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First published in Polish by Małgorzata Rosalska

What is most important to you in your job? This question is part of the classic set of interview questions. You could even risk the thesis that it is such a recruiter's sure-fire question – it tends to come up. In my work with students and adults returning to the labour market or seeking new professional challenges, I try to help them find their answers to this rather tricky question.

When I ask, "What is the most important thing for you at work?" I very often get the following answer: ATMOSPHERE. When I ask about details, I hear it's about feeling safe, relaxed, and comfortable, just feeling good and not stressed. This is a common and standard answer that is worth exploring further.

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Has anyone ever seen an atmosphere? And is atmosphere the same as climate or perhaps organisational culture? Before I define these terms, I would like to refer to the associations mentioned by my counselling clients. For them, relationships with managers and colleagues are, first and foremost, part of an excellent working atmosphere. Only after that do they point to elements such as clear rules, acceptable values, communication styles and forms of motivation.

A good working atmosphere is a very vague and obviously highly subjective concept. Nobody has seen it, but we all feel it. It is not easily defined. Talking about the climate or culture of an organisation is easier. Let's start with culture. This is a broad concept. In the context of an organisation or workplace, it refers to a distinctive system of values that models how people behave, are motivated, work and determine the direction of development. It also enables decision-making. It is manifested through convictions, declared values, artefacts and rituals. Of course, not all norms and values are visible. Forgive me for using the most popular iceberg metaphor; what is important is underwater. It is culture that defines the identity of an organisation and determines its practices.

Climate is a more restricted term. You can feel it. It is usually about interpersonal relationships in the workplace - both vertical and horizontal ones. Climate can be created and maintained. It is evident in how we communicate, resolve conflicts, reward and punish, operate, celebrate and manage failure.

In this sense, climate can be seen as synonymous with the atmosphere in the workplace. The concept of organisational climate is present in academic publications on management, whereas atmosphere is more of a colloquial term. It is worth considering why it is an atmosphere that my interviewees so often cite as the most important value for them at work. It is considered more important than money, professional development and career opportunities. It is primarily related to mental wellbeing, and as we know from various psychological concepts, it is the cornerstone of effective action, creativity and commitment.

In particular, those who have had difficult experiences in the workplace say that 'healthy relationships', a safe environment and predictable rules are far more important to them than the salary. I think that in the context of career guidance for adults, it is particularly important to reflect on the priorities and basic conditions for entering employment. Time spent at work and the dynamics and quality of relationships at work impact personal life, family, and health. Having a job is not an end, as more and more people realise. Work is a means of sustaining other values such as creativity, development, cooperation and quality improvement. Adults are, therefore, on the lookout for spaces where these aspirations can be nurtured and facilitated. Many people dare to leave limiting, morbid and painful work environments.

Working in this area is an important challenge for a guidance counsellor. Several tasks need to be done here:

• Help to operationalise the category of 'working atmosphere'. The counsellor needs to define more clearly what is important to the client, what they care about, what they want to avoid and what they fear;
• Assist the counselee in identifying factors that impact their psychological well-being at work. Sometimes, a person knows that they are upset and uncomfortable but is unable to identify and name the reasons;
• Support people in decision-making in situations of learned helplessness or crisis. In some cases, working people have had such bad experiences or felt continually undermined that they fear changing or correcting their professional situation;
• Promote the process of prioritisation. Sometimes, this is the first such task for the person you are working with. Many adults entered the labour market at a time of high unemployment, when just having a job was a goal and a value, and the fear of losing it prevented them from taking measures to ensure their psychological well-being;
• Encourage reflection on what one needs at a particular stage of life and career, what is important to them and what can be let go of. Edgar Schein's concept of career anchors can be very helpful in this regard. 

dr hab. Małgorzata Rosalska – pedagogue, careers counsellor, assistant professor in the Department of Lifelong Learning and Vocational Counselling at the Faculty of Educational Studies of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. She specialises in issues related to educational and vocational counselling, labour market policy, adult education, and educational policy. Author of books and articles on counselling and andragogy. Author of counselling support programmes and counsellor education programmes. She conducts research and training projects for educational institutions, NGOs and labour market institutions. EPALE Ambassador. 

Further reading:

Ghosting in the job market

Proactivity as a career resource

Job crafting - a way to reduce stress at (not only remote) work

Using a competence game in recruitment for a team coordinator position - a case study

Why is it worth having a first-rate kick-off?