A couple years ago I was doing some research about happiness in the workplace, and I came across this startling statistic:

70% of employees say they receive no praise or recognition at work.

I was shocked.

I guess I shouldn't be.

I’ve had jobs where I didn’t feel appreciated at work.

I recall one specific job where I vividly remember being told when I did something wrong.

But never praised when I did something right.

One day I had my 90 day performance review and I was so stressed out about it. I went into my boss’s office and he proceeded to tell me everything I was doing wrong. There were no positive works from the meeting.

For awhile, I thought not feeling appreciated at work was something that just I was experiencing.

That it wasn't very common.

But with 70% of workers feeling this way, I guess not!

It turns out, there are a lot of great ways to appreciate someone at work!

Similar to the 5 Love Languages (you may know the book), there are 5 Languages of Appreciation at Work.

Words of Affirmation (I could have used this).

Quality Time

Acts of Service

Tangible Gifts

Physical Touch

The key is to find out what the primary appreciation language is for each individual person at work, and then tailor your appreciation for them.

We're all human, right?

We have different needs and desires.

It's time to start treating our co-workers, staff, bosses and employees as humans, with kindness.

Do that, and you'll have a much happier workplace.

One other quick note: I offer trainings on appreciation in the workplace so we can dive into this concept deeper. If you're wanting a happier workplace with more a productive staff and less turnover, let me know. I might be able to help! We can even do the training virtually. Shoot me an email if you want to discuss at [email protected]