The Season Of Giving

How expressing gratitude contributes to building a more human workplace

This holiday season, it is important for employers and HR leaders to recognize employees for their commitment, efforts, and contributions to the company. More often than not, we underestimate the power of thank you and its lasting impact on the employee experience. Showing gratitude is a simple way to revitalize the workplace with both humility and humanity. Companies that can harness the power of thanks and create a more humane workplace stand to reap significant rewards both culturally and financially. Here are three ways of giving thanks to and showing appreciation for those around you will prove to be beneficial to everyone throughout the holiday season and beyond.

At the core of every successful business are the people who help to attain that status. Thanking someone is one of the best ways to see immediate results in your employees’ attitude and performance. Countless studies have found that showing gratitude has the ability to increase a person’s emotional well-being by improving their self-esteem, building their self-confidence and reducing aggression. According to a report from the IBM Smarter Workforce Institute and Globoforce’s WorkHuman Analytics and Research Institute, recognizing employees increases discretionary effort by nearly twice as much in positive work experiences (95 percent vs. 54 percent), suggesting that stronger employee experiences can contribute to higher motivation levels to go “above and beyond” typical job duties.

Taking the time to recognize someone for their hard work can also have a lasting impact on employee retention as well as the overall quality of work. Studies have shown that employees who feel appreciated not only tend to report increased satisfaction with their job but also show higher levels of overall engagement in the workplace. Whether through an incentivized program that recognizes workers for their outstanding work performance or as the result of a simple “thank you,” gratitude can go a long way.

In a recent survey from Globoforce’s WorkHuman Analytics and Research Institute, researchers found that, when recognized for their efforts, 82 percent of employees reported a sense of increased engagement, 79 percent reported working harder when recognized and 78 percent noticed an increase in their productivity. Gratitude serves as a universal sign of positive reinforcement, validating the work an employee puts forth on behalf of the company. Additionally, employees who experience higher levels of humanity at work tended to perform better, were more likely to exert discretionary effort at their job and were less likely to quit. Not only does gratitude foster a positive working atmosphere, but it also has a profound impact on engagement and retention, crucial components to any business.

It’s no surprise that, when met with both positive reinforcement and a sense of belonging and community, an employees’ view on company culture improves. When surveying employees on the relationship between recognition and work culture, Globoforce found that workers who had been recognized within the past month were 34 percent more likely to think of their company as the greatest place to work when compared to those who had not been recognized. Similarly, recognized employees were found to be 35 percent more likely to believe their work culture was fun and enjoyable and 28 percent were more likely to say their fellow co-workers trusted one another. In turn, when employees find their company’s culture fun and enjoyable, they’re more likely to agree their employers are committed to providing a human workplace.

With so much to be thankful for this holiday season, it’s important to recognize those who contribute their time and effort to make your company run. So today, and every day, look for opportunities to show employees your appreciation. More consistent recognition is needed from company leaders to engage employees and produce a sense of well-being, trust, humanity and confidence that can propel employee culture forward. In doing so, you’ll be doing your part to make the workplace more human.