When was the last time you expressed gratitude toward your employees? A study by polling firm Penn Shoen Berland found that more than 90% of those polled agreed that grateful people are more fulfilled, lead richer lives, and are more likely to have friends. Furthermore, 93% agreed that grateful bosses were more likely to be successful. However, despite knowing how beneficial gratitude can be, it was also found that less than 15% express daily gratitude to friends or colleagues. Interestingly, gratitude can also help boost employee productivity. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that managers who expressed gratitude boosted productivity by 50%! This is because gratitude helps people feel valued – a strong motivator for engagement and productivity.
Embedding Gratitude into Your Company Culture
When we normalize being grateful toward our teams and coworkers, we begin to see a happier and tighter-knit workplace. This is partly because gratitude helps nurture stronger relationships; when employees and managers show appreciation for each other, it boosts a sense of belonging.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude in your workplace:
/ Model gratitude by regularly thanking employees for their work or pointing out
how something they did contributed positively toward the shared goal you’re
working toward.
/ Express gratitude in different ways – this can be verbally and face to face or over
email or chat. You can thank people privately or in front of others. Sometimes
gratitude can also come in the form of a bonus. Take note of what expression of
gratitude your employees are most responsive to and act accordingly.
/ Start or end your weekly meetings with a round of gratitude. Allow everyone to
share one work-related thing or person they’re grateful for.
/ Create a dedicated virtual room or chat thread where employees can
congratulate each other or express gratitude for one another.
Start Practicing Gratitude with some of our signature sessions below!
Attitude of Gratitude
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Expressing appreciation is polite and usually done out of habit, but did you know that deliberately giving thanks has observable health benefits? For starters, gratitude can increase one’s energy, optimism, and empathy. Practicing gratitude has also been shown to help reduce blood pressure, improve sleep, and promote life satisfaction. In this health talk session, you will study how to proactively cultivate gratitude. Subsequently, you'll learn to apply your newfound attitude of gratitude to increase personal and workplace wellbeing, happiness, and productivity.
Gratitude Meditation
Many Buddhist monks start their day with gratitude meditation, focusing on how their blessings and challenges have enriched their lives. In this meditation session, an instructor will guide you through the practice of gratitude and how to give back positive energy into the universe. Gratitude meditation helps us focus on the good while acknowledging the not-so-good, cultivating a positive, resilient mindset. You'll walk away with an improved sense of self, wellbeing, and clarity.
Looking for something different? Contact us to see how we can customize your health talk or activity.
Written by FitPros Speaker, Adeola Mead. Adeola is a Naturopathic Physician with 15 years of clinical experience who provides integrative wellness programs to help improve physical and mental/emotional resilience.
Book a session with Adeola now!