Happy Labor Day! This year, we’re celebrating by sharing more of the story behind SimplyConnect. This story is an integral part of our DNA, not only because it’s part of our origin story, but because it celebrates the people on the front line—the faces who greet the customer, the go-getters on the production line, the warriors in the warehouse, the champion housekeeper cleaning your last hotel room—all the people who bring your business to life.
Getting to go out and work alongside frontline employees reminds us why we get so much energy from doing what we do every day. Listening to their stories is a gift, which is why we want to take time to express our gratitude for all they do—but we also want to give you a challenge.
We’ve read loads of studies and surveys demonstrating how a culture of gratefulness can transform your organization but we’ve also seen it play out in our own lives. While appreciation is defined as the act of acknowledging the goodness in life—like seeing the positives in events, experiences or other peoples (like our colleagues)—gratitude is a little different. According to researchers, gratitude goes beyond praise and positive reinforcement. Gratitude is about recognizing our interdependence and acknowledging that the positive things in our lives, like success at work, are often the result of team effort. Because of this, gratitude builds relationship. So, it makes sense that when gratitude becomes a regular organizational practice—when employees feel both appreciated and valued for who they are, not just the work they do—their engagement (and productivity) will increase by leaps and bounds.
So, enjoy your long weekend, but here’s our challenge to you: When you hit the office on Tuesday, take a few minutes to reconnect with someone on your front line. Tell them that you see them and that you appreciate them. We bet that expressing gratitude and engaging in a new conversation won’t just renew your perspective or invigorate your organization’s productivity, it might even reenergize your own work.
