Gratitude and the Workplace
By Jennifer Taylor In Business, Info Worth Sharing, Original Thoughts, Workplace
What if we told you something that your company could do that could increase trust among employees, improve individuals’ self-worth and self-efficacy, reduce employee illness and stress, and make your business 12x more likely to surpass competitors? Oh, and it doesn’t cost a cent.
“Thank you.” That’s it.
According to a John Templeton Foundation survey conducted on thousands of American workers, gratitude is one of the attributes LEAST associated with the workplace: on top of respondents ranking their jobs dead last on a list of “things I’m grateful for,” they also reported that they were less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than any other place in their lives.
Almost every individual surveyed agreed that saying “thank you” to colleagues “makes me feel happier and more fulfilled.” And that’s just by saying it; not even receiving it! However, only 10% reported “thanking their colleagues” on a daily basis, and 60% claimed to “never express gratitude at work, or do so perhaps once a year.”
Plus, thankfulness has been shown to be psychologically and neurologically beneficial for our health. Depression has been proven to be negatively correlated with gratitude, and in controlled studies in which participants were assigned to either document their daily blessings or daily grievances, those choosing to notice the positive aspects of their lives were 25% happier, reported fewer health problems, and got more exercise and better sleep. In fact, Dr. Hans Selye from McGill University claims, “Among all emotions, there is one which, more than any other, accounts for the presence or absence of stress in human relations: that is the feeling of gratitude.”
Further studies have proven time and time again that a little gratefulness can go a long way within a team. Expressing gratitude in the workplace is reported to make a business 12x more likely to outshine rivals, and 93% of people agree that grateful bosses are more likely to be successful.
Whether generating gratitude begins with a single individual creating a list of things they are grateful for, or spreading thankfulness through words and actions to colleagues, an attitude of gratitude is sure to spread, uplift, and prove financially and morally rewarding for your team, your business, and yourself.
Sources: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_cultivate_gratitude_at_work
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ocean-robbins/having-gratitude-_b_1073105.html