Everyone is aware of the value of actively expressing gratitude. Being kind increases our happiness, strengthens our ability to withstand hardship, lowers stress and anxiety, and even benefits our general health. And being grateful isn't simply something for our personal lives, either. It's crucial to develop an atmosphere of gratitude in the workplace. You might even notice a boost in happiness and productivity as a result. In light of this, here are six ways to develop a more grateful workplace culture.
- Go inward - It's okay to sometimes express gratitude to other people. According to one study, people's moods and motivation are boosted when they appreciate their contributions and even small successes at work. Keep a gratitude journal for yourself. And skimming can give you the push you need when feeling low on energy or defeated.
- Keep seeking many instances to express appreciation - See the positive aspects of numerous circumstances or encounters that you might otherwise overlook in your daily life. Additionally, be grateful for the innumerable diverse actions, qualities, and behaviors that team members bring to the table daily at work.
- Be impulsive - Try to have note cards in your desk drawer so that you may take a few minutes to write a note to a coworker to let them know what they did and how it made you feel when they do something you admire. Importantly, share it with them after that.
- In challenging circumstances, practice gratitude - Being grateful is simple when things are going well. Even though it may be more challenging to be thankful for the situations that also teach us something, it's crucial to build gratitude for them. For instance, if your supervisor gave you some challenging comments, you can express gratitude for the chance to learn from it.
- Keep a journal - One of the finest ways to exercise your thankfulness muscles is to make it a writing practice, whether you use a notepad or your phone. Making a list can be quick and straightforward on some days and longer and more in-depth on others. The main thing is to write; try not to criticize yourself too much.
- Make it personal - Our modern methods of communication, such as using our devices, can make it difficult to show our gratitude from the bottom of our hearts. Say something like, "Hey, that thing you did really influenced me, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you," preferably offline.
Source: https://www.mindful.org/6-ways-to-cultivate-gratitude-at-work/
Being efficient, mission-driven, and organized are the foundations of productivity. On the contrary, both individuals and teams find that creativity is a significant asset in the workplace. Being creative boosts problem-solving abilities in addition to confidence and teamwork. Here are the six advantages of creativity in the workplace.
- Creativity produces original ideas - The light bulb and the automobile would not exist without creativity. Imagination and a belief in the fantastical help inventors generate new ideas and advance civilization, even though creativity is sometimes viewed as frivolous or useless.
- Creativity improves a resume - Employers are more likely to take notice of your resume if you include a section describing how your creative ideas led to a successful event, more clients, or higher revenue. For any team, having innovative problem-solvers is essential.
- Creativity enhances focus - Focus is a necessary and rare resource in our media-saturated environment. According to Microsoft research, the average person has an attention span of eight seconds. Increasing your attention span will make you more productive than most workers.
- Teamwork is encouraged by creativity - The pursuit of creativity unites individuals. Building and fostering relationships with coworkers promotes improved teamwork and collaboration.
- Problem-solving is encouraged by creativity - Whether you work in retail or as an entrepreneur, problem-solving is one of the most crucial components of any career. The dilemma may be as straightforward as quelling a customer's ire or as challenging as raising money for a firm. The issue is irrelevant. In any circumstance, problem-solving is helpful.
- Creativity reduces stress - You quickly think when you're not stressed. A promising career and a healthy lifestyle both include reducing stress.
Source: https://www.careerservicestation.com/the-importance-of-creativity-in-the-workplace/
The third most prominent source of wasted time at work is meetings. Meetings, whether in groups or one-on-one, can take up to 50% of a worker's time. Meetings, though, are not necessarily bad. Meetings are a crucial tool in business for exchanging information, resolving issues, and assessing progress. However, they must be controlled and used wisely if they are to be avoided. Here are five strategies to make meetings more productive and provide better outcomes.
- Strengthen taking notes and attentive listening - Participants will get the most out of each in-person meeting if you coach your team on active listening (listening to comprehend contrasted to listening to respond) and good note-taking. Team members will recall the following steps and other action items if they take notes in some way, whether by hand or with a digital device.
- Keep focused and minimize distractions - You might want to add a little spice to your meetings to keep your colleagues interested. Otherwise, maintaining everyone concentrated and on task is a good idea. Ensure that everyone gets a chance to contribute, and seek to address any sticking or pain points. Maintain an interaction, brainstorming, and settling rhythm as you check items off the list.
- Before you meet, make an agenda available to your team - Include the important who, why, what, and how information in your agenda. Who is going should be known to your team. Simply state the concerns that need to be handled in order, and take note of who is invited to discuss each item.
- Go forward and implement those bullet points - As you proceed through the meeting, you may include this in each item on the agenda. Everyone should leave the table knowing exactly what steps they will take to proceed. You can save much time and effort as a project moves along if each participant leaves the meeting knowing what and how to accomplish next.
- To keep on task and maximize effectiveness, use your meeting agenda - Each participant must have a copy of the agenda in advance. If at all feasible, give time for comments and inquiries. Your team may end up helping you in refining your initial plan. One method to keep everyone on the same page and track demands and progress at a glance for your team is to have a multi-feature tool.
Source: https://www.calendar.com/blog/calendar-full-5-ways-to-maximize-your-meetings/
Welcoming New Member Jennifer Cook
Upcoming Events:
• Friendsgiving Potluck: Tuesday, November 15th @11:30AM-1:00 PM
• Holiday Open House: Sunday, November 20th @1:00-5:00 PM
• Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 24th - Closed to the public, Members have access using door code
Friendsgiving Potluck: Tuesday, November 15th @11:30AM-1:00PM
Join us for our annual Friendsgiving celebration to commemorate the amazing relationships we've made in our community. The event will be potluck-style, so please sign up for a dish to bring using the link below.
https://sqr.co/friendsgiving/
Holiday Open House: Sunday, November 20th @1:00-5:00PM
Shop Small, Shop Local, Shop with Members at WorkIT
Refreshments and free gift wrapping
Members who want to participate as a vendor, please RSVP to [email protected]
WorkIT News
Buffalokie Market moves out of The Shop at WorkIT and opens their own storefront location across the street at 922 S Main Street. Be sure to stop in to see them and purchase some great locally-sourced items!
Member of the Month:
Racheal Willhoite
Originally from Long Island, NY, she moved here in 2011 with her then-spouse, so he could pursue his study at OK State. Racheal A. Willhoite has been a freelance PR & Marketing professional and consultant spanning 10+ years. For the past 5 years, she has run her agency, GOPublX Media Relations, LLC, and provides services to the following markets: Web, Technology, Games: Video Games (All types including VR) + Table Top Games, and Entertainment/Film/TV
Business Spotlight:
Pennie Works Studio
Pennie Works Studio is the enterprise of Mark Pennie, former assistant director of Oklahoma State University’s marketing office. Pennie has been in business for 21 years. Growing Stillwater's economic base inspires him to work with this company. His biggest success is gaining repeat clients like Langston University and Stillwater Chamber of Commerce.
Neighbor-in-the-know:
Whisper Intimate Apparel
Whisper Intimate Apparel specializes in bra fittings and providing customers with friendly, personal service. They carry products and bra sizes difficult to find elsewhere, with over 50 bra styles and 125 sizes in stock!
Pet Corner:
Cody Bowyer - getting caught smiling
Cody was brought to us by our Catahoula Snoop. Before there were other houses on our street, Snoop had the run of the land when went outside. One day when we called him home, he brought a friend.
Cody was brought to us by our Catahoula Snoop. Before there were other houses on our street, Snoop had the run of the land when went outside. One day when we called him home, he brought a friend.
She stayed at the edge of the tall grass the first day we saw her but was brave enough on day 2. As soon as my daughter saw her, she was determined we would take care of her. Even refused to come in for dinner until we gave Cody a bath and a roof.
Cody loves barking and chasing loud trucks from one end of the yard to the other, in addition to playing keep-a-way with her four-legged sister. She also tends to greet my MIL at the door with the cutest overbite grin. She is such a treasured part of our family!
Whisper Intimate Apparel specializes in bra fittings and providing customers with friendly, personal service. They carry products and bra sizes difficult to find elsewhere, with over 50 bra styles and 125 sizes in stock!
In addition to their large selection of bras and panties from Wacoal, b.tempt'd, Elomi, Fantasie, and Freya, you'll find an assortment of swimwear, sleepwear, intimate apparel, and bridal gifts, shapewear, slips, and more, with new lines and products being added monthly! Check them out for all your intimate apparel needs!
Whisper is located two doors down to the South of us at 905 S Main St. Visit them when you are downtown or online at 
Whisper Intimate Apparel in Downtown Stillwater, OK
Pennie Works Studio is the enterprise of Mark Pennie, former assistant director of Oklahoma State University’s marketing office. Pennie has been in business for 21 years. Growing Stillwater's economic base inspires him to work with this company. His biggest success is gaining repeat clients like Langston University and Stillwater Chamber of Commerce. Pennie's biggest challenge is keeping Pennie Works Studio in the business atmosphere of Stillwater and overcoming his introverted instinct. An interesting fact about Pennie Works Studio that most people don't know is that a business or personal reputation-or brand-cannot be avoided. It can only be managed. And graphic identities say a lot.
Email him via [email protected] or thru WorkIT Coworking Center for more info!
Originally from Long Island, NY, she moved here in 2011 with her then-spouse, so he could pursue his study at OK State. Racheal A. Willhoite has been a freelance PR & Marketing professional and consultant spanning 10+ years. For the past 5 years, she has run her agency, GOPublX Media Relations, LLC, and provides services to the following markets: Web, Technology, Games: Video Games (All types including VR) + Table Top Games, and Entertainment/Film/TV
In the wake of the pandemic she developed a passion for NFT and Digital Collectibles, and being a life-long emerging tech enthusiast, she dived in to learn all she could. She recently took a founding Community Marketing Manager job this past April 2022 at an Austin Texas Based Startup in the Web3 Tech space called NotCommon. NotCommon's mission is to give you the only NFT profile you'll ever need. The team is passionately committed to building identity and security solutions necessary to make NFTs accessible to everyone. NotCommon enables NFT artists and collectors to curate a place where they can share their collections from multiple blockchains and links to all their online presences, creating an all-in-one NFT profile. Learn more here: https://notcommon.com/about
Her secret superpower is managing multiple talks online at once (usually with ease), and she enjoys consulting all types of businesses and helping her local community members when she can. Anyone from the community can connect with her on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/newmediaexecutive/
