Cultivating a culture of Employee Appreciation isn't merely a nice-to-have; it's a Strategic imperative with clear, Positive impacts!

?? Employee appreciation is an untapped potential for business success.

?? Traditional management practices often focus on metrics like productivity and absenteeism to gauge employee success. However, this approach is increasingly falling short.

?? Appreciation goes beyond simply acknowledging accomplishments at work. It involves recognizing individuals as valuable and important human beings, addressing their deeper emotional and psychological needs.

?? Appreciation boosts productivity, performance, and employee engagement, while also enhancing motivation and team relationships. It fosters wellbeing and job satisfaction, both of which can significantly enhance financial performance. Additionally, appreciation helps reduce employee turnover, absenteeism, and stress—key factors that deplete organizational resources.

?? Employees who feel appreciated demonstrate greater loyalty, are more inclined to pursue upskilling opportunities, and willingly take on additional responsibilities, according to a fascinating research published by Reward Gateway Edenred using global data ?? from across the U.S., the UK and Australia.

? What is employee Appreciation?

Researchers have defined that at its core, appreciating someone involves acknowledging their intrinsic worth and expressing genuine gratitude. This seemingly simple act can ignite a cascade of positive emotions in employees.

It's crucial because positive emotions do more than just elevate mood—they broaden people's perspectives and actions in the moment, while also fostering lasting personal growth and resilience.

Researchers noticed that the U.S. workforce feels moderately more valued compared to peers in the UK (61.8) and slightly less so than in Australia (66.8).

Interestingly, across all three regions, researchers found that the emotions were largely the same, except for one standout difference: felt gratitude – U.S. workers reported feeling significantly more grateful when appreciated compared to their counterparts in the UK and Australia.

? The outcomes and benefits of appreciation

Researchers have discovered that workplace appreciation yields tangible benefits for companies.

It boosts:

?? Productivity

?? Performance

?? Employee engagement

?? Motivation

?? Team relationships

?? Wellbeing

?? Job satisfaction

The latter two can significantly enhance financial performance.

At the same time, appreciation helps lower employee turnover, absenteeism and stress – key factors that drain resources.

Researchers noted that one of the lowerrated outcomes was the willingness to recommend the workplace to others. A possible reason for this might be that these recommendations are influenced by other factors, such as referral bonuses, broader workplace culture or incentives, rather than appreciation alone.

? Key drivers of Appreciation at work

Researchers created the Total Employee Experience model, based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – a well-known framework outlining the essential steps for human development, from basic needs to self-actualization.

They discovered that the most significant factors driving appreciation were not related to demographics, material rewards or the satisfaction of basic physiological or safety needs. Instead, the strongest influences were tied to employees’ self-esteem, their sense of love and belonging and their self actualization needs. Namely, the statements that drove appreciation the most were:

#1?? I am recognized by managers

#2?? My hard work is rewarded

#3?? I feel I belong here

#4?? My managers support me

#5?? My organization praises me

Looking at key drivers across gender, age, sector, seniority, organization size and tenure, the survey found that employees who feel appreciated reported the tendency to work harder, stay more engaged in their tasks, take their jobs more seriously and experience higher levels of job satisfaction.

?? ???? ???????????????? ????????: I particularly appreciate this research because it validates, with data, what many might find logical: that appreciation drives positive business outcomes. These findings highlight that what truly makes employees feel valued goes beyond material or physiological needs—it’s the personal, human aspects of their work experience that matter most. Consistent with other research, this study emphasizes that higher-order needs such as self-esteem, love and belonging, and self-actualization, as outlined in Maslow’s hierarchy, play a crucial role in employee satisfaction and engagement.

Thank you ?? Reward Gateway | Edenred researchers team for these insightful findings:

Nick Burns Anthony Knierim Nebel Crowhurst

Dave Ulrich George Kemish LLM MCMI MIC MIoL

?? Follow me as a LinkedIn Top Voice on LinkedIn (+30 000), and click the ?? at the top of my profile page to stay on top of the latest on new best?HR, People Analytics, Human Capital and Future of Work research, become more effective in your HR function and support your business, and join the conversation on my posts.

???Join?more than 24,000+ people and subscribe to receive my Weekly People Research

Everyday, I share a new research article about?People Analytics, Human Capital, HR analytics, Human Resources, Talent,…

#EmployeeExperience #appreciation #satisfaction #productivity