Gratitude is highly powerful and provides a myriad of benefits to the workplace. It can create more constructive interactions, more successful leaders, and a better bonded team. There are so many statistics to support the influence of gratitude; for example, did you know that 88 percent of people say that expressing gratitude to colleagues makes them feel happier and more fulfilled? We all know that a happier workforce means a more productive workforce, so here’s how you can encourage gratitude in the workplace.

Set an Example

Gratitude requires a level of vulnerability, so it can be difficult for employees to be the first to express gratitude to their supervisor. That’s why leaders need to step up and encourage their teams to express gratitude by opening themselves up to it first. Your employees will appreciate it and they are more likely to reciprocate it. (Fun fact: 81 percent of people would work harder for a grateful boss.) The more gratitude you express, the more it shows in your employees work.

Provide Opportunities

Ultimately, you cannot force people to be grateful. But, when you provide opportunities for your employees to express it, it increases the likelihood that they will. If you’re looking up how to encourage gratitude in the workplace, some of the best ways are:

1. Making a gratitude wall (or box, or chat room, or whatever your company prefers)
2. Starting initiatives to give back (through volunteering, donations, etc.)
3. Keeping thank you cards available at the front desk you can grab anytime

Ingrain it in Your Culture

To make expressing gratitude an authentic interaction, you need to make it a norm in your company culture. Fostering this culture of recognition sets expectations for your employees to demonstrate and participate in being grateful for one another. Every company is different in how they integrate this, but think about what your employees really want and how gratitude can fit that bill.

We hope that with these tips you’ve learned how to encourage gratitude in the workplace. Now go and create a great environment and team with the help of Staff Force!