Personalize Appreciation

You spend time recognizing your team for their hard work, yet you feel something is missing. They still don’t seem engaged in their jobs, what has gone wrong?

Your staff may feel recognized for the work they’ve done, but not appreciated or valued. Initially you may think that is impossible, but studies have shown that there is a distinct difference in perception between recognition and appreciation.

Recognition focuses on performance or achievement of goals, or what a person does.

Appreciation focuses on the value of the individual employee or who the person is.

When leaders actively share appreciation to their team effectively, the work culture improves. Everyone thrives in an atmosphere of appreciation.

The key to appreciation is understanding from each individual what makes them feel appreciated. This will vary by individual so the key is to identify what makes each team member feel valued.

The common tools of appreciation to consider include:

• Verbal praise that is specific
• Spending time in meaningful conversation
• Small gifts that are valued by the individual
• Providing help or assistance to get a big job done

What is interesting from the studies is that all of us have one or two favorites from this list. When you make the right choice your expression of appreciation is valued. If you miss by giving a gift card to someone that does not value gifts they won’t feel appreciated.

To help you get started identifying the type of appreciation that will be meaningful to your staff we’ve created a template. It’s designed to share with a new staff member on their first day of work. Let your new staff know that you care and want to know more about them and learn the things they like. Use their responses to try out different expressions of appreciation customized to their preferences. Make notes as you find the items that brighten their day and engage them versus the items that tend to fall flat.

When you get appreciation right you’ll find the level of job satisfaction increase and your work culture improve. Your business benefits from reduced turnover and engaged employees. The key is to personalize appreciation to each individual so they feel like a valued part of the team.