Does your organization encourage a culture of gratitude? Not in an obligatory (and fear-tinged), “In this economy you’d better be grateful just to have a job, buddy!” way, but in a, “Gee, I really appreciate my coworkers and the feeling is mutual!” way? Chances are the answer is no.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 65 percent of people say they don’t feel appreciated at work. That feeling can quickly lead to pervasive negativity, low morale, and (worst of all) decreased productivity.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Companies can deliberately infuse their cultures, from top to bottom, with the proverbial “attitude of gratitude.” In fact, those who don’t put gratitude on a pedestal, especially in today’s high-stress work environments, are shooting themselves in the foot.
Too many people leave work every day thinking, “My boss doesn’t appreciate me.” When employees feel that their boss doesn’t fully value their work, they start to care a little less. They don’t provide the kind of service they would if they felt appreciated, and they don’t make an effort to help coworkers.
When the majority of the people in a workplace feel this way, the overall environment is hugely impacted. Productivity decreases, turnover increases, and it can become very difficult to stay afloat, especially in a tough economy.
Workplace gratitude isn’t something that is passed only from the boss to the employee. To have a real impact on workplace positivity, employees should show it to one another and to their bosses. And leaders and employees should show it to their customers.
It’s obvious when you are in a workplace where people value gratitude and graciousness. Those places have a really great vibe. And when gratitude and graciousness are missing, it is equally evident. People in those environments seem to have a sense of entitlement. Coworkers who come into contact with them might say, “There is just no pleasing those people!” Customers might say, “They just don’t care about me!” Neither reaction is good for business.
The great thing about infusing gratitude into the workplace is that it can come from anyone, regardless of position.
If you are a leader, you can infuse gratitude from the top down, perhaps by making it a required standard of behavior for employees. And if you are an employee, you can start your own grassroots gratitude movement by expressing gratitude yourself and encouraging your coworkers to do the same. Everyone can show gratitude in a workplace and influence others to do so.
If you want to make this the season of gratitude at your organization, here are a few tips on how to hardwire workplace gratitude from the ground up:
1. Say thanks. When someone does something kind for you, whether it’s your boss, your coworker or a stranger, recognize it! A simple “thanks” will do. You can’t expect people to appreciate you if you don’t receive their kindnesses and compliments with thankfulness. Sure, you might be skeptical if your boss goes to a leadership conference and upon his return starts handing out compliments left and right. But just stop and think; are those compliments making people happy? When you are recognized, does it give you even just the tiniest little twinge of happiness?
If so, then you’d better meet the gratitude your boss is showing with a little gratitude in return. Otherwise he will start thinking that his recognition doesn’t really mean anything to anyone, and his exercise in gratitude will be short-lived. Leaders should give employees a chance to jump on the gratitude bandwagon. It may take a couple of compliments from you before they realize what this new positivity movement is all about. You may get a few skeptical looks after the first few compliments, but eventually they will warm up to the idea and be thankful that you are making the effort.
2. Adopt an “it’s the thought that counts” attitude. Consider this scenario: A new VP at a hospital wants to do something special for her hardworking, overworked staff. It’s decided that pizza will be provided for the entire hospital staff, rolling out over a Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to ensure that every person on every shift can take a pizza break. The pizza plan goes into effect and the VP, who arranged everything, walks around the departments expecting to be welcomed with open arms by an appreciative staff. Instead she finds that many of the teams taking care of patients are upset because they can’t leave their patients to go down to the cafeteria where the pizzas are located. Meanwhile (they complain), the business office and IT staffs are able to go to the cafeteria as they please.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I was that VP. And I was devastated. I had tried so hard to get it right. Nevertheless, I learned from the experience. I knew that the next time I should have the pizzas delivered directly to the units. Had I been someone with a different personality, I might have decided never to order pizzas, or do anything else special, ever again.
The point is that sometimes you have to take into account the intentions of your boss or your coworkers. If it is clear that they meant for something to be a way of thanking you or helping you, don’t complain about how they missed the mark. Thank them for thinking of you and move on.
3. Communicate openly and honestly. If it’s gratitude you need, tell someone! Leaders or coworkers often can be so tied up in their own tasks that they forget about those working around them. The natural reaction when this happens is to either hold in your negative feelings or complain to another coworker. But a more proactive stance might be to opt for open and honest communication.
I am not suggesting you go around asking people to thank you for what you are doing. That would be pretty obnoxious. But what you might do is ask your boss or coworkers if you are giving them everything they need from you. And you might also start showing them some appreciation. Gratitude is a two-way street. If you start making