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Summary. Extensive research has indicated the benefits of showing gratitude to those around you, including your colleagues or employees. However, a new study suggests that the timing of these expressions can make a big difference. Through two experiments and an analysis of a top hospital%u2019s intensive care units, researchers found that when you express gratitude to others before they engage in a distressing task it helps counteract some of the negative emotions associated with the task. Expressing gratitude early also makes employees more likely to persist through difficulty and bounce back and be resilient following failure. The authors suggests ways to show gratitude meaningfully and create a culture where your employees feel their work is seen, supported, and valued. Imagine this scenario: in response to financial pressures, your company has been going through a series of downsizing rounds. With each round, a larger number of employees on your team are impacted. Team morale is at an all-time low and you can tell everyone is on edge. In this latest round, you are tasked with laying off half your team, including one employee who recently bought their first home and another employee who is currently on maternity leave. You are tossing and turning the night before and cannot sleep due to the flood of negative emotions you have about these upcoming conversations. You receive a message from your boss asking if you%u2019re ready for the conversations the next day. You tell your boss that it has been really difficult having these conversations every few weeks and you%u2019re really not looking forward to doing it yet again, especially considering the circumstances of the employees on your team. What should your boss say to you in this moment?According to our recently published research, the most skillful thing your boss could do is to express genuine gratitude to you in advance of this unpleasant task. In a series of studies, we analyzed four years%u2019 worth of emails and conducted interviews with employees in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a topranked U.S. medical center. We then ran two experiments with more than 600 online gig workers across multiple industries. Our finding: when you express gratitude to others before they engage in a distressing task it helps counteract some of the negative emotions associated with the task. Expressing gratitude early also makes employees more likely to persist through difficulty and bounce back and be resilient following failure.Our findings offer insight into ways to provide meaningful gratitude and create a culture where your employees feel their work is seen, supported,