Episode 39: How To Create a Culture of Gratitude at Work – 6 Ideas
I continue to focus on gratitude this week and this episode is focusing on how to create a culture of gratitude at work. You may be asking yourself if you have time for yet another initiative that may not take hold. Let me answer that for you.
YES!
People want to feel that their work matters and that they matter, too. Working for money might sound exciting at first, but after a short while, it becomes hollow.
Listen all the way to the end for a special offer from me.
What You’ll Learn:
- How a culture of gratitude benefits everyone
- How to improve the quality of your leadership
- You get more time in your day, not less
- 6 Stellar ideas for creating a culture of gratitude
- An invitation from me
Listen to the episode above or stream it on your favorite podcast app:
This year is almost over – are you where you thought you’d be? The time is now to turn the tide – schedule your Discovery Call with me. You will be so grateful you did.
Episode 39: How To Create a Culture of Gratitude at Work: 6 Ideas (Transcript)
We are on a gratitude kick here at Barbara Churchill Coaching & Consulting Inc. and I am inviting you to join me in creating the same thing where you work.
Whether you lead a team in the corporate space or own your own business and have employees, creating a culture of gratitude is crucial for your long-term success.
What if you’re a solopreneur and don’t have any employees?
Well, technically you do – you have you, right? So this is a one-size-fits-all podcast and I strongly encourage you to share it with your friends and coworkers.
Recently I led a virtual coffee chat for my chapter of a professional women’s networking group I belong to. It’s fabulous because it’s international so we get attendees from all over the world. The topic was how to bring more gratitude into the workplace and did we ever have a rich conversation about that.
It’s so important now especially with all this “quiet quitting” and the mass resignation that’s happened in the last couple of years.
Companies are struggling to retain and engage their employees. They’re also finding it very difficult to hire because the pool of candidates is pretty low.
Are you struggling to find good people?
I know my clients are and it’s a constant topic of conversation in their weekly leadership meetings.
Now before you poo-poo this idea because your brain is telling you there’s no time to practice gratitude at work since you’re too busy putting out fires and fixing other people’s mistakes to have time to start another lame cultural initiative that never seems to move the needle.
Might I offer this:
What you’ve been doing hasn’t gotten you the results you want at work, right?
Why continue to bang your head against the same wall and make that goose egg even bigger?
Hear me out, ok?
The Benefits of Practicing Gratitude at Work
Listen to the benefits before you make any decisions.
A culture of gratitude:
- Improves retention – according to a study done by Glassdoor, 53% of employees said they’d stay at a firm that appreciates them and 66% are willing to walk out if they don’t feel appreciated.
- Improves productivity among employees. Gratitude drives a desire to work harder, fear of losing their job does just the opposite.
- Builds connections with coworkers and that improves retention rates and engagement.
- Enhances your management capabilities. You build trust and loyalty while becoming a more effective leader.
- Increases your patience, which then helps you make logical and better choices at work.
- Cultivates a sense of fulfillment. It helps employees find meaning and purpose as a result of the genuine appreciation they receive from the work they do. Working for a paycheck is hollow.
With all this evidence that gratitude at work is a good thing, let’s talk ideas, shall we?
6 Ways To Create a Culture of Gratitude at Work
1. Schedule time in your day:
I know myself well enough to know that if it isn’t on my calendar, it’s probably not going to happen.
Do I schedule my gratitude time? You bet!
Morning and right before bed, it’s on my calendar.
I’ll be honest, if I’m really tired it can be tough to pick up a pen and complete my entries and I’m not 100% perfect.
I’m not going for perfection – that Derailer™ that I used to struggle with for much of my life. I know I feel better, and sleep better when I do it, so that’s my motivation.
2. Remote workers:
Whatever means you use to communicate with your team, chances are some of them work remotely, so it may take a bit more effort on your part to relay your gratitude to them.
How do you show gratitude in a virtual world and have it feel meaningful?
Use your internal channels – Slack, Teams – whatever you use can be a great place to name names and give thanks.
Remember to be specific – none of this, “Hey a big shout out to Jessica for her work on the ABC Company project.” That’s empty and not very motivating.
- What did she do specifically? Keep folks on task and accountable? Come in under budget by negotiating better pricing?
- Share some details so she – and others – know you’re paying attention.
3. Meetings:
Start each meeting with your team or any meeting really, with a 5-minute gratitude share.
Let people know ahead of time so they can prepare something to share. This brings people together and sets the tone for your time together.
Even if the meeting is going to be a hard one, starting with gratitude can soften the tone and remind others that we’re all humans doing our best.
Watch this catch-on.
4. Written Notes:
When is the last time you received a handwritten note of gratitude about something you did at work? Um, maybe never?!
We don’t do that anymore, do we?
Take the time to write a note by hand in a lovely card. Start a new trend! You can mail to those who are not in your immediate area. How fun is it to get something in the mail that’s not junk or a bill? Again, be specific.
5. Voice and Video:
This is something that will mean more than a quick email or mention in a meeting.
I use the Voxer app with my clients for in-between session connection. It’s a great tool because the way you say something gets lost in the printed word.
Your enthusiasm and tone will no doubt make their day. You can also send a video to them. It’s private to only them or you can create a group for your team. Marco Polo also is an app that works well.
There’s just something about seeing a face that makes it extra special. They know you took the extra time to make it personal.
6. Thank You Banquet:
This idea came from my networking group and I LOVE it. This isn’t for the people doing the work. It’s for those people who support those who do the work.
- Parents who watch grandkids so working parents can be present and productive in their jobs.
- Spouses who run the household so their partner can focus on the big job they have that requires a lot of long hours or travel.
- Friends who carpool your kids so you don’t have to.
This dinner is to celebrate all these people. It can be a practice your company adopts and does annually as part of its employee appreciation initiatives.
The guests are completely surprised because they have no idea they are the ones being celebrated.
If your company won’t do that, you can decide to do it for your team, no matter how many you have working for you. Choose a cool restaurant, have special gifts and honor those who make it possible for your team to do what they do.
If you work for yourself or don’t have a team – no worries! Celebrate you!
That’s right, you get to celebrate how you show up and support you – every single day.
Take yourself out to a fine dining restaurant, and order champagne and a meal that makes your toes curl. Wrap a special gift for yourself and be sure to include a very nice note – signed by you.
Final Thoughts
Aren’t these fab ideas? So what do you think? Are you ready to try one of them out?
I’d love to hear from you to see how it plays out. Remember to keep trying. New habits take time to stick. I help my clients with this all the time.
I’m a great partner for you because I keep your eye on what’s important to you and together we solve the issues you’re dealing with while removing the blocks that have kept you stuck.
Want more info?
Let’s hop on a call today and talk about working together. Your brain wants you to think you’re running out of time to make changes because of the date on the calendar. Don’t believe it. In one session, I help my clients make major shifts. One session.
Alright – go forth and show gratitude.
Until next time remember:
I believe in you.