Value= Comp + Appreciation: Lessons from Seesaws and Kid Soccer

Value= Comp + Appreciation: Lessons from See-Saws and Kid Soccer

Pay me what I’m worth…

Recognition and appreciation are important parts of retention and well-being. It is critical to building the #HumanMargin. We want to feel valued and appreciated for the work that we do, and the contributions we make to an organization. A study by Sull and Sull found that employees are 2.9 times more likely to leave an organization for low recognition than for money [1]. In our own research, we found that lack of recognition was the #5 thing predicting turnover intention, and the #7 thing predicting overall distress [2,3]. Low recognition is bad for our physical health too [4].

We knew that recognition was a problem, so we asked people how they wanted to be recognized. Okay, to be honest, a lot of people said more money.

But when we looked at these comments more closely, a new theme arose. It wasn’t just about the money, or more dollars. People were saying, “Pay me what I’m worth.” ??What they are really asking for is a demonstration of their value to the organization. Show me you value me, and do it in a way I can quantify.

Compensation needs to be competitive and reflective of the skills, training and demands of the job. However, assuming that is the case, the rest of it is an expression of value. But it isn’t the only expression of value.

Value= Compensation + Appreciation

We know that people need to feel valued to stay engaged at work. To determine whether they are valued, people tend to evaluate their daily experiences and feelings at work and sum them up with their paychecks to arrive at a total perception of value.

If you have ever watched a seesaw on a playground, you know this simple truth: When one side goes down, the other must go up. So, it goes with the value equation.

If people feel unseen, unrecognized, or unappreciated at work they expect compensation to go up to even out the value equation. In addition to contributing to turnover and distress, this means that low-appreciation cultures are expensive. We must pay more to offset the declining feelings of value.

Recognition and appreciation go hand-in-hand, but they are distinct. Recognition and awards are given when people do something extraordinary, unique, or exceptional. Appreciation is about appreciating people for who they are and what they do daily. We don’t have to wait for something big.

In fact, we can even thank people just for showing up and doing their jobs.

What?! Is this kid soccer where everyone gets a trophy just for showing up? Don’t they need to earn it?

Ask any leader trying to fill open job postings right now—Just because a person says they are accepting the job, do they show up on the first day?

No.

Just because they show up on the first day, are they still there for their 30-60-90?

No.

In healthcare, people are “just showing up” to rigid shift schedules in a high-intensity environment where we require them to wear matching pajamas while delivering lifesaving interventions to sometimes hostile angry patients. Every day, the work is hard and challenging. Choosing to do it day in and day out is worth celebrating.

Where do you start?

What gives you pride in your work?

This gives you insight into what people feel proud of and want to be recognized for. It gives you ideas about how to tailor your appreciation to be meaningful to them.

I love the ________ you bring to this team.

Maybe you are having a hard time thinking of what to appreciate somebody for. Tell them the value they bring to the team and do it often. Let them know that their creativity, or dedication, or compassion to colleagues is valuable to you and to the team.

If people are asking for money to shore up their sense of value to the organization, it is time to double down on recognition and appreciation.

Lead Well,

Katherine

Katherine A. Meese, Phd

Read more about the #HumanMargin in my forthcoming book with Quint Studer , The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust.

Here's the research:

1. Sull, et al. Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture
2. ?Meese, K.A., Boitet, L.,? Gorman, A., Patel, N., Nassetta, L.,? Rogers, D.A.. How to Keep Me: Examining the relationships between purpose, work environment and turnover intention across the entire healthcare team. European Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Dublin, Ireland.
3. UAB Medicine Office of Wellness
4. Job strain combined with high efforts and low reward doubled men’s heart disease risk

#healthcare #leadership #healthcareleadership?#healthcaremanagement?#healthcareindustry?#healthcaretrends?#healthcareexecutives?#healthcareadministration?#healthcareeducation?#burnout?#physicianburnout?#physicians?#nurses #trust #humanmargin #organizationalbehavior #management #employeeengagement #humanmargin #humancapital

UAB Department of Health Services Administration?University of Alabama at Birmingham?UAB Medicine Office of Wellness