Organizations all over the world are starting to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude” at work. It’s easy to see why: A culture of gratitude in the workplace has all sorts of benefits. Employees who feel appreciated are more productive and report feeling more satisfied with their jobs. As the Great Resignation rages on, employees cite feeling disrespected at work as one of their top reasons for leaving.
Nobody wants to feel unappreciated for their effort. That’s why infusing gratitude into every facet of your workplace is so important. Gratitude is, at its core, connection. Showing your employees your appreciation is a simple but vital way to retain their talent for longer.
Here are three easy ways to infuse a culture of gratitude into your workplace.
Remember: A Culture of Gratitude Starts With You
The first, easiest, and most important thing you can do is to start with yourself. You may appreciate your employees deeply but how often do you show that appreciation? People will model the behavior of people they respect. Once you start spreading the gratitude and love, it will catch on and spread like wildfire.
Specific things you can try:
Start every meeting with a moment of gratitude
Take a few seconds before each meeting to express your gratitude for a recent milestone achieved or for exceptional work from a specific employee or team. Regularly highlighting accomplishments is great for morale.
Keep a workplace gratitude journal
Take note of all those little moments where you find yourself appreciating something an employee did or a particular quality they have. As you keep track, you’ll find yourself noticing more to appreciate. Plus, those notes will be handy for future performance reviews.
Diversify your gratitude—and mean it
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thanking everyone for the same few generic qualities. It’ll only come off as insincere and disrespectful if you don’t take the time to put serious thought behind your gratitude. Moreover, you might find yourself thanking people for their “hard work,” when really you’re rewarding unhealthy behaviors that lead to burnout.
Create Opportunities for Gratitude in Your Workplace
Instead of waiting for gratitude to happen organically, create little opportunities for encouraging people to express their gratitude for one another. It can help reduce tension or awkwardness for more bashful employees.
A few suggestions to get you started:
- A gratitude wall where people can leave notes of appreciation (tip: If you work remotely, try a Trello board)
- Host a company-wide gratitude challenge
- Try the “Appreciation Hot Seat” team-building exercise
Weave Gratitude Into Your Workplace Narrative
Every company has a story. A company’s story combines its history with its guiding principles and shapes every part of how and why it operates. Your organization’s narrative shows up in its mission statement, company newsletters, and how you communicate with your employees.
Adding gratitude into your workplace narrative helps build those qualities right into the company’s foundations. You can thank your employees every day but it won’t matter if your actions don’t match your words.
A company with a true culture of gratitude expresses that gratitude by treating its employees well. Competitive pay, flexible working accommodations, an enforced work-life balance, and a general culture of respect for workers are all expressions of gratitude that cannot be ignored.
Cultivate a Culture of Gratitude With Fabulous
If you want to learn more about how to bring gratitude to your workplace, or if you’re interested in other ways of enhancing the employee experience at your organization, schedule a free demo with Fabulous for Work. Fabulous is a wellness solution with millions of users who have learned how to enhance their lives with healthy habits and productive daily routines.
Help your employees feel better, work smarter, and shine brighter by bringing Fabulous to your workplace.
References
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_can_transform_your_workplace
