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What’s Your Employee Appreciation Language?

A popular book has circulated about relationships entitled “The Five Love Languages”. In his book, the author, Gary Chapman, discusses the different ways we give and receive love. He calls these various styles “Love Languages” as they provide insight into how we should communicate with our partner.

Every person is unique and has their own style (or language). As strange as it sounds, it got us thinking. Do we have workplace “love languages”? Does each individual have a preference for how they give and receive appreciation?

employee appreciation languages

We’ll break down Chapman’s these love languages and how they impact the workplace.

Words of Affirmation

Do you like when people write you a kind note or recognize you in a public forum? This love language goes way beyond romantic relationships. Kind words are incredibly impactful for employees who crave words of affirmation. A quick message on Slack, a short sentence in your weekly stand-up, or a handwritten note gives these employees the fuel they need to stay motivated throughout the week, or even, month.

Acts of Service

On the flip side, for others, actions speak louder than words. Do you feel most appreciated when someone offers to help with an assignment or better yet, finishes a project because they know you don’t have the time or energy to complete it? Acts of service can be big or small, but for many employees, this is the best way to show you appreciate all that they’re doing. Especially during busy season, managers who pitch in make all the difference when it comes to retaining their talent.

Receiving Gifts

This language can get a little tricky in the workplace, depending on your policies around gift giving and receiving. But, we’re not talking about diamond necklaces or new cars. Gifts can be as small as a cup of coffee when your employee comes in early or a non-tangible, like an early release when they’ve been pulling extra hours. Make sure you gauge which employees actually appreciate and desire these types of gestures. The last thing you want is to make them uncomfortable with your good intentions.

Quality Time

This is quite possibly the hardest language to weave into your work culture. That being said, for many employees, it’s also the most meaningful. Spending quality time getting to know your employees can not only show that you care about them, it can also provide powerful insights into their needs. Maybe it’s a quick walk around the block every month just to check-in. Or, you could schedule in time to really dive deep into what’s going on. No matter what your schedule allows, taking time out of your day to spend with them can make the difference between an engaged or a disgruntled employee.

Do you know how your employees prefer to be appreciated? Or better yet, how do you most often communicate your appreciation? Make sure you’re choosing the appropriate channel based on the employee to make the most of your recognition.

Evaluating the Performance Review

Whether you’re reading this as a manager or an employee, chances are you feel the same way: Performance Reviews are the absolute worst. In fact, a report by the Society for Human Resource Management dove into the success of performance management. Their findings showed that more than half (53%) of human resource professional grade their organization between a C+ and a B, another fifth (21%) chose a C, and a mere 2% gave their management an A.

performance review tips

A key to making performance reviews successful is ensuring this isn’t just happening once a year, but that you provide consistent, valuable feedback. In addition, the review should strike a balance between evaluating the past and setting goals for the future. These three components are essential to a healthy, successful performance review that both managers and employees can stand behind.

Consistent and Quantifiable Feedback

SHRM reported that 72% of performance appraisals were done on an annual basis. However, a study by Globoforce reported that 71% of employees prefer to receive feedback ASAP. While this doesn’t mean you should totally eliminate the annual performance review, it does mean you should find ways to provide ongoing feedback throughout the year. Perhaps this means tracking goals in a spreadsheet, or maybe it means writing down current projects and their outcomes every quarter. However the team functions, it’s important to track and record successes and failures and ensure you’re giving feedback immediately and not waiting until the end of the year.

Concrete Evaluation of Previous Performance

The most important thing to remember is that evaluating past performance does not mean focusing on the negative. Studies have shown that positivity has a major impact on work performance. In fact, psychologist Martin Seligman reports that Optimistic salespeople sold 37% more than their pessimist colleagues, who, on the other hand, were twice as likely to leave the company during their first year of employment. Take some time before you meet with the employee to evaluate which goals they’ve met and which you need to revisit. If you’ve been tracking these all along, this should be pretty straightforward. Encourage employees in the areas where they have been successful and challenge them in the areas where they struggled. You may be surprised at the results.

Clear Goal-Setting for the Future

A huge success factor for performance appraisals is tying the employee’s goals with the company’s mission and goals overall. According to Globoforce, 70% of employees say the point of performance reviews is to help them develop and grow. By tying their personal achievements to company successes, this helps to not only give them clarity around their responsibilities, but also increase motivation in the future. These goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Encourage employees to write down their goals and put them in a place where they will see them throughout the day. After all, goals are pointless if you forget what they are.

Need help getting started? Here are a few useful phrases to ramp up your performance reviews.

The One Perk

It’s no secret the 21st-century work environment looks a little different. From beer on tap and unlimited snacks to nap pods and open time-off policies, companies are striving to capture the attention of millennials with their extensive list of perks.

one-perk

But, you don’t have to be a hip start-up or a trendy tech company to give employees what they want. There’s one highly underrated, but seriously important perk.

Every Employee Wants to be Appreciated

Each of us is born with different talents and skills. In fact, chances are you’re in your position because someone recognized your talent in one specific area and pushed you to pursue it. A quick “job well done” can go a long way in shaping our futures, especially when it comes to our careers.

Business Insider reports the average person spends over 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime. It’s no wonder we crave appreciation for the work we dedicate our lives to completing. No one wants to go through life wondering if they made a difference.

Treat employees like they make a difference and they will. 

                            Jim Goodnight, CEO, SAS

Appreciating Employees means knowing their names.

One of the most obvious ways you can appreciate employees is learning their name. For those of us in a small office like PerkSpot, this isn’t a huge challenge. However, for larger companies, it’s even more important to take time to call employees by name. A simple “How’s your day going, Karla?” or “Nice work on the stats, Miles!” goes a long way. By giving positive, personal feedback the employee feels heard and believes their work is important to the success of the company.

Appreciating Employees means giving feedback.

One of the great things about appreciation is that it also provides an opportunity to correct as well. When you consistently and genuinely give praises, employees receive negative comments with more understanding. A well-balanced employee experience includes both corrections and commendations.

Appreciating Employees means significant ROI.

Employee recognition is free, making it the cheapest perk you can offer your employees. Plus, it’s also one of the most effective for productivity, employee happiness, and overall results. Undoubtedly, employee recognition is key to keeping employees engaged. We love Forbes’s definition of employee engagement: “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.” The emotional commitment an employee feels comes from recognizing their accomplishments and attributing company success to their achievements. Increasing employee engagement through recognition can drive results as employees see the pay-off for their hard work.

Show your employees you appreciate them by providing exclusive discounts and recognition through PerkSpot!