4 Keys to Fostering Gratitude at Your Workplace

Gratitude is appreciating what you currently have. Showing gratitude can have great effects on the people around you. Likewise, it is also important to learn about business gratitude importance. 

How do you understand business gratitude importance? In times of new management, new rules, new culture, the uncertainty and tension your staff feels can run very high.  Fostering an attitude of gratitude in the workplace can definitely bring the tension down.

Business Gratitude Importance

You might find yourself asking why appreciation is important in the workplace. There are plenty of studies about the connection between work and gratitude.  A study conducted by Harvard Medical School and  Wharton School showed that employees who received compliments and gratitude performed better than those who did not. Showing appreciation in the workplace can cultivate a  more productive work environment.

A simple “thank you” can go a long way.  Psychologists Francesca Gino and Adam Grant have also conducted a series of experiments. They found out that a simple “thank you” from the boss can make the staff feel worthy and competent. It can also make the staff more trusting and more prone to help other employees in times of need. This experiment shows the importance of showing appreciation in the workplace.

4 Keys in Fostering Gratitude in the Workplace

There is a big emphasis on business gratitude importance. You might ask how to encourage gratitude in the workplace, so here are the four keys on how to encourage gratitude in the workplace:

1. Quality over quantity

It is never good to force people to be grateful. It can lead to power imbalances and push your staff to have misconceptions on what business gratitude should be and shouldn’t be. Being forced to say “thank you” can feel inauthentic. Trying to be thankful every day can also lead to gratitude fatigue.

The key is to create circumstances and places that promote spontaneous expression of appreciation. Psychologist Joel Wong says that gratitude helps people cope with stressful experiences by reminding them what is good even when they are in the midst of suffering. Fostering authentic gratitude for business is a great way to transform the culture of the workplace. Instead of having plenty of inauthentic thank you’s, it is best to make a few but heartfelt ones. It is also best to be thankful for something specific. A “thank you” should be personal. It should contain the specific contributions of the employee. It makes them feel that you have recognized them as an individual and not as part of the whole.

2. Create opportunities to foster gratitude

You must create plenty of opportunities that can induce gratitude. You can also create gratitude activities for employees. A department of the University of California Berkeley made a platform for appreciation where employees can see each other’s input.  It is then posted on the Kudos website which highlights the inputs publicly.

You don’t need to create a  site for this. You can make use of the bulletin board and can call it the Gratitude Wall. Also, you can make use of gift-giving. Research shows that giving gifts can also strengthen working relationships. Non-monetary gifts are the best gifts you can give. Gift-giving is a great way you can express appreciation.

3. A thank you from the boss

A “thank you” from the boss is one way to cultivate business gratitude.  It important for the staff to receive gratitude from their supervisors first. Hearing words of appreciation can make an employee feel safe. It is crucial for the boss or those who are in the position of power to clearly and genuinely express gratitude in both private and public settings. Appreciation can also be expressed in performance or review meetings where a few minutes of the meeting can be for people to say their thanks to each other. It can also make the staff have a healthy view of gratitude for business.

If those who are in the top take time to recognize even the most minuscule acts that can easily go unnoticed by the organization, it can encourage other people to do the same. The boss would then lead by example.  It might be a little awkward at first, but the more you express your gratitude, the easier it becomes. The more natural it for you to say thanks, the more subconscious the act becomes.

4. Notice the big and small contributions

In every organization, there is always a group of people who monopolize all the glory.  High profile people are usually those who receive all the thanks but do you remember to say thanks to those who mop the floors, answer the phone or post invoices?

You must remember to thank those people who do thankless jobs. Public appreciation for those who do these kinds of work can make their contributions to the company more visible. It will also widen the understanding of how the organization works. Thanking them can also improve everyone’s morale.

Conclusion

Gratitude is a basic human need. So, understanding the concept of business gratitude importance is essential at the office.  Everyone cares for a bit of appreciation. It encourages trust and improvement. Gratitude also encourages humility and teamwork. When you incorporate the four keys to fostering gratitude in the workplace, it will definitely give you multiple benefits. These are not just monetary benefits but emotional improvements as well.