Giving Thanks

The holiday season is often wonderful and challenging at the same time. Many of our biggest stressors are exacerbated during these months, including financial pressures and familial relationships. It’s a time when everyone could use some extra care.

Reflecting on the holidays five years ago, a Basis Technologies recruiter started the Give Thanks program as a way to live out one of Basis’ core principles: support each other. Since then, a “Give Thanks” table stacked with blank thank-you cards has marked the beginning of the holidays in each of our offices.

How does the program work? It’s simple: Basis provides thousands of blank thank-you cards and creates mailboxes for each of our offices. After the submission deadline, Beeps from our Talent and Development team sort and mail the cards. This year, sorting the (almost 4,000!) cards took over two full days!

The Give Thanks program has flourished since it’s inception. This year’s Give Thanks helpers had these things to say about the program:

“It was loaded with positivity and reminded us that a brief message or a couple of words of appreciation can go a long way.”

“Is it wrong to say that I think it’s my favorite task I’ve ever done as office manager??”

“This is one of my favorite initiatives of the year!”

Research shows that practicing appreciation is a simple way to create a big impact. According to Forbes, cultivating gratitude results in stronger relationships, better physical and psychological health, and higher levels of resiliency.

Further research states that nurturing a culture of gratitude in the workplace is equally powerful. Employees who practice and receive gratitude perform more acts of “organizational citizenship—” or behaviors that aren’t in their job description, but serve to enhance a team environment (such as filling in for a coworker or welcoming a new employee). These are the traits we hope to foster in our people, and what we look for in new team members.

It’s clear that gratitude is a powerful tool for cultivating wellness in oneself and in the workplace. So, what are you waiting for? Give the gift of gratitude this holiday season—it’s free!

Interested in learning more about Basis Technologies’ culture? Read more about what makes it great.