Many of the morale-boosters tended to bubble up from the employees themselves, like Adoption Network Cleveland’s “freecycle” shelf, where used items like books, compact discs and housewares are given away. “I took all my old curtains and they were gone in a day,” said Executive Director Betsie Norris.

The idea has expanded into an occasional Freecycle Day when employees organize their own free rummage sale, she said. Last Thursday, workers gave away tables full of books they had read and wanted to share. “It was like a free bookstore,” Norris said. “We invited everyone in the building.”

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