Gratitude doesn’t need a season, but November does give it top billing. When someone thanks you, you smile, say “you’re welcome,” and return to a to-do list that’s eyeing expansion. The interaction is brief, but the benefits can have staying power. That thank-you may hold something useful well beyond the workday. Finally, something worth unpacking that didn’t arrive on a pallet.
Hold the Humble Pie – A guest thanks you for sorting out a lunch order that apparently entered witness protection. You thought you were just tracking down a sandwich, but they appreciated not having to explain the problem to three different people. Research links receiving thanks with a stronger sense of making a difference and greater work engagement the following day.¹ You may remember a resolved order; they remember someone who took their problem seriously. Knowing your effort mattered may help you return tomorrow more invested in the work ahead. Finally, something from yesterday that gives you a boost instead of a backlog.
All Skill. No Spiel. – An event organizer thanks you for a lunch that went off without a hitch. Meanwhile, a colleague reworked the menu and prep schedule around a delivery that never arrived, before “chef’s special” became “please enjoy the bread.” Research found that witnessing leaders express gratitude helped people notice others’ helpful contributions, a process called “grateful attention.”² Borrowing that perspective, the guest’s thanks becomes a reason to ask your colleague: “How did you figure out what would work?” What looked like a quick substitution may reveal expertise you hadn’t recognized. The real win isn’t realizing who gets a pat on the back today, but whose instincts you’ll be leaning on next time.
Taking a Beat – A colleague thanks you for jumping in during a lunch rush. Until now, your interactions have consisted of announcing “Behind!” at three different volumes. In a lab experiment, teammates who took part in a brief gratitude exchange showed more adaptive cardiovascular responses under pressure, even during a later individual task.³ That exchange may give your body a little more margin when the pressure’s on. The ticket printer certainly isn’t offering any.
Curious what gratitude could do for you, your team, and your dining operation? Let’s talk. You’ve accepted the compliment. Don’t accidentally decline the benefits package.
1. Lee, H. W., Bradburn, J., Johnson, R. E., Lin, S.-H., & Chang, C.-H. (2019). The benefits of receiving gratitude for helpers: A daily investigation of proactive and reactive helping at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(2), 197–213.
2. Locklear, L. R., Kane, M. E., & Ehrhart, M. G. (2026). Grateful leaders and attentive followers: How grateful attention transmits the cascade of gratitude expressions to strengthen coworker relationships. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication.
3. Gu, Y., Ocampo, J. M., Algoe, S. B., & Oveis, C. (2022). Gratitude expressions improve teammates' cardiovascular stress responses. Journal of Experimental Psychology:General, 151(12), 3281–3291.
