Seeing a line cook cry over chopped onions was my wake-up call.
It wasn't about the onions. The pressure in our kitchen had been building for weeks. Now I enforce a ten-minute quiet time after lunch rush. Some call it coddling, but I call it preventing burnout. The food tastes better when people aren't on edge.
Seriously! We do a similar chill minute at my office after big deadlines. People just stare at the ceiling or make tea, and the whole vibe improves. It's wild how such a small change actually matters.