According to Sesame Street, today, October 15, is National Grouch Day. Obviously in honor of the famed Sesame Street character, Oscar the Grouch, it is said to be a day for grouches everywhere to revel in their way of life, spreading grouchiness and misery far and wide, and only ever shedding happiness upon the misfortune of others.
Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character that has been a part of the celebrated television series since its very first season, which aired in 1969. He has a green body, no nose, and lives in a garbage can (I can only infer that designing the character without a nose was a strategic move on the part of the creator, enabling him to be well suited for his place of residence). And while he is characterized by his petulant nature, and purports a desire to spread his ill-tempered ways to everyone around him, Oscar is actually used to teach children about respect and tolerance, rather than enforcing his poor behavior. Through Oscar, children are meant to learn that people with different outlooks and lifestyles can not only coexist peacefully, but actually be friends. In fact, Oscar is quite friendly with many other characters on the show, including the trash man Bruno, his girlfriend Grunfgetta, and even Big Bird.
So while this day does provide free reign to express one’s ultimate grouchiness, it also can make one aware of the negative effects grouchiness can produce in the office. Recurrent displays of a poor attitude and “grouchy” behavior can certainly lead to discontent throughout any workplace, as it is easy to spread to others, even resulting in overall reduced productivity and a general feeling of discontent. While the office is one of the easiest places to fall victim to this with the prominence of stress and pressure typically overarching a corporate culture, it is important for companies to examine the presence of such moroseness in their business and take steps to amend it if need be. Offering promotional gifts to show appreciation for employees’ hard work and efforts is one way to do so. A promotional gift can have a greater impact than one realizes and is sure to halt any grouch’s foul mood, and bring a more positive overall aura to the workplace. Even Oscar can exhibit feelings of happiness in regards to his favorite thing – trash. But go ahead and be grouchy for today…
Fun grouch fact of the day: Did you know that during the first season of Sesame Street in 1969 the character Oscar the Grouch was orange? A green Oscar appeared on The Flip Wilson Show in 1970 and explained that he had recently vacationed at “Swamp Mushy Muddy”, where the slime and mold had turned him green overnight. Here he is in his original orange, singing his classic hit, “I Love Trash.”
Jaime
Team Lead – Multimedia