Why Gratitude in the Workplace?


Gratitude in the workplace teamGratitude has the rather extraordinary power to change just about every aspect of life  – in very surprising ways.  When gratitude is practiced in the workplace relationships are transformed, complaint is minimised, and satisfaction levels skyrocket. This effect is profound and long lasting because, essentially, gratitude rewires the brain to see and process the world differently.

 

Gratitude at Work –   The Key to Success

If you want to be more successful in your job or you want your business to shine then find ways to bring gratitude into your workplace

 

Gratitude Makes People Happier

One of the most obvious and almost instant effects of practiced gratitude is a significant rise in happiness.

Thousands of studies show that happiness is one of the major predictors of success in the workplace. Happy salespeople sell around 56% more than their unhappy or neutral workmates; doctors, primed with a little happiness prior to meeting a patient, will diagnose more accurately; happy students perform better on tests and happy manager have teams that outshine teams managed by their less happy or stressed colleagues.

 

Happy People Work Harder

A recent article in the New York Times poses this question  “Do Happy People Work Harder?” and it seems clear that research is showing that they do.

 

Happiness Makes Brains 31% more Productive

Shawn Achor (former Harvard Professor) and author of ‘The Happiness Advantage’ says every single aspect of business is improved by happiness. Happy brains are 31% more productive than negative, stressed or neutral brains and dopamine, released when we are happy, turns on the learning centre of the brain.

To learn more watch this 12 minute Ted talk by Shawn.  The Happy Secret to Better Work

 

Gratitude Increases Resilience

Extraordinary and surprising scientific research is presented in the workshop/class and attendees discover how the brain works and how to use that knowledge to improve almost all aspects of their lives.  They learn that gratitude produces chemicals that not only make them happier – these chemicals also give them emotional, relational and physical resilience.  The flow on effect from these changes in the workplace is profound and has broad outcomes including increased creativity, productivity and staff retention…  to say nothing of improved relationships.

 

Gratitude Reduces Stress

Renowned gratitude researcher Prof Robert Emmons cites research showing that  practicing gratitude on a daily basis reduces stress hormones by 23%. The renowned Heart Math Institute in California maintains that gratitude is one of the few ways to bring heart rate to it’s most optimal rhythm…   something that no amount of relaxation will do.

 

Gratitude is the Opposite of Complaining

Toni’s Gratitude Workshop includes a session on how complaining impacts brain chemistry, emotional wellbeing, workplace relationships and productivity. The practice of gratitude naturally reduces complaining.

 

Gratitude Improves Relationships

Grateful behaviour facilitates positive interpersonal and community relationships that, in turn, influence other key outcomes.

“Among all emotions, there is one which, more than any other, accounts for the presence or absence of stress in human relations: that is the feeling of gratitude.”  

Dr. Hans Selye of McGill University

According to Dr John Gottman, world leader on the subject of marriage… gratitude is the single biggest contributor to a flourishing marriage. It stands to reason that what works in the most complicated of human relationships works well in all relationships.

 

Gratitude Works

Gratitude, more than just a ‘feel good’ emotion, can benefit people in many ways that translate well to the work environment.  When an employee believes their superiors are grateful for their work, the employee benefits by having an improved sense of worth to the company.

Other areas that gratitude has demonstrated effectiveness include;

Culture:

  • Citizenship behaviour
  • Happier work environment
  • More consideration of other’s needs
  • Appreciation of what others contribute

Individual improvements:

  • More effective performance
  • Loyalty to company
  • Increased energy
  • Increased focus
  • A reduction in personal problems
  • Become considerably more optimistic,
  • Experience improved health (lower blood pressure etc)
  • Experience less anxiety
  • Exercise more
  • Have an extended life span.
  • Sleep longer and deeper
  • Have reduced anger issues
  • Feel less entitled

 

In his article 10 Reasons Why Happiness is the Ultimate Productivity Booster  Alexendar Kjerulf, author of Happy Hour is 9-5 explains how an individual’s personal happiness can impact workplaces.

Kjerulf mentions Teresa Amabile’s (Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Admin at Harvard Business School) research into the effect of mood on creativity.

“I believe it’s important for leaders to understand the power of ordinary practices. Seemingly ordinary, trivial, mundane, day-by-day things that leaders do and say can have an enormous impact. My guess is that a lot of leaders have very little sense of the impact that they have. That’s particularly true of the negative behaviours. I don’t think that the ineffective team leaders we studied meant to anger or deflate the people who were working for them.” Teresa Amabile.

Of course all this contributes to increased profitability and productivity for the company.

 

Should you desire to know more, please feel free to contact Toni on 0431194566