Being grateful makes for happiness, even in the workplace

Gratitude can be learned

By practicing gratitude, you train yourself to focus on what is going well. This not only improves your own well-being, but also has a positive impact on those around you, such as at work. An optimistic attitude is always contagious and inspires others, which benefits team dynamics and team performance, even during difficult times.

The science about gratitude

A study by the University of Central Florida found that when employees keep a gratitude journal, the atmosphere at work improves and colleagues show more respect in their interactions with each other. During this study, 350 participants kept track of the events they were grateful for over a two-week period. Colleagues then noticed that there was less gossip and less other negative behavior, such as bullying or exclusion, at work.

From another study, "The Big Benefits of Little Thanks," shows how gratitude can play an important role in strengthening team dynamics and cooperation. In this study, participants were asked to improve a student's cover letter. Half of them then received a letter in which the student expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the help. The other half received a neutral message from the student stating that the feedback had been received. The first group of participants were then twice as likely to say 'yes' to a request for help than the participants who had received the neutral message.

Showing appreciation not only increases feelings of recognition, but it also motivates others to be more engaged and willing to offer help. Multiple scientific studies on gratitude show that being grateful has a very beneficial effect, for both individuals and teams. By practicing gratitude, you focus on the positive things in your life. You are less concerned with what you don't have, and more concerned with what you do have and what you can do. This affects how you experience life (and therefore your work), but also how you approach your work and your colleagues.

It makes you happier, more resilient and even healthier. Being grateful makes you better able to cope with stress and setbacks and so you are less likely to experience depression, anxiety, loneliness or emotional instability. Studies like these emphasize the importance of cultivating a positive and supportive work environment in which gratitude and appreciation are expressed regularly.

How do you learn to be grateful?

You can easily start by naming 3 things you are grateful for at night, before you go to sleep. AND REMEMBER: it doesn't have to be that you actually feel or have felt grateful about it.

It can also sometimes be the case that you only realize later (i.e., the moment you stop to think about it) that that very moment was actually something to be grateful for. Think for example that you had a nice conversation with someone, that you had a delicious meal or that you were happy that you were able to finish something at work despite the busyness. You name it.

Repeat them a few times, even if that feels like "not really feeling anything like gratitude. Because it is important to realize that you are still practicing. And with that, chances are you may be able to think of it in your head but you don't feel it that way in your heart yet.

Thus, there are a number of other ways that will help you practice gratitude; 3 important tips:

1. Thank the people around you.Start saying "thank you" to others today, and make sure you mean it. It helps if you are specific about what you are grateful for. For something that really meant a lot to you, you can send someone a text message or an email. But writing a card also shows that you have really thought about your appreciation for the other person. As a team, you can also put up a bulletin board on the wall that is intended to thank your colleagues (and each other) and express your appreciation for each other.
2. Speak your appreciation to others more often. Be aware of what you appreciate about others, and tell them so. Relationships are an important aspect of our well-being, and by expressing your appreciation you are investing in them. Think of things like that time your friend cooked for you, the way your colleague was there for you during a meeting, when someone got you a drink and so on.
3. Compliment yourself more often.Remember that giving compliments brings satisfaction, and satisfaction is often the answer to stress. Many people were raised with the idea that you shouldn't get too big for your boots, and as a result, they are not used to reflecting on what they do well. However, it is actually very healthy to pay attention to your own talents and qualities. It makes you more confident, allows you to experience more pleasure and satisfaction, and gives you energy in what you do.

Satisfaction is the answer to stress! By complimenting yourself and reflecting on what you have done well, even when you are under pressure or stressed, you will experience satisfaction. This will restore balance to your physical response to stress. By being grateful for what you have achieved or done, you will experience satisfaction. And that will help you learn to cope better with stress and pressure at work.

Ellen Rentenaar
Simple Check

What does it pay to be grateful?

It's good to see more and more scientific evidence of the many benefits of gratitude, and it's certainly worth incorporating into our daily lives and work. So even when it seems like everything is against you, it is crucial for your health to remember that there is always room to find gratitude and continue to see bright spots.

If you keep this up for a few weeks, you'll already notice a difference. You get better at noticing and enjoying the positive things in your life. Negative things you can deal with, resolve or put into perspective better.

At the individual level:
Gratitude is a powerful tool that has many positive effects, both at the individual level and within groups and teams. Practicing gratitude helps you focus on the positive aspects of life, which improves your overall well-being. It even increases your ability to cope with difficulties and protects you from negative emotions and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

At the team level:
Furthermore, expressing gratitude in teams can strengthen relationships, improve team dynamics, and promote collaboration. When people feel appreciated and recognized, they are generally motivated and willing to contribute to the collective goal.

If you, along with your colleagues and your supervisor agree that showing gratitude becomes a part of your collaboration and culture, you're going to find that the work atmosphere improves, there's more trust and mutual loyalty grows.

Coaching Programs and Workshops

Would you like to learn more about the possibilities for increasing your mental resilience? Simple Check offers various coaching programs and workshops on these topics. Of course, all our interventions are also customized. This allows us to effectively meet the specific needs of a group or organization. The result is an effective and engaging learning experience! Feel freeto contactus for more information, without obligation!