“Thank You”, that simple and conscious act of giving thanks and being grateful, has been proven to be very effective in cultivating a successful workplace culture and creating a positive impact on employee engagement. In fact, recent analysis conducted by Gallup shows that employees who receive recognition in the workplace show a significant increase in levels of productivity, engagement, satisfaction, work retention and safety records, all important elements for a successful business.
Some stats to think on:
- A rate of just 13% employees worldwide feel genuinely engaged in their work.
- More than three million employees in the US leave their current job willingly on a monthly basis, while 31% of them quit due to dissatisfaction related to a lack of appreciation or recognition from their supervisors.
- Only 30% of people express thanks on a weekly basis to a co-employee and only 20% to their boss, while 35% of people never show their appreciation to their boss and 29% never thank a fellow employee.
The revolutionary effect of “Thank You”
According to a report regarding employee recognition conducted in 2015 by the Society for Human Resource Management, employee retention, turnover, employee engagement and employee satisfaction were found to rank at the top of the list of challenges facing most organizations at the moment. In an effort to resolve the employee engagement “crisis”, more than 58% of industries have already adopted recognition programs, and those that did have presented impressive results in performance, with 68% reporting responses being “good” or “excellent”.
Evidence shows that since the practice of employee appreciation and gratitude was introduced to workplaces several alterations in behavior have been linked to the change, resulting in a significant decrease in stress levels, a greater sense of achievement and satisfaction, a development of team bonds and an overall improvement in workplace culture.
Every time a person receives thanks and feels appreciated and grateful they are found to experience stimulation to the hypothalamus (a portion of the brain that regulates stress) and the ventral tegmental area (a group of neurons triggering the sense of pleasure). Gratitude is shown to create positive emotions, evoking enjoyment of past experiences and building strong relationships. Hence, it doesn’t come as a surprise that when expressing employee appreciation an immediate boost to self-confidence and happiness is generated, making them feel important and adding value to their efforts and overall contribution.
The Power of Team Appreciation
Team appreciation, on the other hand, reinforces good behavioral practices in the workplace community, creating an effect of contagion and elevation, amplifying and subsequently expanding a positive loop across the organization. Giving thanks on a regular basis has the capability of positively influencing job satisfaction levels of all employees. Even if an employee may not feel the gratitude is directly addressed to them, they will still be able to experience job satisfaction through the positive influence of a grateful workplace culture.
Saying thank you can definitely take you a long way. Look out for good work and give thanks whenever it occurs. Use team appreciation and gratitude as cornerstones of your workplace culture, creating a better work environment where your employees feel happy and appreciated. Set out the path to an emotionally intelligent workplace, starting from appreciation and gratitude to building up values of forgiveness, compassion, kindness and generosity. This practice will not only turn more profit for your business, you will also feel more effective yourself and your employees will become more engaged.
