High-Five Friday
A small gesture. A big reminder that joy still matters at work.
Before Covid, before we were afraid to touch each other — before fist bumps and elbow bumps became a business thing — I had a colleague who, every Friday, would go around the office offering high-fives. She called it High-Five Friday.
Everyone she encountered got the same greeting — a raised hand, palm out, and a cheerful, “High-Five Friday?” It was simple, but it was an invitation. A chance to feel good, even if you weren’t sure why.
Being on the receiving end of a high-five felt different. For a moment, you were transported out of the office to the basketball court, the playground, or the ballfield — any place where a high-five was social currency. A recognition of an accomplishment, of being part of a team, of not just thinking about yourself.
Maybe it was her way of celebrating making it through the week. Or acknowledging the small accomplishments that had gone unnoticed. Honestly, I don’t know. But one thing it did do was spread joy.
In that moment — which probably lasted less than a minute — you forgot about the emails piling up, the meetings yet to come, the deadline you’d missed, or the argument you’d had with your manager. All your brain said was, “I got a high-five.” And boy, did it feel good.
So thank you, Cari, for spreading joy before anyone thought to brand it as “wellness.”
And to everyone reading this today, I say: High-Five Friday?
Sometimes joy at work starts with something small. What’s one small ritual that lifts your team’s spirit?
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