Giving Thanks at Work

December 8, 2021 Harvard Business Review

image courtesy- 123RF

– Harvard Business Review

Quoting a research article, the author (Amy Gallo) states that “The research is clear: Gratitude is good for you. It improves wellbeing, reduces stress, and builds resilience. It can even make you more patient (something we could all use more of these days!).”

Also quoting Professor David DeSteno, who states that studies have shown “that when people feel grateful, they’re willing to devote more effort to help others, to be loyal even at a cost to themselves, and to split profits equally with partners rather than take more money for themselves”

Telling your colleague that you feel grateful for them also increases their willingness to help, likely because they feel valued

Also quoting another research done by Francesca Gino and Adam Grant, where participants who had edited a student’s cover letter received either a neutral message from the student acknowledging they’d received their feedback or a grateful note, expressing thanks and appreciation. When the students asked the participants for help again, those who were thanked were twice as likely to say yes than those who hadn’t been thanked. Put another way: When someone wasn’t thanked, the chances of them helping again in the future were cut in half.

Now the author gives us some brief on how to Thank people in general;

According to Amy What you say — and how you say it — matters. A simple “thanks” is a start, but given how many of us sign off every email with that word, its impact has probably waned. Instead, you want to be specific about what you’re grateful for, explain why it was meaningful to you, and point out what exactly you appreciate about the other person.

Amy also states that yes you can send a Slack message, an email, or a text. But Amy states that you may want to consider a handwritten note, which shows that you put in extra effort to share what was on your mind. And you can also hop on the phone or a video call to say thanks, though that does put pressure on the recipient to react to your gratitude right away. Reiterating again Amy states that regardless of the medium we settle on, to spend a few moments thinking about what you’re grateful for and how their actions affected you. This will allow you to be specific.

Amy also quotes Christopher Littlefield, an expert in employee appreciation, for a few ways to open your message:

I was reflecting on our last project over the weekend, and I realized I never said thank you.

We have been so busy lately that I realized I haven’t taken the time to express my appreciation for all your great work.

You might even try: Over the holiday, I was thinking about the people who’ve made this year better for me, and you came to mind.

Littlefield also shares an example of talking about what you appreciate:

I know it took courage for you to give me honest feedback after my last presentation. I want you to know I really appreciate your doing that.

And why you appreciate it:

I always ask for feedback, but people rarely say anything more than, “You did great.” Your feedback helped me rethink my presentation and gave me concrete things to work on. That’s exactly what I needed to improve.

Amy also advises that if you’re a manager, you not only want to express your gratitude to your direct reports but to encourage others to do so as well. And be a role model. For example, take time to give each of your team members a sincere and personalized thank you for their effort this year. Or create time and space (physical or virtual) for gratitude. Some employees may feel uncomfortable expressing appreciation verbally, so you might start an appreciation wall or a dedicated Slack channel for employees to recognize each other.

Amy encourages us stating that there’s no better time to introduce these practices than the holiday season, as we’re all reflecting on what’s been a trying year.

So, go ahead and start now!