Why Gratitude Leads to Employees Knowing Their Value

Seventy percent of employees feel better about themselves when their bosses are grateful. How does that make you feel?

For some of us that may add a lot of pressure. For others, maybe it fills you with energy to know that how you feel about your employees affects the way they feel about themselves.

?However it makes you feel, it should lead you to understand that your personal gratitude and that of your employees are important. While a simple thank you does seem to impact employees (resulting in 50% more work accomplished when bosses say it) gratitude can be so much more than that!

Here are three ways to show gratitude that is more than just a thank you.

1. Make your "thank you" specific!?Anyone can say, "Thanks for staying late Friday," but a really impactful thank you is specific and has a reason behind it. For example, "Thank you for working those extra hours last week! Because of your time sacrifice, we were able to launch the podcast and we reached 500 people with the first episode. YOU helped make that happen! So thank you!"
2. Do more than verbalize your gratitude.?When you are really grateful, you show it. So do the same with your employees. The easy answer here is to show gratitude in the form of pay increases (which is always appreciated) but you can also use PTO, resources that were requested, or even a sincerely written card. Don't forget to be specific!
3. Talk up your employees in public!?Maybe for you, this means posting on social media about your team, or taking time out of the day to recognize team members who are really performing well. Whatever it is, remember this, what is celebrated is repeated. So celebrate your employees in front of anyone you meet. Believe it or not, your team will see what you say about them, even when you don't think they notice.?

There is a significant connection between leaders who are grateful and employees who are valued. Gratitude in the workplace reduces stress, aggression, frustration, and regret while bringing increases in job security, productivity, and happiness.

How do you show your gratitude to your employees? We'd love to get a comment from you with your ideas!