Ample research shows that over 80% of employees are more productive when they feel appreciated at work. This is why business owners are constantly coming up with new ideas to maintain a happy workplace. And what could be more gratifying than putting up a gratitude wall where employees can express their thankfulness and lift each other’s spirits?

Whether you’re looking for ways to motivate your team or simply want to brighten up your workday, you’ve come to the right place. Take a look at our comprehensive guide for creating a one-of-a-kind gratitude wall that will make your team smile from ear-to-ear!

What is A Gratitude Wall?  

A gratitude wall is a dedicated wall space used to publicly express positive feelings and foster joy at work. Coworkers are encouraged to take a few minutes out of their hectic schedules to express thankfulness to one another.

Reading encouraging thoughts from others makes it much simpler to manage your work-related stress. Whether it’s a quick thank you to a coworker for assisting you with an arduous task or a welcoming note for a new team member, an employee appreciation wall is sure to boost everyone’s mood.

Ready for inspiring gratitude wall ideas? Let’s delve right into all the tips and tricks for setting up a special gratitude wall to jazz up your company culture.

Get Your Team Excited 

The first thing on your to-do list is to inform your colleagues about the benefits of setting up a gratitude wall and engaging in daily acts of gratitude. You can generate more curiosity by gathering useful information. So be sure to share the idea with the whole team and explain the many psychological benefits of a gratitude wall so they know it’s more than just a pretty board.

Gather Enthusiasts

To get the ball moving, gather a group of colleagues who are most excited about the project. You’ll need to come up with intriguing gratitude wall ideas that will best suit your workplace; to do so, you should take into account a myriad of details including your work culture, office design, and much more.

Once you’ve settled your gratitude wall ideas and gathered fervent supporters, it’s time to start embellishing your wall. Ask your friends to prepare several fun notes and images to kickstart the process and encourage others to participate.

When others see the joy and enthusiasm around your new project, they’ll be quick to contribute their thoughts too. It’s akin to smart social media posting- except with real paper. If you manage to motivate others, you’ll see the employee recognition wall filling up in no time!

The Equipment You’ll Need

You have complete creative freedom over the design and sophistication of the materials you use. It might be as simple as a piece of poster paper or as complex as a massive blank canvas adorned with text and hand-drawn graphics.

A valuable addition to any workplace, an employee recognition wall is super easy to set up and costs near nothing. Some of the basic equipment you’ll need:

• Poster paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Markers and pens
• Glue
• Magazines or flyers

The important part is to choose an ideal location that is accessible to all. After all, the goal is to add a bunch of notes to your gratitude wall every single day, so it should be easily visible.

Keep Your Gratitude Wall Fresh 

Setting up a gratitude wall is not a one-and-done project. You should constantly brush it up with new gratitude wall ideas to keep it fresh and fascinating. When the board is fully filled, you’ll need to clear it and make room for new notes. You could get a bit creative by using sticky note pads and colorful markers to make the process fun. 

If you take good care of your employee recognition wall, it could become a reliable source of joy that your coworkers can count on every day.

Include Non-work Achievements

A gratitude wall should be concerned with more than just work culture. Its main purpose is to encourage thankfulness and build deeper ties among coworkers, so definitely include notes on the amazing things your peers do in their spare time. Perhaps one of your workmates recently won a sports championship or prepared a cake that became the talk of the neighborhood; why not celebrate such joyous occasions at work by dedicating a warm note to them?

What About an Anonymous Suggestion Box?

To spice up things a bit more, you may come up with unconventional gratitude wall ideas. You may include an anonymous suggestion box on your wall to grant your coworkers a means to voice ideas they would not otherwise feel comfortable sharing. It is simple to envision how many intriguing ideas can arise and how open people can become to share their opinions if they are confident their names won’t show up.

A Gratitude Wall and Its Many Rewards

An eye-opening study found that practicing gratitude on a regular basis can stimulate the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex- an area involved with analyzing the mental states of other people- the proper functioning of which helps relieve anxiety.

Gratitude is, first and foremost, a social emotion. Because practicing appreciation usually involves other people, it teaches us to be conscious of others, which can significantly improve our overall well-being. This is why a gratitude wall is a terrific addition to your office; it may promote team culture and lift people’s emotions on a daily basis.

Wrapping Up 

Employee satisfaction is no longer a mere nice-to-have for businesses in 2022.  Today, everyone understands that a positive workplace culture greatly contributes to employee productivity.

Yet few are aware of the simple yet very effective method for fostering employee satisfaction- setting up a gratitude wall. We hope that our gratitude wall ideas shall inspire you to adopt the practice and boost your team’s morale day by day!

Further Reading

The Winners Triangle
Understanding Steve Jobs’ Reality Distortion Field
3 Biases That Hijack Performance Reviews
How to Praise Someone Professionally