Is gratitude the most overlooked tool at work?

No feedback. No hint of recognition. Not so much as a single scrap of thanks.

It's a small moment, but a familiar one. And when those moments pile up, they start to send a message: your effort is expected, not appreciated.

Nearly 8 in 10 people who leave their jobs cite a lack of appreciation as a factor in their decision. Suddenly, employee recognition isn't just good manners — it's good business.

And that's where gratitude comes in.

We spoke to Sarah Waterlow, Senior HR Business Partner at EZRA, about how gratitude in the workplace can transform a culture from meh to yeah.

Why does gratitude matter in the workplace

“Gratitude matters because it brings a human touch to the workplace,” says Sarah.

As AI gets smarter and our working lives grow ever more digital, that human touch only becomes more valuable — especially in today’s hybrid workplace culture.

And the benefits go far beyond making people smile.

“It helps build trust, reinforce positive behaviors, and strengthen connections across teams,” she explains.

The result? Greater workplace belonging, stronger psychological safety at work, and a healthier foundation for workplace wellbeing.

How do you build a culture of recognition

As employee engagement strategies go, gratitude may be one of the simplest — and most overlooked.

The beauty of gratitude in the workplace is that it doesn’t depend on a shiny new initiative or resource heavy culture program.

A quick thank you here. A bit of recognition there. And before long, you've got something that looks a lot like culture.

So how do you go about it?

Be timely

Work moves fast. Today’s triumph could be buried eight tasks deep by the time next week rolls around.

That’s why it’s so important to “recognise contributions in the moment,” Sarah tells us.

Wait too long, and the opportunity — along with a good chunk of the impact — disappears.

Be specific

Gratitude shouldn’t be gratuitous.

“A general ‘thank you’ is good, but calling out exactly what someone did — and why it mattered — makes it far more meaningful,” Sarah says.

Anyone can pay lip service. But when you connect appreciation to a specific action and its impact, that’s what makes for truly meaningful recognition at work.

Notice the everyday wins

“Gratitude doesn’t have to be reserved for the big wins,” Sarah points out.

While “we should also recognize these,” she adds, landing new clients or smashing targets needn’t hog the limelight.

As the saying goes, it’s the little things that count — thanking the colleague who takes the meeting notes, remembers the detail everyone else missed, or somehow wrestles the printer into submission five minutes before a make-or-break client meeting.

Those everyday moments of employee appreciation are what turn gratitude from a one-off gesture into a culture of employee recognition.

Know your people

Not everyone wants to be recognized in the same way.

“Everyone has different preferences,” Sarah says.

Some people might love a name‑check in the all‑hands. Others would sooner spend an afternoon clicking their way through compliance modules.

That doesn’t mean their contributions should go unnoticed. If recognition happens more privately — say, over email — Sarah suggests keeping “key stakeholders copied in” so recognition still gets the visibility it deserves.

Finding the time

Of course, knowing what to do is one thing. Doing it consistently is another thing entirely.

Ironically, the same pressures that make gratitude so valuable are often the ones that stop us expressing it.

“Competing priorities and the constant drive to get through our to-do lists mean that taking a moment to recognize someone can easily slip down the agenda,” Sarah says.

For busy managers, appreciation can feel like another task in an already overwhelming workload. “The key is to make it part of your rhythm,” she advises. She suggests:

• Starting or ending team meetings with a moment of recognition

• Using tools like Teams or Slack to acknowledge small wins in real time

• Taking advantage of recognition and reward programs and company recognition platforms (like Viva Engage or similar tools)

• Setting yourself a simple reminder to regularly show appreciation

The gratitude effect

For anyone unsure where to begin, Sarah has a simple piece of advice: “Just start!” Like any habit, it gets easier the more you do it. And that's the lovely thing about gratitude: the more you practice it, the more of it you tend to find. Over time, it strengthens team connection in hybrid work, supports employee motivation, and helps build the kind of high-performance culture where people can truly shine. For that, we can all be grateful.

INTERVIEW

1. Why does gratitude matter in today’s workplace, and what gets in the way of expressing it consistently?

Gratitude matters because it brings a human touch to the workplace. In a world that’s increasingly fast-paced, AI-driven, and often hybrid, it helps build trust, reinforce positive behaviours, and strengthen connections across teams. Ironically, the same pressures that make gratitude so important are often what stop us from expressing it consistently. Competing priorities and the constant drive to get through our to-do lists mean that taking a moment to recognise someone can easily slip down the agenda. It’s often seen as a “nice to have” rather than an essential leadership habit.

2. What impact does regular, meaningful gratitude have on team dynamics, performance, and wellbeing?

When it’s done well, gratitude can have a powerful impact. It helps create psychological safety, strengthens engagement, and ultimately improves performance. People feel seen and valued, which drives both individual motivation and stronger team dynamics.

3. What does effective, high-quality gratitude look like at work?

To make gratitude truly effective, there are a few principles that can help:

• Be timely – don’t wait for big milestones; recognise contributions in the moment.

• Be specific – a general “thank you” is good, but calling out exactly what someone did and why it mattered makes it far more meaningful.

• Notice the everyday wins – gratitude doesn’t have to be reserved for the big wins (although we should also recognise these these) the small, consistent efforts matter just as much.

• Know your people – everyone has different preferences. Some thrive on public recognition, while others prefer something more private, like a direct message or email (perhaps with key stakeholders copied in).

4. For busy managers, how can gratitude be built into daily or weekly routines without feeling forced?

The key is to make it part of your rhythm:

• Start or end team meetings with a moment of recognition

• Use tools like Teams or Slack to acknowledge small wins in real time

• Take advantage of company recognition platforms (like Viva Engage or similar tools)

• Set yourself a simple reminder to regularly show appreciation

By embedding it into everyday practices, gratitude becomes a habit rather than an afterthought.

5. What’s one small change someone can make to be more intentional about gratitude?

Just start! Don’t overthink it. This week, share one piece of gratitude with someone in your team, whether it’s for something big or small. That simple step is often all it takes to get the ball rolling , and that's how it becomes habit.