Drive Small Business Results with Six Simple Gratitude Practices

As a small business leader, you are focused on productivity, employee retention, and business growth. Leading with gratitude will help you achieve those results—and sustainable, long-term success.

When you think of the actions required for business success, you might first think about satisfying your client’s expectations, lowering your costs while increasing your profit margin, and being agile to changes in the marketplace. As the HR consultancy for small businesses, we want you to add another tool to your toolbox for business success: gratitude.

GRATITUDE MOTIVATES EMPLOYEES TO DO THEIR BEST

The American Psychological Association conducted a study that found that 93% of employees “who reported feeling valued said that they are motivated to do their best at work, and 88 percent reported feeling engaged.”

In this time of the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting, don’t you want the majority of your workforce to feel motivated to do their best and be engaged in your company?

Showing gratitude to your employees works on an individual level: employees feel more appreciated for their contributions and, as a result, are often more motivated to bring their best to work. Gratitude also can create what scientists describe as the “spillover effect”: individuals become more trusting with each other, and are more likely to help each other out.

IN A CHALLENGING BUSINESS MARKETPLACE, DON’T YOU WANT EMPLOYEES WHO RISE TO THE OCCASION AND WORK BETTER TOGETHER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS?

6 Simple Practices to Show Gratitude in the Workplace

John Templeton Foundation surveyed 2000 Americans. They found that saying “thank you” to colleagues “makes me feel happier and more fulfilled”—yet only 10 percent acted on that impulse on any given day.

We want you to be among the 10 percent who demonstrate gratitude consistently: so you feel better and your employees feel more appreciated, engaged, and committed to doing their best work.

Following are 5 simple ways to demonstrate gratitude at work: for better results and personal well-being.

Say Thank You

Employees feel happier and more fulfilled when they are thanked. Make a point to acknowledge and thank your employees for their daily contributions.

Show Appreciation Publicly and Privately

Acknowledge your employees in private settings, such as in one-to-one check-ins, and in more public settings, such as team meetings.

Write a Thank You Note

Take a few minutes to write a Thank You note to an employee. You’ll be surprised at how many people keep these notes at their desks or workspace as a reminder of your appreciation for their work and hard effort.

Be Intentional

Make sharing appreciation a part of your daily habits routine. Look for opportunities each day to demonstrate gratitude. As Melissa Hughes writes, “Decide that you will look for a reason to express gratitude every day.”

Create a Peer-Rewards Program

Many companies like Zappos have instituted peer-rewards programs, where employees can reward each other for a job well done.

Begin Gratitude at Home

Before your work day begins or as you close out your work day, take a moment to reflect on who and what you are grateful for. The practice of cultivating gratitude can have an immense impact on how you feel about your work, your employees, and your overall satisfaction and fulfillment in your job and career.

As we have written before, cultivating gratitude is good for business. Psychologist Robert Emmons says that making gratitude a policy and a practice “builds up a sort of psychological immune system that can cushion us when we fall. There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resilient to stress, whether minor everyday hassles or major personal upheavals.”

Showing gratitude in the workplace does not need to be difficult or time-consuming. But it does require that you look for opportunities to demonstrate your appreciation. Try our suggestions and see how much better you feel—along with the positive ripple effects among your employees and colleagues.

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: December Legal Updates or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.