Employees Say They’d Quit Without Workplace Appreciation [Survey]
Tags: Workplace, Employee Engagement, Employees, Workplace Culture, Leadership

If you are wondering how to keep employees engaged, productive, and happy in the workplace then a little dose of gratitude might be your answer. Recently, we surveyed over 250 CEOs and employees to grow awareness of the importance and impact of gratitude in the American workplace.

90% of the CEOs surveyed feel it is important to lead with gratitude. In addition, 88% believe their employees would give them high marks for doing so. However, just 37% of the employees surveyed indicated they are satisfied with the level of gratitude expressed in their workplace.

Saying ¨Thanks¨ or sending a gesture of appreciation, like a free Uber ride on a rainy day, or comfort food delivered when an employee is under the weather makes all the difference.

In fact, 55% of the employees surveyed said that they are only thanked a few times a year, once a year or never. Without showing your constant appreciation, employees can become less productive or even worse turnover rates increase.

“In a time of drastically low unemployment, it is more important than ever for business leaders to retain talent,” said Brendan Kamm, CEO, and co-founder of Thnks, “While a summer outing or a year-end gift is nice, smaller, more frequent expressions of gratitude and individual recognition can be more impactful, especially in establishing a company-wide culture of appreciation.”

How To Increase Workplace Satisfaction

The numbers don’t lie as both CEOs and employees need gratitude to thrive. While it’s tough to hit your goals in a high-pressure environment, here are three quick ways to express gratitude to keep employees happy and productive:

1. Send Consistent Personalized Gestures of Appreciation

Does your employee like golf? Or would the person appreciate a nice bottle of red wine or a week’s worth of coffee?

Knowing their interests shows that you care for them as a person just as much as the business results they produce.

Employees work hard all year round so there’s no need until the holidays to show them your gratitude. Surprising them with appreciation creates motivation to produce consistent results and to stay for the long haul.

2. Use Feedback Opportunities to Express Appreciation

Most believe that feedback sessions are a time to highlight the negatives, but the most effective practice is if you express gratitude. Use the opportunity to praise your employees´ high performance by showing appreciation. As leadership expert Simon Sinek puts it, “An employee wants recognition for effort. If a boss recognizes effort, they will get even better results.”

Even if they aren’t achieving great results you can express your concerns through constructive questions. Asking for example, ¨What do you think is going well, what didn´t go so well?” can put your employee in a state of appreciation rather on the defense.

You can use video calls from time to time, but they can’t replace face to face non-verbal language. Through gestures, body positioning, and voice tone your gratitude can be felt on a deeper level.

3. Lead Employees With Gratitude

Leading your team with gratitude while being humble enough to listen to constructive criticism increases productivity. In a growth mindset, you’re able to have an honest relationship that is built for long term success. This instills overall trust in everyone’s ability to thrive in their role and be accountable for their results.

Thnks makes it easy to incorporate gratitude into your daily workflow. In just a few seconds you can search for the perfect gift, personalize a note, and send it off via SMS or email. If you are interested in learning more, sign up for a demo today!