Now is the time of year where we focus on showing gratitude, but why not show gratitude all year round? There is a lot of science that showing gratitude makes you happier and more productive. The benefits of gratitude also extend to your workplace. Showing your gratitude to employees can reduce turnover, create a positive culture, and increase productivity. You can also create happier customers by showing gratitude for the business they create. However, it can be difficult to know how to appropriately thank customers and employees. These are some ways to make expressing your gratitude easier:
Be Specific
Vague generalizations of gratitude will not make your employees feel appreciated. Be as specific as you can and always thank individually. If you have a team or group you want to thank for good work on a project, try to thank individuals for what they specifically did on the project. Doing this will help your employees to be more aware of your gratitude and feel more appreciated.
Reward the Individual
Sometimes it’s good to express your gratitude with gifts or services. A good way to do this is to make the gift or service apply to the individual. For example, if one of your employees has a way of making everyone in your office laugh, and you want to recognize them for it, you could get them a joke book. Small things like this show that you were thoughtful in your gift and lets the employee know their actions are appreciated.
Try a Handwritten Thank You Note
You’d be surprised at the impact difference between an email and a handwritten note. Giving your employees handwritten notes shows that you put time and care into showing gratitude to them. Consider keeping thank you cards in your office for quick, meaningful thank you’s.
Apply these ideas in your work life and encourage others to do the same to increase workplace gratitude.