I am intrigued and inspired to hear so many people say that they expect 2008 to be GREAT. There is a refreshing wave of intellectual optimism that is filling the workplace with humour and genuine caring for customers, employees, and associates. What is different about 2008? Perhaps it is the extra day we have in the leap year to work towards our goals or just to take a day of rest. Does one day really make a difference?

Here in Ontario, Canada, many employees received an additional day of rest, a new statutory holiday. Family Day, a much needed holiday in the middle of February, was especially welcome because we have had such an active winter with weekly snow storms. Workdays were extended by double-duty snow shoveling and battling long stressful commutes. For many working parents, there was the added stress of arranging alternative daycare when schools were closed. Then there was the flu outbreak.

Many employers claimed that the interruption in business on Family Day was costly. I invite those employers to consider the value of a day for employees to rejuvenate and de-stress. One day did make a difference for individuals and families that needed downtime and extreme self-care at a time when resistance and resilience was tested beyond the norm. That downtime and extreme self-care probably saved businesses by minimizing the costs of absenteeism.

I have observed the mood of employees with much interest as the month of February closes. Month-end brings added hours and efforts to meet quotas. Energy in the workplace this week has been electric. Normally, I would have described the energy as frenetic. However, I noticed that there was a shift from “having to work” to “wanting to work”. What has produced this shift? I am a firm believer that a day of downtime at a particularly stressful time has contributed to this shift. There is a new appreciation for the quality of life in the workplace.

For employers who are not convinced, stop obsessing over the loss of one day. Actually, you get an extra day of business this year – today, February 29, 2008. One day can make a difference.