Although I have never been to the United States around this time of the year, one holiday I look forward to with my American friends is Thanksgiving.
The smell of grilled turkey, delicious pumpkin pie, gathering of friends and expression of gratitude makes that an anticipated fun one. But the most important reason this particular day is one of my favourite American holidays is that it serves as a reminder to all of us about the importance of expressing gratitude.
It may seem like a simple gesture, which many people overlook by giving themselves excuses such as that they are too busy or assuming that people already know that they are grateful. But the impact of gratitude on one’s social and career life is extremely great.
Even though we have many occasions throughout the year that present themselves with an opportunity to express gratitude, such as Eid, Ramadan and at the New Year, many people miss out on these opportunities to express gratitude, especially at work. This is where we spend almost half of our everyday lives, with people whom we often see more of than our own families.
A recent survey of 2,000 Americans by the John Templeton Foundation found that people are least likely to express their gratitude at work. It is as if many feel ungrateful about their current jobs. Come to think of it, almost every person I know whines about their job, and if the opportunity presented itself, would resign for a more “enjoyable” role.
Failing to express gratitude can have a negative toll on two important things – yourself, and your organisation if you are leading it. Numerous studies reveal that expression of gratitude has a positive impact on employees’ productivity at work and makes them resilient and empowered to take over challenges.
The reason the issue of gratitude is important is because an employee’s state of mind is crucial to an organisation’s progress. The Huffington Post recently reported that unhappiness among workers in the United States cost organisations $300 billion in lost productivity every year.
Sure, there could be many external reasons that contribute to an employee’s unhappy state, but gratitude expression proved to result in a happier and more productive workforce, and the beauty in it is that it does not cost a dime for people to implement.
To illustrate further: The New York Times reported on an experiment by professors from the University of California and the University of Miami. They instructed a group of people to keep a journal listing five things they were grateful about every week, such as a friend's generosity or a scene they have enjoyed looking at.
Participants did not have to write lengthy text, just a sentence about the five things they enjoyed that week. Within two months, there were significant results. The people who kept a journal versus the control group who did not were happier and more optimistic. They even reported fewer health problems.
Organisations can easily achieve a more grateful and productive team of employees by creating a set of programmes in coordination with the human-resource department that develops a habit of gratefulness throughout the organisation.
Perhaps it could be done by having each division manager write a short email to staff every month highlighting what she or he appreciates each member for doing.
Another way is by mounting a board in the common area where each employee could write what they like most about the organisation.
Also, around each holiday, it would be nice for the chief executive to write an email to the staff, thanking them for their hard work and effort.
A good example that the organisation I work for did last Ramadan was distributing empty greeting cards to staff, and we were asked to write a note of appreciation to our team members. It was nice to read about what your team members valued most about you and how much they appreciated a certain gesture you have done.
Thanksgiving is one of those times that reminds us to be grateful. Nevertheless, reading more about gratitude’s impact on one’s health, career and an organisation as a whole makes it clear that we should be doing more of it every day of the year.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer. Follow her on Twitter @manar_alhinai
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45