Holiday Stress at Work

It's the holidays and some of your coworkers may not handle the stress well. I wrote the poem below a couple of years ago when the atmosphere at my office was rather unpleasant. Hey, it was either write this poem or say something unprofessional to the worst offenders! I figured this was a much better way to deal with the stress. Enjoy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AT WORK

‘Twas early December and Christmas was nigh
Emotions (and hormones) were all running high
Comments were snippy, feelings got hurt
Many thought others were just much too curt
Stress and anxiety both ruled the day
And bad attitudes seemed here to stay
Then it occurred to all the stressed-out
That each one could help, without any doubt
By changing their attitudes, being less rude
Not taking offense where none was imbued
By keeping their focus on doing their work
And not getting involved in being a jerk
They then found the others’ shortcomings less frightful
Which made the environment much more delightful
People were calmer, interactions more kind
And they were reminded to all bear in mind
That they all worked together, they were on the same team
And people aren’t usually as bad as they seem
They could all get along to get the work done
And working together meant each of them won
No more concerned about things that don’t matter
No more desire for negative chatter
The employees no longer complained without reason
And focused instead on the joy of the season

©2007 Ellen Lockwood