It is a nice thing to feel appreciated at work. As an employer, expressing gratitude and giving credit where credit is due is one of, if not the best way of portraying this positive attribute at your workplace.

Being grateful however applies to employees as well. There are countless benefits you get as an employee for working a job you are grateful for and showing this to your boss or fellow employees.

A simple thank you, showing appreciation for the job you have or recognising your colleagues for their effort, are some of the simple ways of gratefulness.

So, why is this important and why does it matter at work?

Gratitude plays an important role in the success of any company or business. First and foremost, it builds relationships-healthy relationships, says Grace Gatesi, a purchasing manager.

"Showing appreciation is a simple yet effective way to recognise how valuable and meaningful a person is to you.  Besides, every person wants an affirmative experience at work and to feel valued and recognised for their efforts,” she says.

People have a natural tendency to focus more on bad things, but focusing on the good side of things and people can make all the difference, Gatesi adds.

Ernest Asiimwe a project manager shares that a company that practises this has capacity to influence a positive company culture.

He says, being grateful empowers employers and employees to relish positive experiences. This in turn enables them to cope with demanding circumstances, have greater flexibility in terms of work and support social interactions. 

Moreover, gratitude in the workplace is known to advance employee performance. Yet it also directly influences team and organisational performance.

If gratitude is that good, why is it underused at work?

An article published on The blog indicates that the first thing to acknowledge is that we are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than anywhere else.

Many more reasons can be identified to explain why gratitude is underused: We usually believe that expressing gratitude could lead co-workers to take advantage of us because it makes ourselves vulnerable. 

We tend to think that a pay check is enough as a thank you for our work. We can also see the workplace as contractual and monetary (or financial), therefore not leaving space for the human, the article shows. Adding that, we are also prone to think that nothing is free at work, that no one gives away anything without expecting something in return.

Another common idea is that "we do what we do at work because we are paid for it” otherwise someone else will take our spot. Could, then, there be any room for gratitude in the office?

How to nurture gratitude at work

Gratitude is a verb. It’s an action, it’s a mind-set, and it’s a way of being. Living with an attitude of gratitude means living in a state of thankfulness. Gratitude is the human way of recognising the good things in life, writes Andrea Greenhous.

The writer highlights the need to build understanding when showing gratitude. Not everyone likes to be appreciated in the same way. While some people may like gifts or public praise, others may prefer a different way of being acknowledged.

Similarly, each individual may like to be appreciated for different things. Building an understanding of these preferences is an important first step before introducing gratitude practices that assume everyone wants the same thing.

Asiimwe is of the view that one has to be intentional with this. Being grateful is a choice, when you wait to get the feeling, that may never come around. 

"But when you look hard, there is always something to be grateful for. Make a daily choice to see ‘good’ in your boss and fellow employees, and you will see it, and when you do, be grateful and show it to them.”

Nurturing the trait of gratitude as part of any company’s corporate culture not only brings about a healthy working environment, employers and employee are prone to benefit, yet business is assured to succeed.