Our Reward and Recognition platform clients confirm that frequently recognizing people in front of their colleagues for their hard work and accomplishments is a powerful motivator. They know that in addition to offering pay raises, creating more flexible work schedules, and launching new health and wellness programs, business leaders should also take the time just to say “thank you”.
Inc. columnist Jessia Stillman discovered some interesting research into the power that expressing gratitude to employees can have on their feelings of engagement and appreciation at work.
Her column, “Could the Solution to the Great Resignation Be as Simple as Gratitude? A New Study Suggests Yes” describes how the researchers studied frontline healthcare workers who have been under immense pressure and at high risk of burnout since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic more than two years ago. They asked hundreds of doctors and nurses at hospitals in China and Singapore to report on how much gratitude they received from patients.
“We found that receiving gratitude energized healthcare workers on the job and, significantly, improved their family life by making them better spouses,” write the researchers in their article for the Journal of Applied Psychology. “Gratitude, it would appear, has greater impact on the recipient than what many might think.”
The report presents two key takeaways for business leaders across all industries:
- Because workers who identify more strongly with their occupation are more likely to be energized by gratitude received at work, it is in the direct interest of managers and organizations to nurture this sense of identity in employees.
- Expressing gratitude to employees is not effective if it’s only done once a year. “For gratitude to work its magic and give essential workers the energy to go on, the key is to practice it regularly,” the report’s authors write.
Follow this link to learn more about how Virtual Incentives’ payment platform helps organizations recognize employees’ accomplishments to keep them motivated, productive and happy.