In a great article written by Timothy Sharpe, he discusses 5 factors that contribute to one’s Happiness Factor at work.
Timothy specifically discusses Frequent and Appropriate Recognition. “Employees want to not just be valued as important members of the team and of the organization but, also to be told, frequently and appropriately, that they’re valued. A dominant theme was being thanked and appreciated. Many respondents referred to this in one way or other with specific comments including a desire to more often see or hear about managers and colleagues openly congratulating and/or sending emails around about wins or efforts by people” as well as the potential benefits that could be associated with more frequently acknowledging the little achievements that everyone does each day.”
Margaret Greenberg and Senia Maymin also point out that there are many reasons that managers choose not to provide frequent recognition such as:
- “I’m too busy.” Some managers get so caught up in the day-to-day work that they believe they don’t have time to say “thank you”.
- “That’s what they get paid to do.” Some managers believe that the paychecks employees receive are enough to keep them engaged and motivated to perform what’s expected.
- “It’s too early to celebrate – we haven’t completely implemented this yet.” Some managers believe they must wait until the end of a project before they can provide recognition because who knows what could go wrong.
- “I don’t like or need encouragement to do my job.” Finally, some managers say they personally don’t like to receive recognition and encouragement from their managers and then assume their employees feel the same.
If you are an employee, would you want to work for a manager that thinks this way? If you are a business owner or C-level executive, does having a manager like this drive engagement? Do they help move the needle on performance and productivity? Absolutely not!
When a manager frequently expresses gratitude to their employees, the stress factor drops, employees think more clearly, are apt to do more and are more resilient. If this is the case, the the needle will be moved and performance and productivity will increase and thus, so will profitability.
JoAnna Brandi says of Gratitude, “Consciously, willingly and deliberately take moments throughout the day to feel gratitude, and to express it to others. To get businesses on board with this idea, I’ve advised them to start an “employee gratitude journal” in which everyone is encouraged to write down something for which they’re grateful every day. They’re always amazed at how powerful this inexpensive, quick and easy exercise is in creating a positive work environment and helping to transform the culture.”
Express Gratitude at work. It is simple, easy and impactful.
