In the organizational context, gratitude is an intervention that propels a more humanized culture and favors higher levels of wellbeing, related to improved productivity, employee loyalty, safety and lower absenteeism rates1.
Considering the theme’s relevance, this paper presents the results of a gratitude intervention based on Robert Emmons’ work2 and the author's professional experience. The program was applied for a period of six weeks with a group of 23 Brazilian executives between 35 and 55 years old.
As a result, in a scale of 1 to 5, the participants rated an average of 4.32 to the effectiveness of the program in generating positive emotions, and 4.5 to the possibility of incorporating the activities into their daily lives. In addition, participants reported qualitative benefits, as such:
A relevant aspect of this work was the fact that leaders broadened their perceptions and experienced the beneficial effects resulting from their conscious choices in their acts of gratitude, as noted in the report: “It is like a gift that we can give to others, so simple and yet so powerful”.
As hinders to the practice, the lack of discipline, time and the state of "automatic pilot" were reported, which obstructs the construction of a culture of gratitude in organizations.
This practice, dedicated to promoting gratitude in the organizational context, have shown a positive impact in the levels of individual and collective wellbeing, and besides de challenges, we hope participants will expand these practices within their companies, contributing to a global humanitarian culture.