Small Acts, Big Impact:

The Role of Everyday Gratitude and Recognition in Workplace Success

Gratitude and appreciation are powerful tools that positively influence employee well-being and enhance the success of your organization.

Employees that feel appreciated report being more engaged and motivated, which adds to productivity and an increase in job satisfaction.

Happy employees clapping after another message of gratitude and appreciation

Employee Engagement is Declining

Gallup’s latest annual report on U.S. employee engagement reveals a concerning decline, with engagement levels dropping to their lowest point in a decade. Only 31% of employees reported feeling engaged at work, while 17% identified as actively disengaged—a figure that mirrors the levels last observed in 2014. (Gallup report)

Almost everyone thrives on receiving positive recognition from their organization and feeling appreciated in the workplace. While some people enjoy public recognition, others may prefer a more private expression of gratitude.

Regularly acknowledging and expressing gratitude for employees’ contributions can have a profound impact on their motivation, engagement, and overall well-being.

Celebrating Employee Achievement

Celebrating employee achievements with awards and gifts reinforces the impact of the achievements.

Recognizing small achievements and milestones can help create a sense of team camaraderie and a culture of fun. Small awards or gifts can be a great way to show appreciation for employees, boost morale in the workplace and build a positive work culture.

Incorporating Incentives

Incorporating incentives into your existing HR strategy can be an effective way to further cultivate a culture of appreciation and unleash the potential of gratitude in your workplace.

Incentives Enhance Recognition

The memorability and impact of workplace recognition is greatly enhanced by including small gifts and incentives coupled to the recognition. Gifts provide employees with something physical they can associate with the moment of recognition and reinforce gratitude. Incentives act as a tangible reminder of the praise and may have a far longer positive effect than just the recognition and compliment alone.

Reminder of the Achievement

Gifts act as a memento and keepsake that workers can associate with their success, making the reward more enduring than just the gratitude alone.

Boost Sense of Value

Gifts can feel more special and thoughtful than purely monetary rewards, highlighting the effort and intention behind the incentive.

Encourage Future Success

Gifts create a sense of pride and motivation, tie the reward to a memorable experience, and encourage employees to strive for future achievements.

Bragging and Storytelling

High-quality gifts or memorable experiences provide bragging rights for employees and become items for conversation that can have a long-lasting, positive impact.

Meetings and Get-togethers at Work

Engagement with other employees is also important for fostering a welcoming workplace. Having a set time for everyone to connect gives team members a chance to mingle and discuss in an informal environment. This also works to include people whether they’re in the same office or working remotely.

Virtual get-togethers and happy hours, done through video calls, are a great way to keep communication and camaraderie alive. Video calls can sometimes be intimidating, especially to new participants. Work to make them less stilted by creating a more engaging and comfortable environment for participants.

Informal meetings and happy hours are even better when they are ongoing, for example on a monthly basis, so they become a regular part of an employee’s work life.

Make sure to schedule them during the work day. It is time well spent. See this link for suggestions for your own happy hour traditions.

Incentives Leave a Lasting Reminder

TruCentive offers convenient and cost-effective tools to enhance the effectiveness and memorability of your expressions of gratitude to your employees. With TruCentive, you eliminate waste and only pay for incentives and rewards that are claimed.

Incentives and gifts leave a lasting reminder of appreciation. Morale increases when gratitude and recognition is couple to tangible gestures of appreciation as well as clear communication about the award.

Summary

Gratitude and recognition are powerful tools that can transform workplace culture, boost morale, and drive organizational success. With employee engagement in the U.S. at a decade low, fostering a culture of appreciation is more important than ever. Simple acts like celebrating milestones, offering personalized gifts, and incorporating incentives amplify the impact of recognition, leaving employees feeling valued and motivated. Tangible rewards serve as lasting reminders of achievements, reinforcing a sense of pride and encouraging future success.

Beyond individual appreciation, creating opportunities for connection through informal get-togethers—both in-person and virtual—can strengthen camaraderie and inclusivity. With solutions like TruCentive, organizations can seamlessly enhance the effectiveness of their gratitude efforts, ensuring that recognition is memorable, meaningful, and impactful for every employee.