Attitude of gratitude

LAL FONSEKA, Productivity Consultant, Brandix Lanka Limited

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‘There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.’

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We have seen the above sign appearing in the workplaces all over the globe. In reality, does your organization encourage a culture of gratitude or sticking to these sign boards? In this economy you would better be grateful just because you were fortunate enough to have a job. Chances are the answer to the previous question is ‘no’.

According to a recent research, 65 percent of people say they do not feel appreciated at work which quickly leads to persistent negativity, low morale and worst of all, decreased productivity. It doesn’t have to be this way. Organizations can deliberately infuse their cultures, from top to bottom, by simply adhering to the proverb, ‘attitude of gratitude’. In fact, those who do not, especially in today’s high-stress work environments, are shooting themselves in the foot. Too many people leave work every day thinking, my boss doesn’t appreciate me. When you feel that your boss doesn’t fully value your work, you start to care a little less. You do not provide the kind of service you would had you felt appreciated. You do not make an effort to help your co-workers. Most of the so-called bosses in Sri Lanka do not understand what their subordinates expect from them.

When the majority of the people in a workplace feel this way, the overall environment is immensely affected. Productivity decreases, turnover increases, and it can become very difficult to stay afloat, especially in a tough economy.

Workplace gratitude is not something that is passed only from the boss to the employee. To have a real impact on workplace positivity, employees should show it to one another and to their bosses. And leaders and employees should show it to their customers.

It is obvious when you are in a workplace where people value gratitude and graciousness. There is a really great vibe in those places. And when gratitude and graciousness are missing, it is equally evident. People in those environments seem to have a sense of entitlement. Co-workers who come into contact with them might say, “There is no way those people could be pleased!” Customers might say, “They just don’t care about me!” Neither reaction is good. The great thing about infusing gratitude into the workplace is that it can come from anyone, regardless of position.

If you are a leader, you can infuse gratitude from the top down, perhaps by making it a required standard of behaviour for employees. And if you are an employee, you can start your own grassroot level gratitude movement by expressing gratitude yourself and encouraging your co-workers to do so as well. Everyone, and I mean ‘everyone’, can show gratitude in a workplace and influence others to do so.

Every employee is motivated about something in his or her life. Motivating employees about work is the combination of fulfilling the employee’s needs and expectations at work and workplace factors that enable employee motivation. These variables make motivating employees challenging.

Information about motivating employees is readily available but it is hard to apply the ideas in many workplaces. Too many workplaces still act as if the employee should be grateful to have a job. Managers are on power trips and employee policies and procedures are formulated based on the assumption that you cannot trust employees to do the right thing. This is the biggest problem Sri Lankan Managers have. In many organization I have seen employees helping themselves to the free rice by themselves but not allowed to serve themselves a piece of fish or chicken. Management does not trust employees with a mere piece of fish or chicken thinking that they will take more than one piece.

Communication is never transparent and there is always a hidden agenda. Profit or loss is always hidden. Sometimes loss is highlighted but not the profit. Motivating employees in this work environment is tough, if not impossible. Fortunately, most work environments are not this extreme. They each have their own set of problems, but some managers appreciate that motivating employees will bring positive results for the organization as a whole. Every person is motivated. Whether that motivation revolves around work, a hobby, family, spiritual life, or food, each person has some issues about which he or she feels motivated to take action in his or her life.

You cannot motivate another person. You can only provide an environment at work that is conducive to and supportive of employees choosing to become motivated about issues related to work. Your actions in the workplace either encourage or discourage employee motivation. In some workplaces, company policies and management behaviour actually squelch motivation.

Actions and activities in the workplace that provide an environment supportive of motivating employees do not have to be expensive. In fact, they do not have to cost at all. They do not need to involve company financed events or company sponsored parties, gifts, or monetary awards. Activities and recognition that cost money are welcomed by employees as part of the motivation mix, but their impact on motivating employees is short term and will not over-ride the consequences of how people feel treated everyday in the workplace.

Managers and top members of the staff in some organizations are given the facility to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee whenever they need, but not the employees.

They forget the basic principle that employees are the set of people who bring money into the business. There is no question about the fact that the managers are the knowledge workers, which is the very reason they are given a very high package as compared to their workers. But why cannot bosses treat their subordinates equally.

Here are some tips to follow, if you want to make your organization a great place to work.

Thank you. When someone does something kind, recognize it! A simple ‘thanks’ will do, or a simple tap on the shoulder. This does not happen in Sri Lanka, there is literally no recognition. Bosses hesitate to recognize their own subordinates even when they come out with tremendously innovative actions which enhance the productivity of the organization.

A majority of bosses who have attended leadership conferences upon return, have been seen, handing out compliments left and right. But just stop and think. Are those compliments making people happy? But our bosses think this is the right kind of attitude. Unfortunately it does not work. In turn, workers will laugh at you behind your back.

Adopt an ‘it’s the thought that counts’ attitude. Consider this scenario: A new CEO at a factory wants to do something special for his hardworking, overworked employees. It is decided that a tea party will be held for the entire factory staff including the workers, rolling out over a Sunday, Monday, and a Tuesday to ensure that every person on every shift can take a tea break with cake.

The plan goes into effect and the CEO, who arranged everything, walks around the departments, expecting to be welcomed with open arms by an appreciative staff. Instead he finds that many of the teams taking care of machines are upset because they can not leave their workplace to go down to the canteen where the tea party is taking place. Meanwhile (they complain), the back office and IT staff are able to go to the cafeteria as they please.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I was that CEO, I would have tried so hard to get it right. At the same time, I should have the cakes delivered directly to the units.

Communicate openly and honestly. If it is gratitude you need, tell someone! Often your bosses or co-workers can be so tied up in their own tasks that they forget about those working around them. The natural reaction when this happens is to either bottle up your negative feelings or complain to another co-worker.

But a more proactive stance might be open and honest communication. Now, I am not suggesting you go around asking people to thank you for what you are doing. That would be obnoxious. But what you might do is ask your boss or co-workers if you are giving them everything they need from you. And you might also start showing them some appreciation. Gratitude is a two-way street. If you start making other people feel appreciated, nine out of ten times they will not be able to hold in their appreciation for ‘you’. You do not have to wait for one of your bosses to implement a gratitude initiative. It will be just as effective if it starts with you!

And bosses, if you feel your lack of gratitude is justified because your staff is not living up to their potential, communicate what is missing. If this is the case, it’s likely that you are all stuck in a negativity cycle. You are unhappy with them. They sense it that and become unhappy with you. Their unhappiness leads them to give less than 100 percent to the job and you become even less happy with them. Get the picture? If you are not getting what you need from them, let them know. And when they start delivering, thank them for their efforts.

I know from my experience that the best places to work are places where teams are grateful for what is given to them and are not afraid to express sincere appreciation whenever it is merited. The best places to work are those where individuals, regardless of their position, accept compliments and praise with grace and do not second-guess the intention.

Even in these tough times, most of us have a lot to be grateful for every day. It is important to recognize that. When you seek to expand both team and individual gratitude and graciousness, your work environment will be even healthier. You will see negativity slip away