“Thank You for Your Good Work”: the Impact of Received Gratitude on Employees’ Work Motivation

Previous literature suggests that receiving gratitude in the workplace might have beneficial outcomes for the employees; however, the research linking received gratitude to employees' motivation is scant. In this study, we aimed to examine the relations between employees' received gratitude and their controlled and autonomous motivation, as well as amotivation at work. Drawing on the self-determination theory, we also explored whether the frustration and satisfaction of employees' basic psychological needs would mediate the relations between received gratitude expressions and work motivation. A sample consisting of 643 Romanian employees participated in the study. They filled out questionnaires assessing the gratitude they received in their jobs, the frustration and satisfaction of the basic psychological needs (i.e., for autonomy, competence, and relatedness), as well as the motivation to put in effort in their work. Results indicated that received gratitude was negatively related to amotivation and positively related to controlled motivation and autonomous motivation. Moreover, received gratitude was negatively related to the frustration of the three basic psychological needs, while the association between received gratitude and satisfaction of the basic psychological needs was positive. Results further supported the mediational role of the frustration and satisfaction of the basic psychological needs in the relations between received gratitude and employees' motivation. These findings suggest that expressions of thankfulness are an important stimulus for motivation in the workplace, as they remind employees about the importance of their efforts for other people, while also making them feel capable and autonomous in their jobs.