The Wall Street Journal’s Sue Shellenbarger recently published an article discussing how rarely appreciation is shown in the workplace. In fact, the workplace ranks last among places people express gratitude. According to a survey conducted this year by the John Templeton Foundation, only 10 percent of adults say thank you to a colleague on a daily basis, and just seven percent say thank you to a boss. Similarly, bosses are hesitant to express gratitude to their employees.
Why is gratitude so rare in the workplace? According to the article, some bosses fear employees will take advantage of them; gratitude might inflate egos and prompt employees to ask for raises. Others worry they will appear insincere or embarrass their employees. Dr. Bob Nelson, author, speaker and president of Nelson Motivation, says many supervisors choose to criticize rather than express thanks because doing so gives them a sense of control and makes them feel like they are in charge. This hesitancy of managers to say “thank you” has a domino effect in the office; because bosses significantly influence employee attitudes, employees are also less likely to show appreciation and more likely to be negative.
Interestingly, research indicates that people work harder and are more loyal when they feel appreciated. This means making regular demonstrations of appreciation the norm could very well be good for your company. However, you can’t just go around thanking everyone for everything all of a sudden, because employees and colleagues will likely view such gestures as insincere.
Make an effort to express gratitude at work, but be sincere. Acknowledge when your colleagues or employees have genuinely done good work, and show appreciation for extra time put in and personal sacrifices made on behalf of the company. You might consider setting up recognition programs, or having employees fill out a questionnaire about how they like to get feedback – not everyone appreciates a big show of appreciation; some prefer simple, kind gestures.