The value of expressing gratitude at work

I’m a big fan of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and one skill I’m still working on is expressing and receiving gratitude.

Although many companies have a platform for sending thanks (Bonusly, Bravo, Nectar, etc.), it’s usually just a quick “Thanks for X, here’s $1 worth of points you can save up to buy a coffee mug later.”

Our team at NIQ just FEELS different when it comes to that.

I know… I’m starting to send out cult vibes… but it’s true. Example conversation below:

Example Interaction

Platform Message:
“Hey Person, thanks for all the effort you’ve put into driving our security automation program over the last 2 weeks. So far, you’ve saved us 20 engineering hours per month on toil tasks. I’m impressed by how much you’ve learned in such a short time, and excited to see the value it will provide in the future.”

1:1 Response via Chat:
“Hey Matt, thank you for the kind words. It means a lot to me.”

I get two boosts of endorphins from this:

Reflecting on the impact my teammates have on the company gets me excited! We’re truly moving in the right direction!
Now I know that my compliment landed; it makes me feel good to know that I made someone else feel good.

This convo happened in the tool and in chat… but on a daily basis, I’m surrounded by people expressing their thoughts and feelings in a transparent way—without the feeling of a hidden agenda.