Building a Culture of Gratitude this Thanksgiving

Everybody wants to know they’re appreciated, and with the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, this November is a perfect opportunity to cultivate an atmosphere of thankfulness in your office. Whether it’s with an employee appreciation lunch, a gift, or something as simple as a sincere handwritten note, showing your staff some love can make a lasting impact. It’s cliche, but the thought really does count  — and best of all, gratitude is contagious.

But don’t take our word for it. Social science has shown time and again that employees work best when they feel appreciated. Studies have found that the act of giving thanks brings happiness not just to the person being thanked, but also to the one doing the thanking. A culture of gratitude brings companies closer together and fosters a team first mentality — workers are more willing to go the extra mile to help out colleagues when they’re mindful of their coworkers’ contributions.

Or consider this finding from a Wharton study in which researchers separated university fundraisers into two groups: “One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group — assigned to work on a different day — received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not.”

A culture of gratitude starts at the top. Set the tone for your entire team by making a habit of thanking team members verbally or in writing for their efforts. Gratitude is like a workout regimen — it gets easier and feels better the more you practice, and before you know it, it’s an essential part of your routine. It’s also like a snowball. When someone feels appreciated, they’re more likely to pay it forward to another coworker, creating a feedback loop of good vibes that will soon spread through the entire office — a social network of thankfulness.

This November, dedicate some time to showing your gratefulness to your team with an appreciation event or simple gestures of thanks. You might just be surprised to find that the simplest actions can sometimes make the biggest difference.