Finding Workplace Gratitude In the Midst of Stress

Some days, workplace gratitude comes so easily — everyone’s in a great mood, projects are coming along smoothly and the outlook is positive.
Other days — well, even finding one thing to be grateful for can feel like a challenge.
Yet it’s on these days, in the midst of stress, that workplace gratitude sustains us, fuels our happiness and keeps us on track!
As we gear up for World Gratitude Day this Monday, Sept. 21, take a few moments to reflect on the ways you can encourage a daily practice of workplace gratitude, especially on days when everyone would rather not. It’s on those days that you’ll discover the most engagement power from practicing gratitude!

How to Grow Your Workplace Gratitude Any Day

1. Make It Automatic!
Practicing workplace gratitude will only feel like a chore if you’re starting from scratch every time. If it’s embedded into your daily workflow, your brain won’t have time to make excuses or dwell on all the reasons to not be grateful. So schedule time for gratitude every day, whether it’s gratitude journaling, writing Thank You notes, or making time to connect with and appreciate people one-on-one. (If this sounds like advice for scheduling exercise — well, it is: a work-out for your emotional well-being!)
2. Have a Go-To Plan for “Emergency” Gratitude
What about the days when nothing seems to go right, even your plan for practicing gratitude? Have a stash of last-minute, quick ideas on hand. The employee recognition strategies company O.C. Tanner has a daily appreciation calendar that you can click on any day. Today’s advice? “Make sure you’re appreciating different people often.” So take a few moments today to say “Thank You!” to someone you’ve neglected to appreciate in a while — perhaps an employee in a different department, or the night cleaning staff.
3. Take Time for Gratitude Research and Recharge

Even if you’re not feeling grateful at the moment, a little research and education can refocus your brain and get your gratitude muscles moving!
4. Strive for Work-Life Integration
“Happiness is a daily journey,” Zappos’ James Key Lim tells Fast Company. Instead of focusing on work-life balance, strive instead for an integration of work and non-work passions. Key Lim recommends aligning people with their passions both on the job and in the rest of their lives. From an organizational perspective, “this really takes time,” he tells Fast Company, because “it requires crafting clear, co-owned values, along with doing consistent checks to ensure that everyone stays aligned.”
Looking for more creative workplace gratitude inspiration? Read our previous posts on gratitude case studies, and for an in-depth guide to Transforming Your Workplace with Gratitude, click below to download our FREE eBook and start today!

About gThankYou, LLC
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