SURVEY SAYS: Receiving Appreciation at Work

Last week, I asked NewsDash readers, “Is your company good at showing appreciation for your work?” I also asked, “What types of recognition do you like to receive from your employer?”

Half of responding readers reported their company is “somewhat” good at showing appreciation, while 29.4% said there company is “not very” good at doing so. Nearly 15% of respondents said their company is “very” good at showing appreciation, and 5.9% indicated their company is “not at all” good at doing so.

Asked, “Besides a salary increase or promotion, which of the following types of recognition do you like to receive from your employer?” a large majority (70.6%) chose “personal verbal recognition. This was followed by “a bonus,” selected by 52.9% of respondents, and “verbal recognition in a group setting,” selected by 44.1%. Among the other choices, 26.5% chose “a handwritten thank you note,” 17.6% selected “a gift (cash or non-monetary),” 14.7% said they didn’t need anything other than a salary increases or promotion, and 8.8% chose “an award.”

Some of the readers who chose to leave comments said money is what matters, while others said words of appreciation would be most appreciated. There was a mix between those who explained what their company does well and those who explained what their company does poorly. Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who said: “Things the company does are good but, genuine, individual acknowledgement by your leader, who really understands what you do daily is the most rewarding.”

Thank you to all who participated in the survey!

Verbatim

Unfortunately our organization recognizes certain areas more than others. The tech areas, and those with extroverted leaders, always get a larger share of recognition. And, money follows recognition.

All forms of recognition are good. It is hard to say whether an ‘organization’ is good at showing appreciation, because it can vary greatly, but supervisor, etc.

It’s funny how it seems very easy to find something negative to comment on and point out, but pointing out a positive is a rarity. Definitely not good for morale.

What is this “appreciation” you speak of? I am not familiar with this concept.

Management is constantly being reminded to recognize our employees for their efforts however the top level of management is rather poor at recognizing the middle management – Directors, Managers and Supervisors – for their hard work and commitment. Rather demoralizing and yet another case of “do what I say, not what I do”.

Things the company does are good but, genuine, individual acknowledgement by your leader, who really understands what you do daily is the most rewarding.

I love my company! They are quick to give praise and make you feel like a valuable contributor. In turn, I give my all every day! The very definition of a win-win.

My company has been very generous to me compensation wise. But no promotions and no recognition of any sort. It would be nice to hear a couple times a year that I’m doing a good job.

Just pay me. I don’t care about titles, email sent to the group at-large,etc. Higher compensation is the only true sign of respect in the workplace. Everything else is window dressing.

Even those of us who are introverts like to be recognized by management in front of our peers. It’s important that we remember to encourage and recognize our peers, too.

Sometimes a kind word and recognition can go a long way and means more than money. Like the old saying goes…..everyone likes to be liked.

Management brings donuts or bagels at times to say “thank you”, which is nice, but unprompted genuine verbal appreciation shown (group or not) would be preferred.

I work for a public school system so I understand that funding cannot be used to purchase gifts. And bonuses are not part of the union’s negotiated agreements. I think they do the best they can with their limited options to recognize employees.

My company does not provide any recognition at all. Salary is frozen with bonuses on a rare occasion.

There’s darned little of this in today’s world. I can’t imagine how the generation of participation trophied individuals is coping…

I wish my employer was better at recognizing and rewarding employee performance that goes above and beyond what is expected. Unfortunately, in our company, bad behavior sees no consequences and employees that do an excellent job are put under a microscope.