The Cost of Gratitude

"The money means alot, say these folks, but being appreciated means even more."

So, month end has come and gone, quarter end will be here before we know it, and in a few months we'll be planning for next year... Our thoughts and conversations are "numbers driven", "goal oriented", and we take a "bottom line approach" to managing the business - failing to take into account the bottom line may be impacted by more than a snapshot of current tangibles.  We hang onto our accountant's every word while we look for ways to cut, ways to save, and ways to reduce the tax burden for our organizations.  So has been the approach for decades - long term gain and organizational health by reducing spending, cutting costs, and otherwise backing away from "unnecessary" costs - reducing everything from our breakrooms to our employee benefits to mere afterthoughts and our merit increases and the performance review process to COLAs.  Unfortunately, the psychological impact of our decisions on our employees is rarely part of the equation.  We focus on the "what" instead of the "why" of the business and our human resources are reduced to a means to an end - resources who yearn for the smallest amount of recognition.  But it doesn't have to be that way...

Showing appreciation and gratitude can have the following effects on behavior*:

• Appreciation is good for employee engagement, motivation and retention.
• Employee recognition and appreciation can create unique company culture and strengthen employee relationships.
• A study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania found that simply showing gratitude toward individuals can increase their productivity by 50%.**
• Showing gratitude can increase a person’s wellness, increase better sleep habits, increase metabolism and lessen stress - directly impacting work results and employee interaction.
• Showing appreciation and gratitude towards co-workers creates more social and pro-social interaction.
• Gratitude creates good feelings, cheerful memories, better self-esteem, feeling more relaxed and more optimistic. All of these emotions create a pay it forward and  “we’re in this together” mentality in the workplace, which in turn, makes an organization more successful.

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In walks Hamdi Ulukaya and the Chobani corporation - a real world experiment in the bottom line impact of giving back and appreciation on organization performance.  Please watch the video below.  If there is still any doubt about the psychological (and, by extension, behavioral) impact of showing appreciation and gratitude, I encourage you to pause the video at 1:47 and truly study the look on the lady's face in the clip after she embraces Mr. Ulukaya.  That is the face of someone who knows she is appreciated, the face of someone who knows she is wanted, the face of someone who fully recognizes her employer has changed her family's future, the face of someone who truly supports the company she works for, the face of a loyal employee who will work hard knowing her efforts will not go unnoticed, and the face of someone who is thankful she is part of an organization that recognizes its greatest asset is its people.

"The money means alot, say these folks, but being appreciated means even more."  

So tell me, after reading the articles above and watching the Chobani video, what is the true "cost" of merit increases, annual bonuses, performance reviews, office luncheons, birthday cards, thank you notes, and other means of showing your appreciation?  Or, maybe the better question is, "What is the cost of failing to show appreciation and gratitude for others?"

​Sources: 
*https://www.emergenetics.com/blog/workplace-appreciation-gratitude/
**http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/in-praise-of-gratitude