Gratitude in the Workplace

“When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” - Dalai Lama

At Meeteor, we try to practice gratitude in our daily interactions: sharing stories, learning from each other, and celebrating professional and personal successes. Here are some resources that inspire us to take good care of ourselves and each other. We share these with you in the spirit of the holiday.

Gratitude for Yourself

Being grateful will make you happier and improve your relationships, and the best way to get started is by learning to appreciate yourself. In his TED talk, psychologist Guy Winch argues,

“We’ve known it (how to practice dental hygiene) since we were five years old. But what do we know about maintaining our psychological health? Nothing... How is it that we spend more time taking care of our teeth than we do our minds?”

Stress, loneliness and fear can negatively influence self-perception and functioning. It’s important to exercise emotional muscles as much as physical muscles. It’s time to start practicing “emotional hygiene” by appreciating yourself.

https://ted.com/talks/guy_winch_the_case_for_emotional_hygiene

(Find other resources related to Winch’s talk in “Headspace,” a recent episode of the TED Radio Hour podcast.)

Here are some questions (adapted from this article) to help you reflect and build the habit of appreciating yourself:

• What were the high points of this week/month/year? Why did they excite you?

• What recent achievement are you most proud of?

• What worries turned out to be completely OK?

• What people in your life are you grateful for?

• What new things did you discover about yourself recently?

• What little things do you most enjoy during your day-to-day life?

Gratitude for Others in the Workplace

“Employees who felt they were regularly recognized and appreciated by their leader reported 53% higher focus, 58% higher engagement, and 109% higher likelihood to stay with their organization.” - The Human Era @ work, research conducted by The Energy Project and Harvard Business Review

While leadership sets the foundation, everyone on the team reinforces the supportive team culture by recognizing others’ contributions. Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas:

Build a Thankful Thursday (or any day) habit.

Set aside some time every week, or every other week, to write down the things you’re grateful for in your life. Whether you would like to reflect internally or share with others on the team, allocating time and space for this activity helps cultivate a habit of gratitude.

Send a message to thank anyone who has made a big or small impact on your life.

Whether it’s a handwritten note, an email or a chat message, expressing your appreciation to colleagues keeps the positive energy flowing.

Take time to acknowledge each other’s contributions at the end of meetings.

In our article, Check-out: 5 Minutes to More Effective Meeting Results, we talked about how to end your meetings. Your team can use the 5-minute check-out time to give feedback to each other and thank individuals for their contributions.

How will you appreciate yourself and others? Share your practices with us!