Gratitude isn’t just saying “thank you.” It’s appreciating and recognizing other people’s efforts and hard work and valuing their contribution to the group. It motivates employees and makes them feel valued. I can attest to how impactful gratitude and recognition affect employee retention.

In 2021, Achievers Workforce Institute found out that the main reasons employees stay in a job are work-life balance (23 percent) and recognition (21 percent). Gratitude is closely linked to engagement, employee retention and worker productivity.

A gratitude culture usually makes workers feel valued, thus reducing job insecurity and related stress. Regularly appreciated workers become confident and engaged within their assignments. Such a happy workforce is always eager to execute their duties better alongside maintaining their roles as valued employees — the culture of appreciation and gratitude assists in attracting talent. A robust work culture converts employees into ambassadors for institutions aiding in recruitment efforts. Besides, happy employees via word-of-mouth typically improve their value proposition alongside enticing top talent. Thus, an appreciation and gratitude culture are significant in any workplace.

In an organization, the key to unlocking more significant levels of happiness, engagement and productivity within the workplace is creating a gratitude and appreciation culture among employees. Here are some of the things I practice to build a gratitude and appreciation culture in our organization.

Spend Time With Employees

No nice message or kind gesture will replace spending time with your employees to get to know them and make them feel important. I welcome new hires and schedule one-on-one calls and follow-up meetings to see how they are adjusting to the team and the role. I also make it a point to meet the whole staff once or twice a year to express my gratitude and recognize their contributions in making our company successful.

Equip Team Leaders and Managers

Managers are all employees’ first line of support. Therefore, they have the most crucial role in ensuring the staff is engaged and appreciated. I make sure all managers and leaders in our team are deliberately and carefully selected so they know their role’s purpose and goals. We provide training and coaching to managers to ensure they’re fit and effective in managing their teams.

Take Care of Employees’ Needs

We appreciate employees who work hard to take care of the business, so it’s just right to take care of their needs, too. We take employee retention programs to heart. Healthcare insurance, leave credits, flexible work schedules, rewards, and public recognition are some benefits we offer our employees. We ensure each program is purposely placed to address the needs of our employees.

Take a Personalized Appreciation Approach

Appreciation is believed to be effective if delivered in a personalized manner. Whereas personalization has a powerful impact, appreciating workers in a way they love usually creates a significant distinction. For instance, as others can be thrilled by mere thank-you notes, others become elated whenever they get gifts or public recognition to support their success. Team leaders and managers need to personalize their appreciation of their team members to set an example of the best ways to appreciate one another.

Greet Them on Their Birthday and Other Special Occasions

Make sure you know your employees’ special dates and occasions. Never miss greeting them on their birthday. Set the right productivity tools to remind yourself and the rest of the organization of everyone’s birth date. Also, make an effort to congratulate employees on monumental events in their lives, such as weddings, the birth of a child, finishing an education course, etc.

Create Opportunities for Expressing Gratitude

To build a gratitude culture, each person should participate in the process. The change might come during an informal monthly meeting where each person takes turns expressing gratitude to the entire team. Some other exercises to be executed are penning gratitude journals and leaving anonymous notes of appreciation on the notice board, among other deeds. A company should establish employee rewards and recognition programs to reinforce its appreciation culture.

Overall, just like social animals, people are wired for appreciation and acceptance in addition to gratitude from others. To create a gratitude culture in an organization, it’s critical to start with the top managerial level and trickle down to team leaders and individual workers.