Plant Gratitude, Harvest Connection on Your Team

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It’s that time of year! Leaves are falling, pumpkin spice fills the air, and — as always — our attention turns to giving thanks. For some, that means a Thanksgiving feast. For others, it means honoring Indigenous peoples, gathering with community, or simply pausing to reflect on the year behind us.

No matter what your traditions look like, one thing holds across all of them: gratitude is always in season.

But what if gratitude wasn’t confined to the dinner table? What if it were regular practice to improve team communication, like in that daily Zoom call, client meeting, or group chat?

Lack of gratitude=lack of connection

Research consistently shows that people are least likely to express gratitude in the workplace, even though they wish they were thanked more often by their coworkers. Lack of gratitude isn’t because people don’t care. Rather, it’s often due to information silos that get in the way. When teams operate independently, with little visibility into each other’s work, there’s no obvious opportunity to show appreciation.

Think about the last time a coworker really thanked you for something you did. Chances are you remember not just the moment but the feeling of being valued, seen, and connected to your work. Now, imagine how many of those moments get missed when there are communication gaps between teams.

You want connection and collaboration, not bigger gaps.

Remote work presents new challenges, and new opportunities

Remote team communication gaps happen often and can limit expressions of gratitude. The casual, in-person moments where appreciation used to happen organically—a “nice work” in the hallway or a nod after a great presentation—don’t exist in the same way with distributed teams.

That’s why improving team communication must be an ongoing practice rather than something that happens by accident. Teams that thrive in remote or hybrid environments are those that build intentional rituals, like regular check-ins, social activities, visibility into each other’s work, and structured moments for recognition. You can’t rely on proximity to fill communication gaps in remote work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue improving team communication.

Improving team communication, one “thank you” at a time

Breaking down communication and information silos doesn’t always require a major restructuring or a new tool rollout. It can start with something as small and human as a “thank you.”

When you make a point of acknowledging a coworker, whether they’re on your team or another team, you’re connecting and actively taking down the silos. This is true for remote work and in-person environments.

The gratitude that once encouraged you can be the spark that encourages someone to keep being productive and sharing new ideas. Or, they may simply pass the gratitude along and start a sort of gratitude chain that links everyone in the office together.

Try one of these tips for expressing gratitude and kindness:

• Buy your officemate a coffee after they finish a big presentation.
• Write a thank-you note to your supervisor or coworker acknowledging all the hard work they’ve been doing.
• Publicly acknowledge your teammates’ work in a meeting.
• Managers, take your team to lunch!
• For remote teams, have a virtual social hour just for fun, so you can connect and share positive achievements.

Make gratitude an everyday practice

Whether you’re experiencing remote team communication gaps or dealing with information silos between teams, you know that staying productive and connected is a challenge.

So, we’re challenging you to move gratitude beyond the dinner table and into the boardrooms, the Zoom calls, the client interactions, and the everyday workplace conversations.

It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, but it needs to be authentic. Something as simple as a “thank you for catching that error before the client saw it” could totally turn someone’s day around.

Treat recognition as a regular part of your workflow and watch how team communication improves.

We believe that cultivating a bit more gratitude can lead to an abundant harvest: deeper connections, stronger relationships across teams and time zones, and a positive workplace culture that doesn’t stop at the edges of a department or a screen.

And speaking of gratitude, we’re deeply grateful to you for supporting our mission and being part of this community. Recognition isn’t just something to extend to coworkers; it’s worth extending to the people who show up, read, engage, and support NCRC’s work.

As you move through this season of thanks, we hope you’ll carry a little of that spirit with you. Every conversation, every meeting, and every relationship is an opportunity to connect, and we can’t wait to hear how you integrate more gratitude into your lives!

Connect with us to learn more about bringing a spirit of gratitude and inclusion to your workplace today!