12 Resources for a Better Workplace Culture This Fall

Fall will be here before we know it — and that means more than pumpkin spice lattes and chilly weather. Fall is a key time for building workplace culture in the months leading up to the holidays and planning ahead for next year.
Whether or not you have a fall engagement program in place yet, we’ve got resources to help you build a stronger workplace culture every day for the next three months and beyond.
By now everyone has returned from summer vacations and Labor Day camping trips and is back in “work mode.” Take advantage of this period. Energize employees to keep up their focus and motivation during the fourth quarter. A Virgin Pulse study found that a majority of employees surveyed are significantly more stressed during the holiday season and it diminishes their performance on the job.
Get ahead of potential disengagement: renew your team’s commitment to building your company’s workplace culture! Read on for resources to inspire you, from blogs to podcasts and artwork to special trainings. We’ve put together a list of resources with you and your company’s success in mind.

12 Resources for a Better Workplace Culture

Deepen your professional development and inspire your fall plans with these resources for HR:
1. O.C. Tanner
Recognition solutions leader O.C. Tanner dedicates its blog, ‘a’ magazine (“How to inspire a-games, a-players and a-teams”), to exploring ideas around employee engagement, recognition and appreciation. There’s a podcast, a weekly appreciation digest and webinar series. Be sure to subscribe to get tips and other helpful info in your inbox each week. We love the weekly appreciation tips. Bravo!
2. Gaping Void
Gaping Void is a workplace culture development consultancy and visual communications agency — that also creates entirely unique, gorgeous and inspiring work-themed cartoons! Subscribe to the Gaping Void blog for artwork and words of wisdom that will make you think and brighten your day. You’ll love the daily tips of wisdom and visual inspiration from Hugh and his team.

3. Dream Bank
American Family Insurance’s Dream Bank is a space “designed to help dreamers find inspiration, tools and support to bring their dreams to life.” The brick-and-morter hub is located in Madison, WI, but Dream Bank’s website has stories, powerful advice and interactive workbooks you can access from anywhere. We’ve been enjoying how to “Choose Happy,” a recent Dream Bank campaign.
4. Where There Be Dragons
Thinking about immersion travel or taking a sabbatical to broaden your understanding of the world? Where There Be Dragons offers cross-cultural training for students, professionals and educators through guided, meaningful engagement with other cultures to “facilitate experiences that allow participants to better know their abilities to affect positive change in a global context.” It’s forward-thinking inspiration for cross-cultural training. Wow!
5. Happy + Well
Happy + Well is an Australian organization and publication devoted to issues of happiness and wellness in all aspects of life, including the workplace. It offers a steady stream of videos, ebooks and speaker papers. Subscribe to the Happy + Well newsletter for the latest. You’ll be impressed by the depth of the offerings and wonder if you can justify a trip to Australia…
6. Live Happy
Live Happy Magazine is a great resource for all things positive psychology. It focuses on stories of people “overcoming real-life obstacles, conquering everyday fears and finding joy even in tragedies,” plus digs into research on happiness, health, economics, work and education. It’s a wealth of resources and inspiration and will bring a smile to your inbox.
7. HR Dive
Don’t have time to sift through the day’s news for relevant HR topics? HR Dive does it for you with a daily email of pertinent news and clear analysis on HR topics of every stripe. If you’re only interested in HR Learning or HR Recruitment as topics, you can select those preferences for your daily email. What’s not to love about the no-nonsense efficiency of HR Dive?
8. Bersin by Deloitte
Bersin by Deloitte is a reliable, forward-thinking source for in-depth research and insights into the evolving workplace. The annual Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report is a wealth of knowledge and analysis to help you plan for the coming year. Be immersed. Knowledge is power.
9. Quantum Workplace
Quantum Workplace designs employee engagement software with the motto “Make Work Awesome.” Yes, let’s! The company’s blog The QWork Future (“Where awesome workplaces grow”) looks at engagement and retention from every angle, with a focus on trends and practical solutions. Quantum Workplace also runs the Best Places to Work contests, which always provide fantastic insight into current best practices.
10. Gallup Research
Gallup conducts polls, surveys and in-depth research into just about every topic, from politics to wellness to retail. The organization has a page devoted to all of Gallup’s Employee Engagement research. Bookmark it! From the “State of the American Workplace” to global trends in engagement to surveys that gauge engagement on a quarterly basis — plus analysis from researchers — Gallup is a great source for staying up-to-date on current trends.
11. Mindful.com
Mindful.com (and Mindful Magazine) explores the science behind mindfulness, meditation, self-compassion and more, including a special section on mindfulness in the workplace. Help employees evolve from mind full to mindful; you’ll be amazed at the difference! These are great tools for any workplace manager.
12. gThankYou’s Day-to-Day Employee Celebration Calendar
Here at gThankYou, we help organizations recognize and thank their members throughout the year. We believe recognition is a daily process built on the foundation of a workplace culture of gratitude. We believe building a great workplace takes daily investment, so we made a calendar to help you plan ahead!
Make engagement planning easy with our FREE Day-to-Day Celebration Calendar. You’ll find expert tips on engaging, recognizing and building a happy and loyal workplace every day of the year. This one-of-a-kind eBook will help you build everyday workplace spirit with month-by-month guides, case studies, research highlights, how-to recognition advice and celebration ideas for specific holidays and anytime.