Closing the Gratitude Gap is More Important Than Ever
When was the last time you took the time to really, truly thank your employees?
If you’re racking your brain right now, don’t worry — you’re not an ungrateful person. The pandemic has put us in nearpermanent flight-or-fight mode. The news is full of stressors. Everywhere we go, we see visible reminders that the world is not back to normal.
Who has time for gratitude when it takes all we have to keep afloat? You should. Here’s why.
Long before our world underwent what I call the “collective splat” — the flattening of goals and plans — the workforce suffered from a powerful gratitude gap. According to research by the company OGO, more than 80 percent of people feel they are not recognized by their supervisor for what they do. 60 percent of those polled say they value gratitude more than money.
With the global economy on shaky ground, it can be easy to dismiss numbers like this. After all, shouldn’t people be grateful just to have a job? The question is: What happens when fortunes begin to rise again? Will your employees feel appreciated enough to stay in their jobs, or will they flee to greener pastures as soon as they get the opportunity?
Gratitude isn’t just about retention. It’s actually science. Science that can help you, the person expressing gratitude! According to the Greater
Good Science Center, people who wrote gratitude letters every week reported muchimproved mental health both four weeks and 12 weeks into their practice. There really is something to looking at the bright side of life, even in the midst of such upheaval.
As an exercise, take a few minutes every day or every week to email, call, or tell an employee thank you for their work, their attitude, their willingness to help, their organizational skills, their humour — the choices are endless. In just seconds, you can begin a practice that will help both of you feel better.
Margaret Page has founded several specialized companies including Beyond the Page Coaching, Etiquette Page and Page the Coach. margaret@margaretpage.com