Creating a Positive Workplace Through Authentic Appreciation

Low morale, staff burnout and negativity have been ongoing challenges for many workplaces – even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought new challenges. Unfortunately, credit unions are not immune to any of these issues.

While almost 90% of all organizations and businesses in the U.S. have some form of employee recognition program, job satisfaction and employee engagement were actually declining prior to the pandemic, and the slide continues as leaders try to manage the re-entry of onsite (and hybrid) employees.

Employee Recognition Isn’t Working

In a poll conducted by Gallup, 65% of North American workers reported not having received any recognition for doing a good job in the prior 12 months.  Interestingly, while 51% of supervisors said they believe they are doing a good job of recognizing employees for doing a good job, only 17% of employees reported feeling that their supervisors do a good job of recognizing them. Additionally, individuals who voluntarily left their employment cited not feeling appreciated as the top reason why they left.

Why Most Employee Recognition Programs Don’t Work

While the purpose of employee recognition activities is well intentioned, they actually often lead to negative results. In fact, common responses from employees when discussing employee recognition typically range from apathy to cynicism.  For example, the generic rewards that many programs use feel impersonal – such as when everyone gets the same “employee of the month” certificate.

Another problematic aspect is the focus on recognition in front of large groups:  30-40% of individuals indicated they do not want to go up in front of a group to receive an award. In fact, one staff member emphatically stated, “They can give me the award, but I won’t go up and get it unless they carry me up there!” Yet, the practice remains intact.

Finally, most recognition programs heavily emphasize tangible rewards – plaques, certificates, gift cards, coupons and small tokens. While most people don’t mind receiving gifts, if they don’t also hear verbal praise, receive individual attention or get assistance when it is needed, the objects they receive seem superficial and meaningless.

Core Conditions for Staff to Truly Feel Appreciated

Four core conditions have been identified that need to be present in order for employees to truly feel appreciated, which differs from recognition simply being communicated. Team members will feel valued when appreciation is communicated:

1. Regularly.  What is “regularly”? It varies depending on the work setting, the frequency of interaction between co-workers and the nature of the relationship. However, regularly clearly implies more than once a year at an employee’s performance review, or when someone receives the “Employee of the Month” award.

2. Utilizing the “language” and actions important to the recipient.  The key word is “recipient”. Most of us tend to communicate appreciation to others through the actions we value – like giving a verbal compliment or sending an email. But not everyone feels appreciated in the same ways.  Some people appreciate words of affirmation, while others are encouraged when someone helps them with a task. Spending time is another way to demonstrate support, such as by stopping by a colleague’s office to see how they are doing. Bringing a colleague a special cup of coffee when you know they’ve had a long day can serve as a pick me up.  Even a high five or fist bump can be a form of celebration when a difficult project has been completed.

3. In a way that is personal and individualized. While group-based recognition is a good start (“Way to go, team – our client satisfaction ratings improved significantly last quarter”), if the appreciation doesn’t relate to what the individual team member did to help achieve the goal, the communication can fall flat. Team members want to know what they have done that is valued – that you appreciate that they stayed late to help a distraught client with their problem, for example.

4. In a manner that is perceived as genuine and authentic. If the communication of appreciation is not perceived as being genuine, nothing else really matters. Actions of recognition can appear inauthentic when: The actions suddenly appear after implementation of a program on appreciation;  a person’s tone of voice, posture or facial expressions don’t seem to match what they are saying; how a person relates to you in front of others differs from how they interact with you privately; the individual has a history of “saying one thing and doing another”; or there is an overall question of whether the deliverer has an ulterior motive. There are other potential factors that undermine perceived authenticity, but these are some of the most commonly mentioned.

Practical Steps for Communicating Authentic Appreciation

Helping individuals change their actions is difficult. No one is looking for more work to do. As a result, the focus needs to be on making actions of encouragement more efficient – to spend time with those who value time, to send notes to those who are impacted by them, to help someone out who will be grateful for the assistance and to give a gift to someone who will appreciate the thought.

Two important points should be emphasized: Appreciation can be communicated by anyone to anyone (it is not driven by the organizational chart), and any team member, regardless of position, can positively impact their workplace culture.  Employees have reported they want to know how to encourage one another – they do not just want to be recognized by their supervisor.

How do people know (or find out) what their colleagues value? The topic of “how do you feel appreciated” is not a common workplace conversation and this type of question can make individuals feel somewhat uncomfortable. But people do tend to think in terms of encouragement and discouragement. So, the question to ask is: When you are discouraged, what is something that someone can do or say that would encourage you?

Additionally, an online assessment tool (the “Motivating By Appreciation Inventory”) is available that identifies the primary language of appreciation of individuals, along with the specific actions that are most important to them. The results can be compiled to create a group profile and list of valued actions for a team that works together.

Getting Started

We have found that an individual doesn’t have to be at the top of the organization (or branch) to begin to make a difference. Anyone in any position can begin to create a more positive workplace by:

• Starting somewhere with someone. Commit to do what you can to communicate appreciation to others. Don’t look to your supervisor or administrators to take the lead. Start by doing what you can, where you are.
• Teaming up with others. Any behavior change is more likely to occur (and continue over time) when others are involved. Ask a colleague, your supervisor, or the team you lead to discuss how this could apply to your setting. Commit to work on a plan of action together.
• Persevering. See what works and what needs to be changed, but don’t give up. Small changes over a long period of time can add up to significant differences.

Training managers and team members how to communicate authentic appreciation to one another naturally leads to more positive workplaces. And numerous additional benefits occur as well – reduced tardiness, fewer incidences of calling in “sick,” team members who are less easily irritated, a rise in customer service ratings, and declines in internal conflict and staff turnover – all from learning how to communicate appreciation in the ways that are meaningful to the recipients.

Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker and president of Appreciation at Work, based in Wichita, Kansas.