With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, so begins a period of reflection, gratitude, and thankfulness. As we gather with family and friends around the turkey, these thoughts run deep among us on a very personal level. But when you think about the other big portion of your life – your work self – do you have any thoughts about gratitude in that arena?

Maybe it’s feeling thankful for your co-workers…your “second family.” Or perhaps, you’ve received a new title, promotion, or raise this past year. Or maybe – you’ve even started a brand-new job, setting your career path on a completely different course!  The science of gratitude & its positive effects on the brain has been an intensely-studied hot topic in recent years. More specifically – the purposeful use of gratitude as a tool in business has been proven to be both beneficial and essential to all high-functioning organizations. “People work harder if they feel that what they are doing has meaning. Having a clear sense of purpose gives people a stronger sense of meaning, and improves their satisfaction at work,” says Jennifer Aaker, Stanford Graduate School of Business General Atlantic Professor of Marketing. “One large-scale study, which included 12,000 employees across a broad range of categories…showed that the employees who did derive meaning from their work were more than 3x as likely to stay with their companies, had 1.7x higher job satisfaction, & were 1.4x more engaged at work.” 

Globoforce – a leader in the study of the impact of gratitude on the workforce – has been conducting research in this field in over 50 countries worldwide Their studies (among other institutions studying this topic) have proven that the benefits of practicing gratitude in the workplace leads to a multitude of improvements on many levels. These positive gratitude by-products include both cost & performance-related components, such as productivity, profitability, loyalty, attendance, quality of work, & many others. These types of studies contend that the importance of recognizing & celebrating the contributions of a company & its team members is paramount to a business becoming the very best version of itself. Chief among these findings as related to the office setting are as follows:

–    Gratitude facilitates better sleep, which makes for a more alert, productive, & creative staff.
–    Gratitude reduces excessive entitlement: A person who feels entitled is grateful for nothing, which can lead to a toxic work environment. Grateful employees produce a higher frequency & level of positive emotions among their peers & management, which fosters an overall feeling of enthusiasm & optimism – which ultimately leads to a higher quality of work output, & to caring more about the company in general.
–    Gratitude drives workers to contribute more to their organization:  Gratitude promotes innovative thinking, creativity, flexibility, curiosity, openness, & a true love of learning.
As is stated by Catherine Stantus of Gelbgroup Consulting, “You literally cannot overplay the hand of gratitude; the grateful mind reaps massive benefits in every domain of life that has been examined so far. Gratitude is the ultimate performance-enhancing substance.” We at CAPTUS SYSTEMS are grateful for many things, including…having a terrific year watching our company grow, our business partners – both in the field & in the office, our dedicated staff, & last but not least – our clients. We are thankful to have had a good, strong beginning to our journey, & look forward to continuing along this path as we grow ever more. 

CAPTUS SYSTEMS hopes that you & yours have a Happy, Safe, & Delicious Thanksgiving Holiday. We wish you great success with your businesses & beyond – & also, that your gratitude list grows throughout this holiday season, & beyond!

CAPTUS SYSTEMS is a leading commercial Audio Visual Integration Company, serving New York City & the Tri-State area. Contact us to find-out how we can help make your AV meeting space & collaboration dreams come true! Please call 212-400-1616 – or visit our website at www.captussystems.com

THANK YOU!