BUAD309
Prof. Cotter
April 24,2017
Essay #3
Gratitude does not come easily to all people. It is easy to be upset by life’s mishaps and
therefore to project this depression and sadness onto others. However, many times, it is
imperative that we look back on what we have and be grateful for the good things and good
people that are in our lives. After all, most people really do have a lot to be grateful for. This
translates over from your social life into your professional life. Recent research has shown that
gratitude at the workplace is essential for a well-functioning business. In many places, the
workplace culture is cutthroat and rather too competitive, because people see their success as
a zero-sum game where their condition can only improve if someone else’s condition worsens.
Psychology professor Robert Emmons has stated, “In many organizations the workplace culture
is toxic,” he says. “Symptoms of this are exploitation, complaint, entitlement, gossip,
negativity.” By advocating a culture of gratitude, workers will often avoid such a toxic culture by
helping others because they are grateful for what has been done to them. Rather than helping
others in hope for future return, gratitude allows workers to help others simply out of the
goodness of their hearts. This attitude improves corporate culture by creating an environment
of kindness that most employees long for. A study by the University of Kentucky has also shown
that gratitude reduces aggression, since people tended to be more sensitive towards others
and have stronger feelings of empathy when interacting with fellow employees. This reduced
feeling of aggression helps cooperation amongst employees and encourages them to help each