Appreciation in the Office

You can do it today!

Even though it feels like May was just a couple weeks ago, Summer is (almost) officially over. We hope you're doing something fun to close out the season, but we also hope you've penciled in some time to relax, too.

Labor Day marks our last chance to squeeze in a final weekend at the lake and one last BBQ Hurrah. Organizations are getting ready to hunker down again for Fall through Spring, so what does it mean for you and the office culture?

Keeping momentum and maintaining morale can be tricky moving into Fall as stress creeps higher and we start scrambling to get everything done by the end of the year, so we want to help with a few ways you can keep office morale up after everyone gets bummed out because Summer's basically over.

A cardinal complaint in organizations is that employees feel undervalued--did you know that 70% of employees report not receiving any positive recognition at work? Labor Day is ultimately about appreciating our workforce, and appreciation is a big deal when it comes to building office morale. There are little things we can do all year long to appreciate each other--we don't need to wait for one or two days out of the year to be reminded that we can go out of our way to value each other. Here are three things to keep in mind when it comes to appreciating others in the office.

1) Personalize Appreciation

We don't all feel appreciated by the same things. This goes back to communication styles and preferences--appreciating someone else means your act of appreciation needs to be about that person. Before you go out of your way to do something nice to appreciate someone, make sure it's something they like. Don't get them a giant caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream because you like coffee. Personalizing your message or gift means even more to that person because you've taken the time to pay attention to something they'd enjoy, even if it's not necessarily your cup of tea (or coffee).

2) Learn the Language(s) of Appreciation

This goes along with personalized appreciation--have you heard of the 5 Love Languages? It turns out that there are also 5 Languages of Appreciation! Which one do you "speak"? Can you name people in your office who speak the other four? Look at each one and see if you can come up with more ideas!

These are only meaningful if you know which one the other person will enjoy. Think of someone you love to work with; which of the above would give that person warm fuzzies? We officially empower you to go forth and follow through! Send a note, go out to lunch, do them a favor, say something nice--pick one they'd like and see what happens!

3) Be Authentic

People love "just because" genuine and spontaneous recognition. Don't make a big deal about it, but don't overdo it--a little appreciation goes a long way. Make a pledge to appreciate someone next week and see what happens--you might just be pleasantly surprised! 

Appreciation can make you and those you work with feel great about working and build office morale. You can do little things to help everyone feel valued today.

Not sure how to build appreciation virtually? Check out this blog post for some ideas!

Let us know how you appreciate your coworkers on social media!