How to Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

culled from;profilesinternational.com
employee engagementThank you, Danke, Merci, Gracias, Ευχαριστώ, Mahalo, Grazie, Hvala, Tack…so many ways to say thank you. My personal favorite, as I’m Irish - Go Raibh Maith Agat (Guh rev mah ah-gut)!

Because Profiles is a global organization in over 120 countries, we are fortunate to get a little geography and culture lesson every time our international folks come to our corporate office in Texas. We also work with businesses in an arrray of industries all over the North America and Canada. We meet up with all of these colleagues a few times a year, and I love hearing the details of how they all conduct their businesses, and what has attributed to their success. I could sit there for hours, soaking up their words of wisdom and learning about their home countries or states.

One factor that seems to be consistent for many of our successful colleagues is that they appreciate their worker bees. By worker bees, I mean the people that execute and maintain the operations of their businesses. Employers should take this approach with their employees year-round. Have you ever felt like you were dispensable, that you were just working for one purpose without being appreciated? Many of us have. That feeling makes you dread coming to work, and you work every day unmotivated to finish those mundane tasks.

Smart business leaders- like many that I work with year round- understand that employees mean so much more to a business. There are so many benefits to showing a little appreciation for your people, like morale boost, motivation, engagement, work ethic, and a positive working environment, to name a few. But, that’s not only what today’s blog post is about.

I am going to share with you some of the unique, creative, and also very basic (and inexpensive) ways to say "thanks" to the people that truly are the backbone to your company.

Some of the actions I have experienced/observed:

•The physical act of saying thank you
Sounds simple, right? It is! So many employers don’t take the time (two minutes) to pop their head in the office door and say "thank you." The next time one of your team members does a good job, tell them!

•Food
Everyone‘s life has a different level of “busy.” There are single moms and dads, interns that have stayed up all night studying, and maybe the guy that is struggling financially and hasn’t been eating well. Cater a lunch or breakfast for your team. Otherwise, offer gift cards to your local grocery store.

•Wall of fame
Use your office pin board to hang up a photo of a particular employee that did a great job the previous week. Include the reason for the appreciation and share with the whole office.

•Massage
This happened to me one time a few years ago working for a business back in Ireland, and I was completely blown away. Our boss had a massage therapist come and give everyone a 15-minute shoulder rub. We all sit at our desks 8-10 hours a day, and if you’re anything like me, you have a lot of knots and back tension. (Personal favorite!)

•BBQ/Picnic
Our sales team here at Profiles had a particularly tough, yet successful quarter in the past year, so their direct manager organized a BBQ for them to enjoy in the Texas sunshine. A little vitamin D and tasty food goes a long way when your people are busy and stressed.

•Public shout out
Use your company newsletter, or get approval for a company-wide email blast to share with everyone how impressed you are with your team or an individual.

•Take a project
If you see an individual overloaded with work, ask them if you can take one thing off their plate. It shows you appreciate them, and that you’re a team player as well.

•Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
When I was in college, I interned in HR with a business in Ireland. We recognized employees' birthdays with cupcakes, candles, and candy. The day after celebrating one particular girl’s birthday, the girl knocked on my office door. She was in tears, saying thank you for the birthday treats. (What seemed like such a small deal to us meant the world to her, because little did we know, she had no one to celebrate with her the day before.)

•Respect
This one doesn’t cost you a penny or take any extra time. You should always respect your coworkers and team members. Never belittle or disrespect someone in public. Be professional, ask them to join you in your office, and discuss if need be. People spend more time at work than they do at home. Imagine that. You likely spend more time with your boss than your loved ones and children.

Leaders, listen up! If you want a successful, hardworking team, you must make the environment a pleasant one! Show your employees you appreciate and trust them, and they will show you their hard work and engagement level. Finally, don’t just do this during the holiday season! Employee appreciation should be a year-round activity.