The Surprising Power of Saying Thanks
Gratitude, the act of expressing appreciation to others, is a powerful tool that can transform our personal and professional relationships. Recent research on gratitude at work shows powerful benefits for individuals, teams, and organizations as a whole. When managers and co-workers express gratitude in the workplace, it can boost motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction.
Why does gratitude have such a powerful impact? One reason is that it satisfies our basic human need for recognition and validation. When we feel appreciated and valued, we're more likely to be motivated and productive. Additionally, expressions of gratitude can create a positive feedback loop, where workers who feel appreciated are more likely to express gratitude themselves, creating a culture of appreciation and positivity in the workplace.
In this post, we'll dive into the surprising power of gratitude at work, and provide three practical recommendations for readers to increase the expression of gratitude at their own workplace.
The Power of Gratitude at Work
According to a recent study from Gallup and Workhuman, employees who feel recognized are three times more likely to believe their work is meaningful, are twice as likely to be highly engaged, and half as likely to quit. Employees who receive regular recognition are also 73% less likely to be burned out. The bottom line - a simple “thank you” from a manager has the power transform your workplace.
While most managers believed they are expressing gratitude regularly, only 23% of those interviewed believed they were getting the right amount of recognition. This gap, while challenging, represents a huge opportunity for organizations to improve performance, engagement, and belonging without spending a dime on additional programs.
Increasing Gratitude at Your Workplace
Whether you are a people manager or coworker, expressing gratitude to colleagues is a powerful skill worth developing. Here are three practical recommendations for developing a more powerful gratitude practice at work:
Be timely. As with any type of feedback, gratitude is most effective when it is given right away. When you notice a colleague or a direct report has accomplished something worthwhile - even if it is something small - let them know on the spot that you appreciate their efforts. Research indicates that the “right” amount of gratitude for most people is a few times a week. Making it a regular practice to share gratitude at a weekly meeting, or create a #gratitude Slack channel can help integrate the practice into your daily work. Whether it's a simple thank-you in person or via chat, taking the time to acknowledge your colleagues' hard work right away will boost morale and increase belonging.
Be specific. Research shows that specific expressions of gratitude can have more impact than simply saying “Good job.” Try to clearly identify the action that your colleague took, the impact that it had, and show your appreciation. That might look something like, “Tina - thanks for getting the updated version of the deck back to me so quickly. You really helped me out with the client and I appreciate your hard work on this.” Specific recognition like this feels more significant to the person receiving it and is remembered longer.
Be authentic. There may be cultural or personal barriers in your workplace that make it difficult to show appreciation. For example, some members of the team may feel uncomfortable expressing gratitude in a public setting, or may feel that it's not appropriate in a professional context. People can always tell when gratitude, or any other type of feedback, isn’t authentic so its best to deliver it in a way that makes you feel comfortable. The good news is that gratitude doesn’t have to be public, or even spoken, to be effective. One recent study found that both written and spoken feedback were effective across demographics.
Gratitude is a powerful tool that can help us build more positive and productive workplaces. By expressing gratitude to our colleagues and encouraging our managers to do the same, we can create a culture of appreciation that boosts engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction. Use these practices to bring more gratitude into your own workplace to build stronger, more effective teams.