92. Notice the Good: most people feel unappreciated
Data point of the week
In a 2022 survey of American workers, 3 out of 5 (63%) said they feel unappreciated by their employer. This has serious consequences, as almost half (46%) of respondents reported that they’ve left a job because they felt unappreciated. Two thirds (65%) said “that they would work harder if they felt like their contributions would be noticed by management.”
A survey in the U.K. surfaced similar themes. 44% of respondents feel that their employers “are not doing anything at all to recognise the extra work and responsibilities that their employees are taking on” despite the additional workload employees have had to shoulder due to staffing shortages. Almost half (46%) feel that their company doesn’t care about their well-being at all, while 44% of employees feel ‘invisible’ at work.
Reflection
What company would not want to drastically reduce turnover and inspire two thirds of their employees to work harder?!
These studies are saying that taking 2 minutes to notice the good work someone is doing, and express appreciation, does just that. Gallup has even identified it as one of their 12 Questions to assess employee engagement: “In the last 7 days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?”
Beyond the impact on productivity, feeling valued and appreciated affects employees’ dignity, well-being, sense of belonging, and enjoyment of work.
And yet, the majority of employees still feel underappreciated. Why?
First: Positive feedback is rarely an institutional priority. Managers aren’t trained on how to give it, and there aren’t structures/systems in place for regular feedback outside of annual reviews or recognition events.
Second: There’s a disconnect between manager’s thinking they offer praise and recognition, and employees not feeling recognized. This is a place to overcompensate and offer way more positive feedback than we think is necessary.
Third: It’s human tendency to focus more on what’s wrong than on what’s right (because if it’s going well, it doesn’t need our attention). Many workplaces are in continual reactive mode, addressing problems and putting out fires rather than pausing to notice what’s going well.
The first step in appreciation is to take time to notice the good. In the words of Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar,
“It’s very helpful to look for the good, because when we appreciate the good, the good appreciates”
Connection Skill & Action Step: Notice the good
If you want to up your appreciation game, it starts with:
Noticing other people’s positive qualities and contributions. You can do this by actively seeking out positives and paying attention to them. This brings what was previously taken for granted—in the background—into the foreground.
Once you notice a positive, comment on it, being specific about the other person’s contribution and why you appreciate it.
Set up a system to notice the good. For example, grab a bundle of our Appreciation Stationery, and on a regular basis (such as at the end of a weekly or monthly meeting) invite employees to write notes of appreciation to each other using the provided cards. You can draw names to make sure no one is excluded. This is an effective and affordable way to boost morale and create a culture of appreciation.
Noticing the good strengthens all relationships, in and out of the workplace. You can also use this practice when you’re feeling frustrated or irritated with someone, to zoom out and remind yourself of what it is you like about them.
Questions to reflect on or to spark conversation. Please share your responses in the comments.
Do you feel noticed, valued, appreciated at work? If not, what specifically could your co-workers, supervisor, and/or workplace do to make you feel appreciated?
Do you feel noticed, valued, appreciated outside of work? If not, what do you wish your family and friends would do differently to help you feel appreciated?
