GratiTuesday – Gratitude & Professional Wellness Month
All through June we will be celebrating Professional Wellness Month with gratitude. Created in 2014, this annual observance recognizes and celebrates the importance of maintaining mental, emotional, and physical health in the workplace. Organizations that emphasize wellness in the workplace attract top talent, boost employee retention, and are more likely to be successful overall.
Regardless of the role you play within your company’s leadership structure, there is ample evidence that all members of a “well workforce” – measured through the metrics of mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing – contribute to a productive, innovative, and successful company vision. In short, corporate culture matters. Adding gratitude to the workplace is one way to improve company culture. In other words, gratitude matters at work.
In this clip entitled, “Three Research-Based Tips for a Grateful Workplace,” Professor Ryan Fehr from the University of Washington first describes his MBA students’ typical state of mind upon arrival from their work day; across the board these corporate leaders from Amazon, Microsoft, and Boeing all exhibit and report symptoms of intense work-related stress.
Professor Fehr shares his research to build a meaningful culture of gratitude at work:
– Build Gratitude Habits at Work (4:27)
– Draw from Sources (10:04)
– Guard against Negative Emotions (16:05)
Here are five research-tested tips for fostering gratitude on the job:
1. Start at the top. This is one of the clearest takeaways from research into workplace gratitude: Employees need to hear “thank you” from the boss first.
2. Thank the people who never get thanked.
3. Aim for quality, not quantity. Create times and spaces that foster the voluntary, spontaneous expression of gratitude.
4. Provide many opportunities for gratitude. Not everyone likes to be thanked—or likes to say “thank you”—in public. They may be shy or genuinely modest.
5. In the wake of crisis, take time for gratitude. Cultivating a culture of gratitude might be the best way to help a workplace prepare for stresses that come with change, conflict, and failure.
There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resilient to stress, whether minor everyday hassles or major personal upheavals.” ~ Robert Emmons/psychologist
The success of a workplace gratitude program is directly tied to participation. We all know the most effective corporate leaders lead by example. Developing and committing to a well workplace starts at the top. Corporate culture matters. Gratitude matters at work.
As always, each Tuesday we invite one another to express one thing – in the comments field – for which you are grateful, and/or Share that sentiment as a post on your favorite social media site. It needn’t be lofty and can certainly reflect something we usually take for granted. I’ll go first… I AM so happy and grateful my professional experience and expertise provide valuable resources delivering highly effective corporate wellness programs. Now your turn. I AM so happy and grateful now that/for: ________________________________________________
#laurelblossomyoga #lbyofficewellness #corporateyoga #corporatewellness #virtualyoga #meditation #gratitude #gratituesday #professionalwellnessmonth #corporateculture
GratiTuesday – Brains & Business
Hello Yoga-Friends ~ GratiTuesday musings during the week of our country’s national holiday of Thanksgiving – The Brains and Business Edition.
While I have little interest in the popularized myths our culture (?) have promulgated for the history behind this holiday, I am committed to the idea of thanks giving. My commitment is so strong that I practice the giving of thanks intentionally, every day of the year. What’s more, at least once a week I push my appreciation agenda as a public service for you all, with a gentle re-minder of the many benefits of gratitude for us individually as well as collectively – for our brains and our business.
What do I mean by brains and business? First off, your brain on gratitude will have an affect on your perspective and experience of life. Next, your business can refer to whatever occupies your time and energy — family, friends, clients, colleagues, and/or community. Whether you are expressing gratitude toward them, or simply walking your gratitude talk, when your brain is on gratitude there is a ripple effect that affects those around you.
In past essays, I’ve shared the results of many research studies regarding the neurochemical responses to gratitude. To sum up, whenever we engage in gratitude practices, our brains release the ‘feel good’ hormones serotonin and dopamine. In addition, a regular gratitude practice over time can essentially re-wire our brains from a glass-half-empty world view to glass-half-full frame of mind.
Should we intentionally bring the benefits of gratitude into our actual work environment? In a word, yes. Just yesterday Forbes featured an article expounding the virtue of expanding gratitude in the workplace. “The Science Of Gratitude: How Thankfulness Impacts Our Brains And Business”
Feeling undervalued is one of the main reasons employees leave their jobs.”
According to Kevin Kruse, CEO of LEADx, “Feeling undervalued is one of the main reasons employees leave their jobs.” Among his recommendations for engaging employees through gratitude is to shift from the standard annual — or even monthly! — recognition event, to making gratitude a part of everyday company culture. One example offered in the article which serves onsite just as well as remote meetings, suggests beginning with some form of gratitude practice such as a quick round robin of, “Who is a colleague you’re grateful for and why?”
The type of culture shift noted above is only a first step. The most impactful methods for demonstrating how employees will feel that they are valued may require re-vamping company policies around compensation, perks, benefits – including wellness!, and individual recognition practices. However, sincerely communicating appreciation for work done well is a smart place to start.
I’ll go first. I am enormously grateful to our Om in the Office Team of Wellness Service Providers for their individual dedication and resourcefulness throughout the pandemic. You all have been an inspiration both to me, as well as to the clients we have served. Thank you!
As always, each Tuesday we invite one another to express one thing – in the comments field – for which you are grateful, and/or Share that sentiment as a post on your favorite social media site. It needn’t be lofty and can certainly reflect something we usually take for granted. I’ll go first… I AM so happy and grateful for our team. Now your turn. I AM so happy and grateful now that/for: _________________________________________________________________________________
#laurelblossomyoga #omofficeyoga #corporateyoga #corporatewellness #virtualyoga #virtualmeditation #reiki #om #meditation #mindfulness #gratitude #gratituesday #thanksgiving2021