An uplifting story this week out of Canada highlights how lasting the transformative effects of workplace gratitude can be, even years after an employee leaves.
It also clues us in to the secrets of building lasting workplace gratitude.
Gratitude Is Never Forgotten
Recently the owner of a Dairy Queen in Markham, Ontario, received a heartfelt thank-you letter from a former employee who is now a doctor. The note went viral after the Dairy Queen owner posted it to her Facebook page.
“Well, I’m a doctor now! It’s taken me a long time, I know, to come back around to Dairy Queen but I have thought of you and your kindnesses often,” Nabiha Islam wrote to her former boss.
She continued: “You are an incredible boss and an even better human being. Thank you for supporting and encouraging me, for BBQing halal chicken for me, and allowing me to study for my MCATs in the back when no customers were around.”
Her boss, Yvonne Lavasidis, praised her as hardworking, intelligent and “wonderful” with customers.
Lavasidis told Today News that she strives to create a positive, supportive environment for her workers.
3 Easy Steps to Build (Lasting) Workplace Gratitude Today
This happy story gives us some easy clues to the amazing benefits of workplace gratitude — and how to grow our own workplace culture of gratitude. Remember that building workplace gratitude is an investment in the future. What you do today matters tomorrow, next week and, as the Dairy Queen story demonstrates, even years from now.
Believe in Employees — Get to know employees as individuals with goals, needs and special strengths. Only then can you capitalize on their strengths, help them achieve their goals and know what they need to perform at their best.
Be Flexible — Not all managers would allow a student worker to study during downtime, for good reason, but in the Dairy Queen case, the owner gets away with bending the rules a little because she knows flexibility builds trust, good faith and an attitude of we’re-all-in-this-together.
Show Appreciation — The generative power of few kind words is incredible, as the Dairy Queen story shows. Years later, we still remember the people who told us how much they valued us. Appreciation from others has the power to reaffirm or refine our goals and swell our own capacity for gratitude.
For an in-depth guide to Transforming Your Workplace with Gratitude, download our FREE eBook below and start today!
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