"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.

How trait gratitude relates to teachers' burnout and work engagement: job demands and resources as mediators.

The benefits of gratitude in the workplace, in general, and for teachers, in particular, are still understudied. In the present study, we investigated whether teachers' trait gratitude is linked to their work engagement and burnout. Moreover, we explored whether perceived job demands and job resources mediate the relation between employees' gratitude and these two outcomes. A sample of 312 Romanian teachers participated in the study. Participants filled out questionnaires assessing trait gratitude, perceived job characteristics, as well as burnout and work engagement. Results indicated that teachers' trait gratitude was positively associated with their work engagement and negatively with burnout. The relation between trait gratitude and work engagement was mediated by perceived job resources, whereas the link between trait gratitude and burnout was mediated by both job demands and job resources. Our findings suggest that educational institutions could cultivate teachers' gratitude in order to create a healthier and more motivated workforce.