Gratitude In the Workplace
This week, we thank all of you who are working, keeping and getting people well, the greatest gift of all for the holidays. Please take yourselves some guilt free time off over the next couple weeks as a gift to yourselves.
This time of year is associated with a couple of my favorite throwback "One Good Things" you may want to check out on
Gratitude and
Thanksgiving.
In the last couple weeks, I've heard the following great stories of ways some of you focus on gratitude in your own work places, a practice that is shown to improve well-being and morale.
Vasantha Jotwani, Faculty in Nephrology in Department of Medicine, invited her colleagues to consider what brings them Joy and Meaning as Nephrologists. Shifting the focus from “I have to…” to “I get to…” she gathered and posted responses to "As a Nephrologist, I get to..." on a large butcher paper in a shared conference room, allowing everyone to contribute. The gift gives on as anyone who uses the room reads about the special gifts of meaning we get in this work.
Melissa Rosenstein, Faculty in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, implemented a team gratitude practice on Labor and Delivery:
“As part of our efforts to support vaginal birth and enhance our team-building, realizing that our work can be stressful, busy, and emotionally exhausting, we have implemented a new habit to focus on the positive aspects of working on Labor and Delivery at UCSF. At the labor board clinical sign-out that occurs every morning and night, the outgoing team highlights “the best thing that happened on the last shift” to allow us to be grateful for the incredible experiences that occur on a daily basis when you get to work where babies are born.
This can be a beautiful birth, an example of efficient and respectful teamwork in an emergency, a trainee completing a task for the first time, or any other positive moment that the team wants to share and celebrate.”
Thanks to Melissa, Vasantha and all of you who are making efforts to see the wonder of the work we get to do and spread that practice with others.
