• Global Health and Wellness Policy Report published in 2019 reveals that 5 minutes of writing in a gratitude journal increases the well-being by more than 10 percent. That means it is equivalent to Doubling Your Income.
  • In 2015, research published in the Journal of Health Psychology also emphasized that gratitude helps in improving the quality of sleep and lowers blood pressure.

There are innumerable researches conducted, which also pointed out the importance of Gratitude in an organization. Oprah Winfrey once said,

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

Gratitude is about feeling valued by others and seeing the value in others. It is quite similar to Compassion, Trust, Benevolence, etc which, if used wisely, could lead to the growth trajectory of the organization. While Appreciation is a step further, it is gratitude that has the power to stimulate employees.

The Insiders Game!

Expressing Gratitude when it is felt, matters the most. If one would be specific about what one is grateful for, it heightens the experience for both people. Moreover, it becomes a reason for employees to work in a frame, which can further build emotionally intelligent and empathetic workplaces. Gratitude at workplace is a two-way street on which both the employer and the employee have to travel.

Gratitude fosters

  • Relaxation
  • Networking
  • Psychological safety
  • Avoid suicidal thoughts
  • Brings satisfaction to work
  • Enhances Risk-taking capabilities of employees

Gratitude leads to the altruistic behavior of the employees which is must for the growth of the organization

Impact on Revenue

It is a bitter truth that salespersons or businessmen, often looks out for ways to generate income for increasing revenues. This could be accomplished by seeking the welfare of the employees or doing the otherwise. It is wisely said that practicing good leadership is inseparable from practicing gratitude.

A study reveals that Productivity can be increased by 10 percent if the employee’s happiness level be increased. The increase in productivity is inter-related to the revenue generation. Revenue so generated will increase the income or perks of the employees which, thus, keep the employees satisfied. This reminds me of the famous quote of Marcus Tullius Cicero who says,

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.”

The happiness level of both the employer and employee is pertinent as it keeps the environment healthy and keeps away the feeling of Rancor and envy in employees

Gratitude exercises for the workplace

There are multiple ways through which one can exercise gratitude at workplace. It’s not only expressed through words but can also be shown through actions and activities which could be like :

  • Leaving a personal, handwritten thank you note on the employee’s desk. This will drive him to work more.
  • Sometimes publicizing it on social media or a moment of felicitation in front of all employees motivates the individual and reaps better results.
  • Sometimes surprising out of the box perks like certain coupons/passes for an outing or for shopping can be given to elate the employees.
  • Sometimes giving a half-day work off can also act as a piece of appreciation to employees’handwork, that their work is important and is valued.
  • By arranging new training/workshops to inculcate new thoughts and ideas in employees can also be counted in gratitude as we care about employee’s growth and knowledge both personally and professionally.

The Naikan Reflection Exercise

“The Naikan Reflection is a self-reflection method initially developed in Japan. The entire exercise takes about 10 minutes to complete. Naikan means “looking within.” Anyone, with or without religious affiliations, can do this activity. The process involves reflecting on the following three questions while focusing one’s attention on a particular person and time.

1. What did this person give to me? (giving)
2. What did I return to this person? (receiving)
3. What trouble did I cause this person? (hurting)

Doing this reflection helps to grow feelings of gratitude and appreciation for others. It also allows people to discover how much they take verses to give in personal relationships”.

Live Examples of Entrepreneurs practicing Gratitude

1. Tommy Mayes, Partner, Blueprint Investment Partners

At an early age, Mayes learned the value of thanking people who may not normally receive thanks. He also believes gratitude is more than just saying thanks. At Blueprint, Mayes and his team, every week gather together to share one thing that each of them is grateful for. This exercise tries to develop the team’s collective emotional intelligence. Mayes and his team cultivate empathy and make efforts in creating a more trusting work environment.

2. David Lesniak, CEO, Personiy

Lesniak’s observation skill is quite sharp. With his observation, he has noticed that employees do their best work when they feel appreciated. According to him, “Giving back to your team builds long-term loyalty, and showing them they are appreciated, makes them brand ambassadors with a passion for the company. This inevitably leads to happy customers and overall business growth”. As a business leader, Lesniak makes employee investment a top priority. Each year he takes his employees to the mountains to focus on friendship and teamwork, this year the group went to Kilimanjaro.  

How is Rightful Labs Practicing Gratitude?

“When I initially joined, I was pretty much sure that I’ll be all alone and it becomes a little difficult to understand a new place, new work in the organization. But everybody in the organization from the first day gave me attention and helped me out by providing exposure and acquiring a new set of skills and therefore my presumption went wrong,” says Nabeela, our former intern.

As our New Year Resolution, We thought of adopting gratitude practice at the workplace. The idea was pop-up to Arif Khan, the CEO of RIGHTFUL LABS. He says, “Every day, all the employees have to take out their 5 minutes from their hectic schedule and need to mail one of its colleagues praising them regarding the help they had assisted. After doing it for continuously three months, this activity will be evaluated”. This helps in maintaining a healthy relationship between the employees, says Arif. It is believed that praising people for their work, helps in building the relationship for a lasting, productive relationship.

Rightful Labs always try it’s best by giving equal treatment to the person sitting at the top of the hierarchy to the person sitting at the lowest.

Here, you’ll find that people have their meals together which helps in bridging the gap between all the employees and the heads. This company try its best to provide a friendly comfortable environment that somewhere boosts the employee’s morale.

The efforts are being made to treat the employees as their friends. Rightful Labs understand that the development of employees is crucial. Therefore, throughout the year, training is been provided to hardworking and deserving employees.

An Employee’s performance is considered as a specimen of how efficient he is in an organization. At Rightful Labs, an employee’s performance is measured not only by the amount of hard labor s/he does but the creative thinking they showcase in their work.

The Rightful Labs know that Gratitude unlocks the unique treasures of life and we believe that it’s never too soon to show your appreciation.