Employer Gratitude and Gen Z: Proven Performance Booster
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Gratitude is a feel-good sentiment and scientifically proven catalyst for optimism, hope, and improved relationships. Numerous research studies have established a direct link between gratitude and optimism, which are associated with hope for the future and better interpersonal connections. Scientific evidence also shows that gratitude can boost dopamine and serotonin levels and strengthen the brain’s neural pathways, contributing to physical health. Moreover, human science research has demonstrated that Gratitude can increase happiness and life satisfaction while reducing materialism.
The powerful virtue of Gratitude strongly influences the relationship between life satisfaction and job satisfaction, a concept Gen Z wholeheartedly embraces. They believe both can exist simultaneously, and employers who crack that code for Gen Z will earn their trust and loyalty.
In “Gratitude at Work Works! A Mix-Method Study on Different Dimensions of Gratitude, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance,” the author’s research suggests organizations can enhance associate well-being and boost efficiency and productivity by incorporating gratitude practices. This improvement enhances overall organizational performance and offers a promising path to professional success, instilling a sense of job satisfaction.
More evidence of the career implications of Gratitude is beautifully highlighted by an experiment conducted by The Department of Psychology, Brain, and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California. They used MRI to show that participants’ reactions to Gratitude are not just feelings but are correlated with the area of the brain that underpins solid moral cognition, value judgment, intellect, and executive functioning.
Yet, despite the research on its value and the fact that a Gratitude Practice is commonplace in the home, it is still relatively rare in the workforce. Statistics below, published by branding and image expert Halo, suggest more companies should embrace the concept:
70% of employees would feel better about themselves if their boss were more grateful, and 81% would work harder.
Employees who experience more Gratitude at work report fewer depressive symptoms and stress.
Lack of Gratitude is a major factor driving job dissatisfaction, turnover, absenteeism, and burnout.
53% of employees would stay at their company longer if they felt more appreciation from their boss.
The gratuity scale: 1) feeling grateful provides a temporary feeling of happiness, 2) writing about being grateful improves daily mood, and 3) showing Gratitude to another person results in an overall grateful disposition known as an affective trait.
The Gratitude Scale
There’s a difference between feeling, writing, and showing Gratitude. While neuroscience research has shown a temporary positive reaction to feeling or writing about Gratitude, a person’s ability to absorb long-term benefits is driven by the ongoing practice of showing Gratitude. In the workforce, this means employers who walk the talk about being grateful by making development programs that align with their contributors' goals and purposes will fundamentally impact their contributors' disposition and help them become high performers in the workplace.
Gen Z is particularly encouraged to perform better for an employer who goes beyond talking about Gratitude. Their determination to build a life with purpose speaks loudly about incorporating programs that boost their emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. Gratitude programs achieve that goal. Likewise, gratitude programs develop contributors into better future leaders and managers.
By embracing gratitude through attribute training and company-funded electronic journal practices, individuals and organizations benefit from improved relationships, heightened well-being, and enhanced productivity. As gratitude integrates into workplaces, boundless personal and collective growth opportunities thrive.
References:
Wood, Alex M., Jeffrey J. Froh, and Adam WA Geraghty. “Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration.” Clinical psychology review 30, no. 7 (2010): 890–905.
Berger, Fred R. “Gratitude.” Ethics 85, no. 4 (1975): 298–309.
Emmons, Robert A., Jeffrey Froh, and Rachel Rose. “Gratitude.” (2019).
Golec de Zavala, Agnieszka, Oliver Keenan, Matthias Ziegler, Magdalena Mazurkiewicz, Maria
Nalberczak-Skóra, Pawel Ciesielski, Julia E. Wahl, and Constantine Sedikides. “Mingful-gratitude practice reduces prejudice at high levels of collective narcissism.” Psychological Science 35, no. 2 (2024): 137–149.
Sisson, Natalie M., Yoobin Park, Nickola C. Overall, Haeyoung Gideon Park, Matthew D. Johnson, Jennifer E. Stellar, Bonnie M. Le, and Emily A. Impett. “Thank You for Changing: Gratitude Promotes Autonomous Motivation and Successful Partner Regulation.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2024): 01461672241246211.
Yi, Wan, and Edward Vickers. “Discipline and moralise: gratitude education for China’s migrant families.” Comparative Education (2024): 1–19.
Di Fabio, Annamaria, and Letizia Palazzeschi. “Acceptance of change in workers: Personality traits or gratitude?.” COUNSELING 17 (2024): 53–62.
The Power of Moments by Dan and Chip Heath
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