientific benefits of hygge are vast. Nurturing an environment which is cosy and ‘safe’, helps to foster a positive experience – in turn, helping to reduce feelings of anxiety, whilst simultaneously promoting a higher sense of emotional well-being, alongside feelings of increased safety (Clarke, 2021). For employees in the workplace, this is significant as it enables individuals to be the best versions of themselves, alongside facilitating more meaningful connections to be formed and more authentic experiences to be had.
Subsequently, the feelings of comfort and emotional safety can help to build and nurture connections beyond the workplace; therefore, demonstrating how a hygge-inspired workplace can encourage hygge to be adopted in private domains of life too, as employees nurture this form of well-being beyond the remits of their professional lives. The emphasis on connecting with family, friends and loved ones helps to create a true sense of value and belonging, which reaches far beyond any physical boundaries of work. Therefore, the learnings and benefits of Hygge can facilitate a life and outlook which is more oriented around well-being, happiness and emotional safety.
Key takeaways
It is important to reiterate that whilst the concept of hygge refers to comfort and cosiness – the term is subjective and can be viewed very differently amongst different people (Buder, 2023). Therefore, it is important to focus on building a version of hygge that works best for you and provides you with a fulfilling and uplifting experience – as your version of hygge may not be someone else’s. Above the idea of what hygge looks like, its importance is rooted in what it feels like. Whilst this feeling varies from person to person and experience to experience, as long as it involves slowing down, appreciating life for what it is and being present, then you can say that you have achieved ‘hygge’.
Bibliography
Corbett, A. (2023) ‘The Hygge Workplace: The Antidote to Hustle Culture’, reworked.co. Available at: https://www.reworked.co/employee-experience/having-it-all-the-workplace-hygge-way/#:~:text=The%20Hygge%20Approach%20to%20Workplace [Accessed 18 Mar. 2024]
Buder, S. (2020). ‘Hygge’: The Danish Concept of Comfort We Need Now More Than Ever. AFAR. Available at: https://www.afar.com/magazine/what-is-hygge-everything-to-know-about-denmarks-cozy-lifestyle [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
Cattermole, G. (2016). Workplace hygge: how to embrace it, HRZone. Available at: https://hrzone.com/workplace-hygge-how-to-embrace-it/ [Accessed 17 Mar. 2024].
Clarke, J. (2021). How the Hygge Style Can Make a Healthier Home and Life. Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/health-benefits-of-hygge-4164281 [Accessed 15 Mar. 2024]
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark (2024). Danish hygge. Denmark.dk. Available at: https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/hygge [Accessed 14 Mar. 2024].