Do You Appreciate Your Employees – and Do They Know It?

Burnout and stress are a reality in the workplace, and companies’ performance is adversely affected by those factors. A Gallup survey recently found that 75% of workers who were having problems regarding their “wellbeing” were feeling underappreciated. A survey by OnePoll indicates that employees who are shown appreciation are ten times more likely to feel like they belong in an organization. Similarly, research covering over 300 organizations in the US, UK, EU and Australia shows a definite, positive correlation between employee engagement and the performance of the business. 

The article provides the following items to do – and not to do: 

To Do

• Incorporate Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Assessments – to help determine what works and what does not. Focus on improving communication in both directions. 

• Examine benefit offerings – consider adding “non-traditional” or alternative benefits if they address employee desires (perhaps use polling to aid in that determination) 

• Ensure that appreciation is incorporated as a company value – even having a “chief appreciation officer” responsibility assigned to an existing manager or as a new position 

To Avoid

• Failing to distinguish between appreciation and recognition; the latter is transitory, while the former is ongoing. The article states the following: “Recognition is about what people do, while appreciation is about who they are.” 

• Neglecting employees’ full spectrum of needs, including Maslow’s Hierarchy (physiological, safety/security, belonging and self-esteem)

• Being reactive; instead being proactive to help employees understand at a gut level that they are important and valued.