Gratitude and Work

A Reflection and Call to Action

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself reflecting on the many reasons I am grateful—not just personally but professionally. Through coaching and therapy, an “attitude of gratitude” has help guide my life and work this year. It has enriched my experiences and collaborations in ways I could never have anticipated. Beyond my reflections, research highlights that gratitude in the workplace fosters better relationships, improves employee engagement, and boosts organizational performance (Fehr et al., 2017). It’s a practice that benefits us all.

This blog was originally published on our website with a downloadable PDF of the cartoon below: Gratitude and Work: A Reflection and Call to Action

Celebrating Milestones

I have marked this year by several achievements that fill me with gratitude. Collaborating with Ben Kleinman and Sharyl Volpe to record 40 episodes of the Harmonious Workplaces Podcast tops the list as a true labor of love. We also published our first cartoon book, Shermie the HR Hermit Crab, with the help of two talented young artists, E. Cruz and Gabe Parra. Their contributions brought a polished and professional finish to our project.

Here’s a little comic to give you a taste of Shermie’s world:

Learn More about Shermie and Get the Book

Additionally, I’m grateful for the chance to expand my knowledge in manufacturing through the Advanced Manufacturing Bootcamp at TMA, as part of the BuildSubmarines initiative. This experience deepened my appreciation for the complexity and innovation in the manufacturing sector—a field where I aim to continue contributing in the years to come. I have also had the opportunity to meet local business owners who shape the region's economy and workforce and receive training and support from top-notch machinists and experts such as Paul and Russ.

Also, I'm thankful for my career cohort at UChicago with fellow alumni as we explored past, present, and future careers. I found the support from Sharmin, Anne, Maddie, and Sean very affirming that we are heading in the right direction, each on our unique path but supported by each other and our respective networks. I pray for each person to find their own path with both purpose and prosperity.

Gratitude for Opportunities

This year also allowed me to begin work engaging as an OD and OE consultant for a manufacturing company preparing for an ERP rollout. I thank Lauren Sterling at Stanton House for the opportunity to connect with this fantastic organization. This project excites me greatly, and I look forward to working with the company and its workforce.

I’m deeply thankful to belong to professional communities that nurture growth and collaboration, including SEBOC, SHRM, SIOP, IMC USA, the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce, OD Network, and many others. I’m incredibly grateful for the I-O Psychology community and Lee Crowson’s Thursday night meetups. Each of these networks has offered support, inspiration, and camaraderie.

My teaching role at Trinity Christian College has provided another source of gratitude. Guiding students in marketing and HR while collaborating with Vermeer Studios, the college’s business incubator, has rewarded me with positive experiences. Representing the college at the ACCA symposium further emphasized the importance of lifelong learning.

I’m furthermore thankful for my clients, including:

• Kerlin-Walsh Law for being able to assist in their change management and organizational development
• Silgan Closures for continuing to allow me to partner in supporting the LMS, website, and marketing platforms we’ve built together
• Jon Gindick for both teaching me how to play the harmonica and for letting me help with distributing your instructional materials to the world to evangelize the “tin sandwich.”
• The other companies and nonprofit organizations great and small for whom I’ve built or rebuilt their websites, trained their teams on the use of their respective platforms, and provided business advisory and consulting services. Thanks for the opportunity!

I’m also glad to have guest hosted on several podcasts, including WorkCookie (where I’m a regular contributor), the Never Been Promoted Podcast with Thomas Helfrich, the Chris Voss Podcast (which I just recorded Nov. 25 LIVE), the Stacey Chillemi Show, the Be a Marketer Podcast, Renee Perry’s podcast, and UpLevel Mind. Furthermore, I’m grateful that the CLA allowed me to contribute to PlanetLaundry, IMC USA published several of my blogs, and SEBOC also published several of my articles with illustrations I created.

Gratitude for Personal Growth

Furthermore, I’m thankful for the education and certifications I’ve earned, which have enriched my professional life: an MS in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Purdue, a SHRM-CP certification, and a certification in OD and Change Leadership from the Drucker School of Management, among others earned between last year and this. These credentials serve not just as milestones in my career development; they furnish me with tools that help me better serve others.

I’m also grateful for the support of my family, friends, and colleagues, who have cheered me on throughout my career. Special thanks go to Donna Sandburg, Lisa Apolinski, David Norman, Jean Kuhn, Renee Perry, Jeremy Lucabaugh, LindaAnn Rogers, Talia Block, Fr. Tom McCarthy, and many others who have supported me this year. I also have a lot of love for my fellow parent volunteers with the Stagg High School Music Boosters. Their encouragement has been instrumental in my journey.

The Science of Gratitude

Gratitude is not just a feel-good practice; science supports thankfulness as a driver of prosocial behavior and workplace performance. Research shows that when paired with gratitude, mindfulness fosters more significant positive affect, prosocial motivation, and helping behavior among employees (Sawyer et al., 2021). This underscores the importance of being present and thankful in our professional interactions.

Moreover, workplaces can systematically measure and cultivate gratitude within organizations. Tools like the Gratitude at Work Scale (Cain et al., 2018) enable leaders to assess and nurture this vital quality. When organizations express gratitude for employees’ contributions, it enhances perceived organizational support (Desta et al., 2022), leading to higher engagement and performance.

Gratitude in Action

Gratitude manifests in everyday actions—how we acknowledge our colleagues, express appreciation for small victories, and invest in the growth and well-being of others. For me, this has included starting a daily gratitude journal, where I thank God for ten things and envision ten aspirations to manifest in my life. This simple practice has transformed my perspective, infusing my work with a sense of purpose and joy.

A Call to Practice Gratitude

As we celebrate this season of thankfulness, I encourage everyone to reflect on that for which we are grateful in their professional lives. Gratitude is contagious. When we express it, we inspire others to do the same, creating a ripple effect that uplifts teams and organizations. Let’s embrace gratitude not just as a sentiment but as a practice that shapes our workplaces for the better.

Thank you to my family, friends, colleagues, and clients for making this year so fulfilling despite its challenges. Here’s to a future filled with gratitude and growth.

Don't forget to get your copy of Shermie the HR Hermit Crab, now at Amazon. It makes a great stocking stuffer, Hannukah gift, or white elephant gift for managers, executives, business owners, and HR professionals.

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References

Cain, I., Cairo, A., Duffy, M., Meli, L., Rye, M., & Worthington, E. (2018). Measuring gratitude at work. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14, 440 - 451. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1484936.

Desta, A. G., Tadesse, W. M., & Mulusew, W. B. (2022). Examining the relationship between aspects of human capital management and employee job performance: Mediating role of employee engagement and moderating role of perceived organizational support . International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 11, 64–86. https://doi-org.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/10.33844/ijol.2022.60340

Fehr, R., Fulmer, A., Awtrey, E., & Miller, J. (2017). The Grateful Workplace: A Multilevel Model of Gratitude in Organizations. Academy of Management Review, 42, 361-381. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2014.0374.

Sawyer, K., Thoroughgood, C., Stillwell, E., Duffy, M., Scott, K., & Adair, E. (2021). Being present and thankful: A multi-study investigation of mindfulness, gratitude, and employee helping behavior.. The Journal of applied psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000903.