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The phrase 'thank you' is so commonly used that its true meaning can easily be overlooked, especially in the rush of daily interactions. This is particularly evident in the fast-paced environment of the workplace, where the contributions of colleagues are often taken for granted or left unacknowledged. In fact, research with over 2,000 employees found that we are less likely to express gratitude to others at work than in any other setting.

Management professor and researcher Hooria Jazaieri found this statistic striking and began to contemplate the role of gratitude in professional environments. “I’ve been surprised by how prevalent discussions about gratitude have become in organizations,” she notes. “While employee appreciation programs are on the rise, receiving a simple 'thank you' is surprisingly rare for many individuals.” 

Jazaieri emphasizes that this lack of gratitude can be disheartening for employees. “Studies show that people desire more expressions of gratitude at work, which I believe suggests there’s something unique and meaningful about gratitude in the workplace compared to other emotions.”

Traditionally, gratitude is seen as a response to someone’s actions, reflecting appreciation for beneficial experiences. However, Jazaieri and her co-author, Mandy O’Neill, associate professor of management at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University, sought to investigate the impact of expressing gratitude before someone undertakes a task. While receiving a “thank you” after completing a task is rewarding, they considered if thanking someone in advance might prove to be more rewarding and encourage perseverance during particularly stressful or challenging tasks.

In a series of experiments, they tested this idea by comparing two groups: one that received expressions of gratitude before starting a difficult task and another that received gratitude only after completion. The findings revealed that those who were thanked in advance completed approximately one additional task of work compared to their counterparts.

“Our interpretation of this finding is that while expressing gratitude in advance does not ease the task or make it more enjoyable, it does increase the likelihood of persistence and effort throughout the process,” Jazaieri explains. “Thanking someone beforehand provides emotional support and reinforces their sense of social worth, making them feel like what they were doing mattered and that the requester of the task really valued them.”

Jazaieri and O’Neill take a social-functional approach to their study of emotion, meaning that every emotion is thought to have a unique function associated with it. So, after confirming the positive impact of expressing gratitude in advance, they wanted to take it a step further and test people’s responses to a different positive anticipatory emotion. Through a second round of experiments, they tested the impact of people’s persistence with a difficult task after receiving anticipatory hope compared to anticipatory gratitude and found that the positive effect of anticipatory gratitude found in the first experiment was unique to gratitude and did not translate to other positive emotions, such as hope.

Employees are yearning for any kind of gratitude from their employers, and Jazaieri’s research shows that above other positive emotions, people respond the most positively to gratitude. So, as we approach the holiday season, an inevitably busy time of year for many workers, companies and managers should consider proactively expressing gratitude to their employees. Not only is this a compassionate gesture, it may also motivate employees to remain engaged during the high-demand period.

“Many things in life are unpredictable and we can’t plan for them, yet there are many instances that are predictable and cyclical,” says Jazaieri. “Holidays recur annually, the end of each quarter is a certainty. Instead of waiting until after the holidays or at the end of the year to acknowledge your employees, why not do it before? Why wait for the employee to bear through the laborious and stressful busy season, instead of saying ‘thank you in advance for: the long hours you’ll be working, the extra shifts you’ll have to pick up, the disgruntled people you’ll have to deal with, etc.’”

Expressions of gratitude need not come with gifts or rewards; a simple email, card, or verbal acknowledgment can be profoundly impactful, as long as the sentiment is sincere.

Recognizing the importance of gratitude, Jazaieri played a key role in launching Gratitude Month at Santa Clara University, celebrated every November. This year marks the 3rd Annual Gratitude Month, featuring a range of events and activities throughout November. For more on the program, visit GratitudeMonth.com.