After years spent managing a variety of different employees, I still struggle with the concept of appreciation. While a management or executive job title and high salary may be the main motivators for some, I’ve found in recent years that these aren’t necessarily the only factors that determine whether someone feels appreciated at work. In fact, I’ve come across a number of people in senior positions earning big pay cheques who are still dissatisfied with their current employment situation. So, what’s the problem? I would argue that some organizations spend far too much time and resources focusing on one-off gestures to keep their employees happy rather than building a positive culture on a daily basis. Yes, I’m looking at you, once-a-year barbecues and occasional free coffee and donuts in the boardroom.

In certain situations, it’s the little things that can go a long way. While these small gestures may not seem that impactful on their own, they can help differentiate your organization from others that aren’t focusing on them and can help retain valuable members of your team in the process.

Acknowledge that your employees have a personal life

Even though a lot of professional articles suggest that artificial intelligence is coming for our jobs, we still live in a world where most human beings work with other human beings on a daily basis. That being said, some organizations can act, on occasion, like that isn’t the case. Whether it’s allowing a flexible workday for an employee taking an elderly parent to an appointment, or holding off on sending a seemingly urgent email until the next morning, recognize that everyone needs a break. Your employees aren’t robots, and if you create an environment where work always comes first, you can’t be surprised if your workforce starts to burn out as a result.

De-prioritize the “where” and “when” of the workday

While the pandemic was undoubtedly challenging for most organizations, one thing it did teach us is that some jobs don’t necessarily need to be completed in a specific window of time, in a specific location, each day. Some organizations learned the lesson that high-performing employees will perform well in different scenarios and might even perform better if afforded a little bit of flexibility. If your organization can allow this flexibility in your line of work, don’t underestimate its impact and the trust it can build in your employees.

Follow through on professional development plans

Many performance management systems, while well intended, suffer from the same shortcoming: a lack of follow through. What’s even more surprising is that this lack of follow through typically doesn’t happen during the in-depth performance review process, it happens afterwards. In spite of productive performance discussions and a well-documented professional development plan, many employees often find themselves revisiting that same plan a year later with little to show for it. As an organization, it’s important to build a culture that values the training and development goals of their team, and actually make it a priority to see those goals through. While it’s easy for these plans to get forgotten or pushed aside for more pressing work, an organization that prioritizes professional development stands out from others that lack the focus and commitment to do so.

Take the time to understand what makes each of your employees feel the most appreciated

Lastly, whenever possible, do your best to personalize appreciation efforts based on the personal preferences of employees. Ideally, this could be individualized to each employee in smaller organizations or based on feedback gathered through engagement surveys in larger organizations. At the end of the day, employees feel most appreciated when the type of appreciation shown is meaningful to them. You can easily find ideas for appreciating your teams online, but these approaches simply won’t be impactful if they don’t match their preferences. A gesture like offering public recognition through LinkedIn may mean a lot to a junior associate trying to build their professional network but won’t mean much to someone who avoids social media. If you know your people, you’ll be less likely to fall into this trap.

In its simplest form, appreciation is simply an “expression of admiration, approval or gratitude” . While the definition itself is rather straightforward, the execution can be more nuanced. Organizations may be limited at times when it comes to offering more pay or a timely promotion, but doing the little things does matter and goes a long way to making employees feel valued throughout the year.





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