The Power of Gratitude in Teams & Organizations

Despite how important we realize gratitude to be in our day-to-day lives, more often than not it becomes an afterthought in the workplace. According to the Greater Good Science Center, surveys have shown that:

• People are less likely to express gratitude at work than any place else.
• 60% never or very rarely thanked anybody at work.
• 35% were concerned that expressing thanks would lead to colleagues taking advantage of them.

On top of these troubling statistics is even more troubling research indicating people in power are even less likely to show gratitude compared to those without, due to elevated feelings of entitlement as well as fewer concerns about their relationships with other organizational members, especially those lower in the hierarchy:

• 59% of employees report never having had a boss who “truly appreciates” them.
• 53% of employees in a separate survey stated they would stay at their company longer if they received more appreciation from their boss for their work.

For many teams and organizations, underappreciated employees means lower group morale and a higher chance of people quitting. In fact, the top reason why people leave their jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, is due to a lack of appreciation. That’s why leaders need to take the helm in cultivating a sustained ecosystem of gratitude by modeling and normalizing acts of gratitude both in formal recruitment, onboarding, and performance review settings, as well as in informal day-to-day interactions.

One way in which teams and organizations can encourage members on all rungs of the hierarchy, including those in leadership, to practice gratitude on a personal level is to advocate for adopting a gratitude practice like Soul. It works by sending those who sign up intelligent nudges via text message to share gratitude on convenient days, with no need to download an app. The timing of Soul’s SMS outreaches, as well as the nature of its gratitude prompts, are designed to be consciously varied and research-informed. The idea is to instill gratitude in people as an attitude, rather than an afterthought.

Surveys have demonstrated that:

• Giving thanks at work can make people feel happier, and hearing thanks from others can make people happier and more productive.
• 93% of respondents said grateful bosses are more likely to succeed.
• Hearing appreciation from a supervisor heightens self-worth and self-efficacy, and increases trust and willingness to help.

When leaders are able to consistently and effectively communicate appreciation and encourage that same practice among colleagues, businesses show a myriad of positive results, from better work engagement and performance to enhanced creativity and innovation. Psychologist Lea Waters found in her research that for employees, “gratitude accounts for close to 25% of job satisfaction and is linked to higher levels of hope and optimism, better work relationships, and greater commitment to the company’s mission and strategic direction.” Studies also report fewer sick days and a reduced likelihood of turnover. Prosocial behaviors as a result of gratitude are moreover a great contributing factor to organizational effectiveness and genuinely happy workplaces—and who wouldn't want that?