Measuring gratitude at work

ABSTRACT

The role of gratitude in the workplace is understudied, despite its potential for promoting well-being and achievement in organizational contexts. We developed and evaluated a measure of workplace-specific gratitude called the Gratitude at Work Scale (GAWS). In Study 1 (N = 207), we used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify a two-factor structure. The two subscales (Gratitude for Supportive Work Environment, Gratitude for Meaningful Work) had good estimated internal consistency and incrementally predicted burnout after controlling for trait gratitude and workplace satisfaction. In Study 2 (N = 269), we replicated the GAWS two-factor structure, found further evidence for construct validity, and uncovered strong two-week temporal stability. In Study 3 (N = 161), the GAWS was sensitive to manipulations of workplace attitudes following a writing task. The GAWS has initial psychometric support and may be useful when studying workplace functioning and well-being.

(142 words)

KEYWORDS:

• Gratitude
• workplace
• scale development
• positive psychology

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to this manuscript: Jason Brooks, Rebecca Mass, Samantha Savoy, Jennifer Britton, Liza Rimsky, Cara McCabe, Ariel Branden, Samantha Fassak, Anna Hall, Xin He, Karen Rothman, Allison Markiewicz, Sophie Byland, Elizabeth Dean, Tess Lauricella, Maxwell Weigel, Grace Zutrau, Gabriella Ponzini, Maya Feyzo-Pearlman, Molly Czitrom, and Emily Bogdan.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

supplementary material

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