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Gratitude at Work: Strategies for Establishing Institutionalized Gratitude in Oncology Care Settings

March 8, 2023

by Kailie Sullivan, LCSW, OSW-C

Associate Director of Client Experience-Counseling Services

Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Care

We all know the benefits of establishing a gratitude practice in our personal lives. A regular routine of noticing, acknowledging and appreciating can enhance our wellbeing, increase personal resilience and improve our relationships.

But what about the potential benefits of incorporating this practice into the workplace? What if our team, or even our entire institution, adopted a culture of gratitude, with practices woven into every facet of the work, from how we communicate with patients, to how meetings are run, to how our physical workspaces are configured?

Institutionalized gratitude is the concept of gratitude being culturally embedded within an organization, through people, policies and practices. Studies show that organizations with institutionalized gratitude have employees with significantly greater job satisfaction and lower rates of burnout.

It’s important to note that institutionalized gratitude does not develop overnight; it can often be a grassroots process, starting with individuals and teams implementing small practices into their daily work. Gratitude practice is often contagious. As more and more staff are exposed to the benefits of gratitude, a greater orientation towards appreciation is adopted, eventually being integrated into workplace culture and everyday practices across teams and departments.

Strategies for individuals wanting to pursue a workplace gratitude practice include role modelling by expressing gratitude openly in meetings and making space for exchanges of gratitude among team members. One example of this is establishing the practice of gratitude huddles—designating time in each daily or weekly huddle for expressions of gratitude, or creating a separate meeting entirely focused solely on offering and receiving thanks.

If developing a “gratitude huddle” there are some important points to keep in mind. Participation should be entirely voluntary to maintain authenticity and integrity of the exercise. Also, repetition is key to building buy-in and momentum. Set a regular time and interval to meet and stick to it. Many teams find success in incorporating expressions of gratitude into daily rounds. Others have found it more effective to hold a daily, 5–10-minute huddle with the specific intention of acknowledging gratitude. Figure out what works best for your team’s workflow.

Establishing a “gratitude wall” in a break room or in another prominent location on your unit can encourage staff members to post notes thanking co-workers, identifying things for which they feel grateful, or reflecting on times they felt appreciated by a patient or colleague. For those working remotely or across different sites, can also be accomplished in a virtual space using software that allows for “posting” messages publicly within a team. However, a virtual message board may lack the visual and tactile impact of a physical wall incorporated into the workspace.

Whatever strategy you choose to explore, remember that even the smallest expression of gratitude can have an impact. Simple practices like thanking a client or patient for allowing you to be part of their care team, letting a colleague know how much you appreciated their hard work on a recent project, or just openly reflecting with colleagues about positive moments in your workday can be a meaningful way to build connection and encourage a workplace culture of gratitude.

For more information and resources on implementing a gratitude practice at work, check out the University of California Berkely’s Greater Good Science Center at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/workplace.

About the Author

Kailie Sullivan, LCSW, OSW-C

Associate Director of Client Experience-Counseling Services
Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Care
ksullivan@dempseycenter.org

Kailie Sullivan, LCSW, OSW-c, is the Associate Director of Client Experience for Counseling Services at the Dempsey Center, a non-profit organization headquartered in Maine providing personalized cancer support services. She utilizes a trauma-info...
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