Psychology of Saying Thanks

We have been designing and implementing employee recognition programs for many years.  These programs run the gamut from very intricate and sophisticated online systems, with elaborate communications campaigns and significant multifaceted award schemes with rules and regulations for every nuance, to the traditional “Employee of the Month” campaign that came in at the turn of the century, and frankly should have already gone out that way. 

The absolute bottom line objective of all these programs is simply to recognize and reward employee performance.  In other words, Just Say Thanks!

That may be easy to say, but it is not always easy to do.  We don’t think that company management is necessarily stingy with saying thank you, the problem often is that good performance happens throughout your organization all the time, but you just don’t know about it.  Everybody’s different, not everyone is wired to look for times to notice terrific peer or department performance with an eye on thanking the employees. So great work happens but we just don’t see it. 

Why is Thank You Important?

According to behaviorists, the words ‘thank you‘ are no longer just good manners, they are also beneficial to the overall well being of the employees.  Studies show that showing

gratitude to your employees for their performance can improve and strengthen their social net worth, produce positive emotional states and help cope with stressful times in our lives and on the job.

We also say thank you because we want the other person to know we value what they’ve done for the company, and maybe, encourage them to help us again in the future.  Psychologists have studied what effect “thank you” has had on individual performance.  Does it motivate, make employees feel good, or is it more than that? 

In a report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology experimenters found that people don’t just provide more help because they felt better for doing it, they did it because they appreciated being needed, and “felt more socially valued when they’d been thanked.”

And even more noteworthy, research shows that more employees leave their jobs not because of an unfair manager, heavy workload, or stale donuts in the breakroom.  They

leave because of a lack of appreciation and praise.  Something as simple as “You did a great job” or “Wow, we couldn’t have done it without you.”  When you give employees positive recognition, you reinforce the actions and behaviors you most want them to repeat.  Those behaviors lead to greater success and profitability for your company.

Its human nature to be reluctant to help others as we are unsure whether the help is really wanted or accepting the help of others can make someone feel like a failure.  The simple act of saying “Thank You” reassures that the help is valued and will motivate employees to provide more.

Further studies showed that the boost to a person’s social net worth can carry over from day to day and from person to person, creating a habit and a culture of acceptance in your organization.  For most of us, saying ‘thank you’ is an everyday occurrence engrained in us from childhood, and we think nothing of it.  But psychologically it plays a very important role for the person giving and the person receiving it.

Sincerity Counts

Everyone knows when they give or receive a ‘thank you’ whether it comes as a habit, or as a sincere appreciation for ones efforts.  We feel it, and sincerity can be deeply felt by the one we give it to.  We’ve all experienced that moment when someone says to us…”You’ve made my day!”  It makes you feel good, because you did…you affected that person and in some ways you’ll never how much.

It’s said that “it’s the little things that count.”  They do, and just saying thanks should be at the top of your list. 

For more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net