This week, in the United States, families and friends will get together to give thanks. I want to talk about the power of “thank you.”
As people get together for Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving, which is Thanksgiving with friends) they will undoubtedly have work in the back of their mind. Some people will express gratitude for having a good job, or a good boss. Others will hope a deal closes by the end of the year, or think about a big deadline during the holiday season. Some will reflect on this past year… not ideal, but better than the alternative.
Thanksgiving is a time of reflection and being grateful. But it’s not the only time, or season, to express gratitude at work.
The Power of Thank You at Work
Expressing gratitude at work is critical. Sometimes we assume our team knows how thankful we are. Even if they do, hearing “thank you” is so important! It is an audible reinforcement. Your team no longer has to wonder, or assume, that you are thankful. They know because you actually said thank you.
Gratitude should be expressed regularly. Make this a part of who you are. For some, this will come naturally. For others you’ll need to actually make an effort. But everyone will appreciate the expression of gratitude when it is genuine. This is a simple and important tactic that you can implement right now, and that you should practice every day for years to come.
The Power of Thank You Spreads
When you show continual gratitude for large and small things, for efforts and results, for attitudes and attempts, you’ll find you are setting an example others will follow. Gratitude doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but when they understand your work environment is a place where efforts are seen, recognized, and appreciated, they’ll follow suit. Maybe not right away, but you’ll create a culture of gratitude.
How cool would it be if people on your team were genuinely grateful and regularly expressed this gratitude? When people who don’t have leadership positions, who might otherwise feel like an insignificant cog in a complex system, contribute to your culture of gratitude, people take note.
People start to like their job more, which translates to increased employee satisfaction. Satisfied employees tend to stay around longer, which means your employee retention goes up. A stronger culture can translate to increased employee performance.
Can you see how this spreading gratitude can change the entire work environment for the better?
The Power of Thank You With Rewards and Incentives
People thirst for respect. We want to be seen, we want to know our contributions matter, and we want someone above us to express gratitude. When done with sincerety this can be one of the best rewards your team members can get. Perhaps your gratitude is the only gratitude they hear, ever.
You can’t underestimate the power of thank you at work.
The next step would be to, as people say, put your money where your mouth is. I want to reiterate, even if there is no incentives budget, expressing gratitude with genuine words can be so powerful.
If you have an incentives budget, though, consider reinforcing your “thank you” with a reward. It could be intrinsic (not hitting your P&L, like a coveted parking spot for a week or a month) or it could be extrinsic (like putting money on their reloadable debit card). When your team member gets a thank you and a reward or incentive they know you are seriously grateful.
Get together with your leadership team to talk about what those rewards and incentives could be. If you are looking for a system to help manage and deliver rewards and incentives, we’d love to talk. We’ve pioneered this space and have some great, flexible technology that automates and leverages just about any rewards program you could imagine!
The power of thank you cannot be overstated. You can’t overdue it, as long as you are genuine.
Magnify the Power of Thank You with Snowfly
We’d love to be your culture partner… your partner to help you express gratitude with and to your team. The Snowfly Employee Engagement system includes peer and manager recognition. This gives you a platform where people can very easily express gratitude and let others know who is doing great work.
Tie this together with the incentives program which includes gift cards, reloadable debit cards, etc. and you get a powerful gratitude program.
Want to learn more?
