How to Implement Gratitude Into Your Business

When employees appreciate their work environment, there are tremendous benefits – but how do you inspire gratitude on a daily basis?

On Season 5, episode 2 of the Survive and Thrive podcast, host Jennifer Ayres discusses how to build gratitude into your business’ foundation and see long-lasting results.

The Importance of Gratitude In Your Business

Human-centric leadership has become more and more important in today’s job market. According to a recent survey by Ernst & Young, 89% of employees believe that empathy leads to better management, and 85% report that this leadership style leads to increased productivity, demonstrating the benefits of this approach.

When employers show compassion, workers are grateful. Having your employees’ appreciation will result in them working harder, smarter, and with more innovative efforts. They will also be more likely to stay at a company, reducing employee turnover and costs. 

Since a robust, productive team is imperative for company growth, leaders must cultivate an environment where employees can thrive. As workplace culture and reflective company values become the center stage of worker demands, keeping your employees satisfied has become more critical than ever.

So how can business leaders detect if their culture is happy, healthy, and functioning?

Signs Of A Grateful And Healthy Work Culture

When evaluating the culture of your team, look for signs of gratitude. According to a survey conducted by the employee recognition platform, Motivosity, companies that implemented a gratitude-centric model saw impressive results in company culture.

Companies reported a 134% increase in company loyalty and brand outlook among employees. 96% of employees were more likely to recommend their company to a friend, and companies found an 82% increase in employees showcasing company values at work.

When welcomed into a gratitude-centric environment, employees felt 182% more recognized at work, resulting in a 96% stronger relationship between workers and their managers. This data indicates that the more appreciative the workforce, the more effectively it can operate.

After all, gratitude creates a healthy cycle that has structural benefits. More gratitude boosts morale, and with higher morale comes increased motivation, commitment, and energy to perform. So, when evaluating a company's work environment, signs of a grateful workforce will be a valuable indicator of success. 

Three Ways To Optimize Gratitude In The Workplace

Of course, “gratitude” must be implemented into a business's structure to reap the rewards.

Show Employee Appreciation

A simple way to incorporate gratitude at work is to show appreciation for your employees daily. During company meetings, managers can start by expressing how their employees have excelled and brought value to the company in a meaningful way. When people know that their work matters to their employer, they feel more connected to the big picture of the company’s success.

Demonstrating appreciation through communication is not only a feasible way of implementing gratitude, but it is also the most cost-effective. To encourage gratitude into the framework of your culture, create a thirty-day challenge where each employee tells another colleague how their efforts have helped them in their everyday work. A truthful compliment of one’s efforts is free, but the benefits can be priceless.

Supply Free Mental Health Resources

Since burnout and mental health are common issues in any business, it would be beneficial to supply free or sponsored mental health resources to your employees. When workers are mentally drained or experiencing personal challenges outside of work, they can not perform to the best of their ability. Take the human-centric leadership approach, and see how you can facilitate an environment where your employees can not only do their jobs well but “well” consistently.

An accessible resource to provide would be conducting regular department-wide meditation exercises or providing free access to a meditation app. Since meditation has been shown to improve anxiety, reduce blood pressure, and calm the nervous system, your employees can effectively perform their duties while meeting their needs. Your team will be able to heal from burnout and be grateful for your company as a result. Additionally, choosing a health provider that covers mental health services matters greatly to not just your employees but the families they are supporting. 

Create Incentives Around Volunteer Work

During an age when employees want to work for a company that is ethical at its core, an emphasis on philanthropy can evoke gratitude. People want to believe that they are not only working to increase profits but to impact their communities as a whole. For instance, you can sponsor mentorship programs for under-represented groups to facilitate peer-to-peer connections and decrease gatekeeping in the corporate world. Another avenue could be creating comprehensive paid internship programs to diversify your industry and remove the barrier to entry for students who cannot afford to accept unpaid work. Creating more opportunities for your community is a great way to give back and fulfill your corporate social responsibility.

You can also create incentives for your team's volunteer work outside the workplace. Not only does this motivate employees to represent your company positively, but it is another way you can show appreciation for what your employees do, not only as workers but also as people. By facilitating volunteer opportunities or making a company-wide financial commitment to specific causes, your employees will be proud to work for your business, and company loyalty will be secured.

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By incorporating gratitude into your business model, you can foster a more productive, healthier work culture that will aid in expanding your business for years to come.

If you would like to learn more about implementing gratitude in the workplace, check out this week’s episode of the Survive and Thrive Podcast.

 

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/11/18/embrace-the-season-of-gratitude-by-creating-meaningful-actions-in-the-workplace/?sh=692293d71f75

https://www.ibmadison.com/the-value-of-gratitude-in-the-workplace/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2022/04/24/how-to-create-a-culture-of-gratitude-at-work/?sh=1e95e9b13b1f

https://www.ey.com/en_us/news/2021/09/ey-empathy-in-business-survey

https://www.lifehack.org/932545/ways-for-businesses-to-give-back-to-the-community

https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/8-new-ideas-for-corporate-community-giving

https://www.concinnityus.com/survive-thrive/facilitating-positive-work-culture

https://www.concinnityus.com/survive-thrive/mindset-success