Cultivating Gratitude: Why Employees Need to Hear Thank You More Than Ever

In these unprecedented times, the people on your team are coping with tremendous pressures, all while trying to navigate uncertainty in their own lives, homes and families. With employees working remotely and Covid-19 restrictions in force, expressing gratitude has become more important than ever. However, a recent Gallup poll found that only one in three workers strongly agreed that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days.

Employees who don’t feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year. On the other hand, receiving well-deserved praise can improve the staff’s job satisfaction, and increased morale is good for your business. In fact, according to Laszlo Bock, head honcho of HR at Google, “being grateful – and expressing it – can be the secret weapon to workplace happiness and to warding off the malaise that can come with routine.” 

As leaders, it is crucial to cultivate a gratitude mindset and show appreciation to coworkers for their specific contributions.

Put the ‘You’ in Your ‘Thank You’

Studies show that gratitude strengthens relationships significantly much more when it is expressed as appreciation for the helper rather than the way it benefited you. Your colleagues want to see themselves positively and feel cared for. For instance, instead of saying “You took care of the presentation and let me relax,” say “You went out of your way to prepare the presentation. It shows how responsible you are.” In other words, other-praising gratitude tends to work better than self-benefit gratitude expressions.

You can also take it one step further by using the 5 love languages concept, which suggests that each of us has a preferred “love language”. Knowing about the other person’s preference can improve our relationships. While this concept is generally applied on romantic relationships, it can also be used on work relationships to improve staff morale and increase employee engagement. If a colleague acknowledges words of affirmation, provide them verbal praise in front of others or craft an appreciation email for them. If a coworker prefers tangible gifts, get the recipient something you know they’ll value. Likewise, if someone prefers acts of service, you could offer your assistance in a project.  

Share the Limelight

As a leader, you may be running the organisation successfully during this pandemic, but it is important to recognise the essential tasks and work that others do while flying under the radar. When it comes to certain job roles, you could be underestimating the amount of effort involved. Similarly, there may be some quiet workhorses who don’t complain, but who rarely shine in the spotlight. 

A great idea, therefore, is to frequently celebrate these unsung heroes by highlighting their achievements which typically come off as invisible work. Take a moment to sing their praises in meetings or establish platforms where other staff members can honour their positive contributions.  

 When you give credit where credit is due, not only will the team members unite but the organisational productivity will also experience a boost.

 Learn how you can take your leadership teams through a growth model which will help them mature on a personal and professional level by following me on LinkedIn and subscribing to the Keijzer Community.

Paul Keijzer is the CEO and Founder of Engage Consulting and the co-Founder of The Talent Games, which aims to transform HR by digitising talent processes and creating more engaging and productive workplaces through gamification and mobile technology. As a global HR and Leadership Management expert, Paul knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.