Health@Work E-tips November 2017: gratitude

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Welcome to Health@Work's newsletter. The purpose of Health@Work's monthly E-tips is to help you promote better health at your workplace.


Harvest gratitude in the workplace

Photo of apples set on grass in the shape of a heart

Gratitude by definition is simply the quality of being thankful. It literally costs nothing to think about what you are thankful for, or to say “thank you” to someone else. And the research-based benefits of practicing gratitude, for both individuals and the workplace, are nearly endless. It really is a win-win.

 

According to this 2015 workforce study, organizations that apply values-based recognition practices – such as gratitude and appreciation – experience lower turnover, higher employee engagement, improved team relationships, and a more ‘human’ workplace culture. There is also research to support a strong correlation between frequently expressing gratitude and better health. Participants in this study reported increased happiness, greater sense of life satisfaction, and higher resilience to stress. 

 

Tips to practice gratitude at work:

  • Check out this article from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, to learn more about how gratitude can not only make us happier, but also improve our relationships and performance at work.
  • Although research suggests that gratitude boosts morale and productivity in organizations, people are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than anywhere else. To find out how your organization stacks up, take this quiz that’s designed to measure the level of gratitude in an organization.
  • A quick and easy way to practice gratitude at work is to share this short video meditation called “A Grateful Day” with your employees. You could show this at a staff meeting, or simply send the link via e-mail.
  • You may also want to implement a gratitude challenge in your workplace. This challenge has employees write down three things they are grateful for – each day for 30 days. What makes this challenge unique from other “3 good things” challenges is that employees cannot repeat anything. At the end of the 30 days, they have a list of 90 unique things to be grateful for. 

 

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." - William Arthur Ward

 


We’d love to hear what your organization does around practicing gratitude. Add your comments in our Health@Work LinkedIn group to share and learn from others.

 

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Employee E-tips

The saying "Today I am thankful for Today" next to tulips

Click here to read this month's E-tips titled "5 ways to practice an attitude of gratitude.

 

To share these E-tips with employees:  

  • Email the E-tips document to your staff as an attachment. 1) Click the link to download and save the E-tips to your computer. 2) Add your organization's logo in the bottom left corner. 3) Then send it as an email attachment to staff. 
  • Or print the document once you've added your organization's logo and post it in a common area in your workplace.
  • Or copy and paste the text into your organization's newsletter.

 

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Save the date

Health@Work Spring Networking Breakfast


Date: April 19, 2018


Time: Morning (time to be determined)


Place: Brookdale Library, Brooklyn Center


Topic: Substance abuse


Speaker: William C. Moyers, vice president of public affairs and community relations, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation


Stay tuned for registration information closer to the meeting date.


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About us:


Hennepin County Public Health Health@Work offers a broad range of low- and no-cost workplace wellness programs and services to employers in Hennepin County. For more information visit the Health@Work website


Contact us:


Linda Brandt, MPH

Senior Health Promotion Specialist

Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department

Public Health Promotion

linda.brandt@hennepin.us

 

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