Give thanks – you’ll be grateful you did

Manar Al Hinai discusses how simple small gestures can achieve a great deal.

Although I have never been to the United States around this time of the year, one holiday I look forward to with my American friends is Thanksgiving.

The smell of grilled turkey, delicious pumpkin pie, gathering of friends and expression of gratitude makes that an anticipated fun one. But the most important reason this particular day is one of my favourite American holidays is that it serves as a reminder to all of us about the importance of expressing gratitude.

It may seem like a simple gesture, which many people overlook by giving themselves excuses such as that they are too busy or assuming that people already know that they are grateful. But the impact of gratitude on one’s social and career life is extremely great.

Even though we have many occasions throughout the year that present themselves with an opportunity to express gratitude, such as Eid, Ramadan and at the New Year, many people miss out on these opportunities to express gratitude, especially at work. This is where we spend almost half of our everyday lives, with people whom we often see more of than our own families.

A recent survey of 2,000 Americans by the John Templeton Foundation found that people are least likely to express their gratitude at work. It is as if many feel ungrateful about their current jobs. Come to think of it, almost every person I know whines about their job, and if the opportunity presented itself, would resign for a more “enjoyable” role.

Failing to express gratitude can have a negative toll on two important things – yourself, and your organisation if you are leading it. Numerous studies reveal that expression of gratitude has a positive impact on employees’ productivity at work and makes them resilient and empowered to take over challenges.

The reason the issue of gratitude is important is because an employee’s state of mind is crucial to an organisation’s progress. The Huffington Post recently reported that unhappiness among workers in the United States cost organisations $300 billion in lost productivity every year.

Sure, there could be many external reasons that contribute to an employee’s unhappy state, but gratitude expression proved to result in a happier and more productive workforce, and the beauty in it is that it does not cost a dime for people to implement.

To illustrate further: The New York Times reported on an experiment by professors from the University of California and the University of Miami. They instructed a group of people to keep a journal listing five things they were grateful about every week, such as a friend's generosity or a scene they have enjoyed looking at.

Participants did not have to write lengthy text, just a sentence about the five things they enjoyed that week. Within two months, there were significant results. The people who kept a journal versus the control group who did not were happier and more optimistic. They even reported fewer health problems.

Organisations can easily achieve a more grateful and productive team of employees by creating a set of programmes in coordination with the human-resource department that develops a habit of gratefulness throughout the organisation.

Perhaps it could be done by having each division manager write a short email to staff every month highlighting what she or he appreciates each member for doing.

Another way is by mounting a board in the common area where each employee could write what they like most about the organisation.

Also, around each holiday, it would be nice for the chief executive to write an email to the staff, thanking them for their hard work and effort.

A good example that the organisation I work for did last Ramadan was distributing empty greeting cards to staff, and we were asked to write a note of appreciation to our team members. It was nice to read about what your team members valued most about you and how much they appreciated a certain gesture you have done.

Thanksgiving is one of those times that reminds us to be grateful. Nevertheless, reading more about gratitude’s impact on one’s health, career and an organisation as a whole makes it clear that we should be doing more of it every day of the year.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer. Follow her on Twitter @manar_alhinai