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www.theHRSpecialist.com July 2013 • The HR Specialist 7

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Volume 11, Number 7 Printed in the United States.

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The HR Weekly—Act NOW! theHRSpecialist.com/HRWeekly

by Christine Riordan

In every workplace and on every team, all people have the innate desire to feel appreciated and valued by others.

Research demonstrates that when employees feel valued, they have high job satisfaction, are willing to work longer hours, engage more produc- tively with co-workers and supervi- sors, are motivated to do their best and work toward achieving the com- pany’s goals.

Case study: Google. At Google, which sits atop many best-places- to-work lists, leaders foster feelings of employee value through an open culture that promotes employee input, recognizes performance and encour- ages personal growth.

Consider the consequences of not fostering a culture of gratitude: More than half of the 1,700 employ- ees responding to a 2012 American Psychological Association (APA) sur- vey said they intended to search for new jobs because they felt under- appreciated and undervalued.

Organizational leaders—including HR—can foster high performance by finding opportunities to say “Thank you!” and giving specific praise to employees in genuine, honest and heartfelt ways. These three specific leadership behaviors can enhance a culture of gratitude:

1. Help others develop The APA study indicated that 70% of employees feel valued at work when they have opportunities for growth and development.

Even if promotion opportunities within companies may be limited, you can still invest in team members’ pro- fessional development through train- ing, assignment to new and interesting projects and exposure to different areas through cross-training.

Employees frequently have skills that extend beyond the jobs they do. Plus, skills typically grow over time. Leveraging these broad skill sets can lead to greater engagement and satis- faction.

2. Involve employees Team members feel valued when they have an opportunity to take part in decision-making, problem-solving, and to use their skills to benefit the organization.

In fact, a recent survey by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 63% of respondents listed “the ability to use their skills” as the top driver of job satisfaction.

3. Support camaraderie and collegiality Camaraderie leads to greater job satis- faction and commitment to the organi- zation and doing a job well.

Leaders should foster collegial- ity, help to eliminate dysfunctional team behaviors and create bonding opportunities that don’t involve work projects. Google famously provides games and toys simply to facilitate entertaining interactions among col- leagues. The positive feelings carry over into work.

The SHRM study found em- ployees’ relationships with their co- workers was the second-highest factor related to their connection and com- mitment to the organization.

Team leaders may also consider using social contracts—explicit agree- ments on how team members inter- act—to help shape positive behaviors within their teams.

The power of ‘Thank You’: 3 steps to a culture of gratitude Expert Advisor

“When employees feel valued, they have higher job

satisfaction, are willing to work longer hours … and are

motivated to do their best.”

Christine Riordan is dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.

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