Four Ways to Incorporate Gratitude and Appreciation into your Daily Work

16 Mar Four Ways to Incorporate Gratitude and Appreciation into your Daily Work

As we take stock of our waking hours, most of us spend an awful lot of time with our colleagues and in our offices. Many of us pack a gym bag, a lunch box, a spare pair of shoes in an effort to be comfortable in the home away from home we call work. Maybe you enjoy sneaking a peek at your colleague’s children, pets, and grandkids in their desk frames while they post in their Joovy Zoom 360 Ultralight Jogging stroller. These are all bits and pieces of the human community that surround us every day. It’s easy, though, to gloss over the people at your fingertips and border on treating them as part of the office furniture.

Just taking a second to be mindful and emotionally present can bring a significant shift in how we, and consequently our colleagues, feel at the end of each day and could perhaps elevate office morale. One behavior change we suggest is actively seeking opportunities to show your appreciation and gratitude. We are usually presented with countless opportunities within our work community to observe noteworthy events that deserve acknowledgement.

A few ideas:

• Easily noted Occasions: Birthdays, Sports teams victories, mutually celebrated holidays
• Life Happenings: marriage, new house, new car, welcoming new children or pets, etc.
• Personal updates: successful diets, new hobby’s, fresh haircut
• Work related: promotions, key client wins, project completions, sales milestones

Why should you trouble yourself to open a conversation and say thank you? Beyond the golden rule and basic kindergarten principles of good behavior we all know… it’s a small investment you can actually make to improve your own happiness. We really don’t desire to operate in an isolated environment but it’s easy for your work environment to become such. Next time you observe a very easily mentioned happening with your colleague, make a point to say thank you. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

Ideas for saying “thank you” to people in your work community:

• A simple verbally spoken thank you when someone helps you, i.e. restocks the coke drawer in front of you or fixes the paper jam for you
• For a bigger show of appreciation, ask if you could pick up a coffee for them or if they were going out for lunch that day, offer to treat
• For a no-cost but meaningful thanks, engage them in a quick but sincere conversation. “I couldn’t help but overhear you became a granddad recently. Congratulations!”
• If you prefer an anonymous touch consider leaving something on their work space: a thank you note, gift card for a nearby bagel spot, or a small bouquet of fresh flowers

If you make the effort, not only will you brighten someone’s day, you’ll feel the reward too.