The Benefits of Being Grateful

 It will soon be the time of the year when Americans take a whole day to express being thankful; however, there are many benefits to being grateful all the rest of the days of the year too. Pluto said, “a grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.” Being grateful in all aspects of our lives has advantages, and this includes our work life.

Unfortunately, many of us are not as grateful at work as we could be. A survey of over 2,000 Americans published by the John Templeton Foundation showed that people are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work. In fact, their study showed that as many as 60% of the employees surveyed never expressed gratitude at work.  Many employees viewed expressing gratitude at work as a sign of weakness or an unnecessary action, and actively suppressed gratitude on the job. Jeremy Adam Smith, a writer for Greater Good magazine says, “gratitude is a non-monetary way to support those non-monetary motivations.” The next time your co-worker makes the coffee, stop and tell her thank you. It will give her a sense of self-worth and will make you feel good. At the very least, she will not hesitate to make the next pot.

There are many benefits to being grateful on the job. Being thankful will increase your positivity which in turn will increase your productivity. Happier people naturally work harder. When others extend gratitude to you, you feel appreciated. People who feel appreciated naturally work harder. Employees who are happy and productive are very appreciated.  Gratitude is a wonderful cycle.

Being grateful makes employees less anxious because they are more hopeful and satisfied. Employees who are less anxious have a better work life balance. When our work life balance is better, we are happier and content. So, set the example at work and be the first one to tell another employee thank you. Don’t be surprised if you get a thank you back. You will find that gratitude is a gift that will keep giving all year long.