Recognize This! – We bring our work day home with us. Why not make the day good?

Are you stressed at work? Think you can leave that stress at the office? If so, you’re rare, indeed.

BNet recently reported:

“New research from Baylor University shows that work stress-and the inability to leave work problems at the office, where they belong-has a more detrimental impact than we might have expected.

“The study, by Merideth Ferguson, of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, shows that work stress not only comes home with us, but can easily affect our partners, who then bring that stress to their own workplaces. It did not address the effects of that stress on other family members, and whether they carry it in their own lives.”

I reckon the same is true of work happiness. When an employee is recognized and appreciated at work such that he/she knows they are valued and are meaningful contributors to something important, that attitude comes home, too. Think of the flip side of the positive influence this could bring home.

We all have the power to make this possible in our workplaces. Do you feel unappreciated? You may not be able to make others notice and value your contributions, but you can certainly recognize and praise the work of others.

Sometimes it takes just one person – making a concerted effort, day after day – to influence others to also change and change the culture as a whole.

What have you got to lose?