Have you ever stood in front of a crowded room to receive a service year pin or a regularly scheduled award? How did that experience make you feel? Appreciated? Meh? Maybe you wanted to retreat to the nearest washroom? Are you aware that your reaction and feelings towards such an experience are directly connected to how you give and receive appreciation in the workplace, and did you know that how you give and receive appreciation is likely different than your colleagues?
Enter, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
Written by Gary Chapman & Paul White
Why this book?
At Instructure, we value our OREOS! No, not the luscious cream-filled cookies [we do love those too] but, Openness, Relationships, Equality, Ownership, and Simplicity. Acting on our OREOS, every employee participates in an Engagement Survey twice a year. In our most recent survey, the Community Team expressed great interest in learning to appreciate peers and colleagues in ways other than public recognition. Here are some of their words (with their permission, of course, or I wouldn’t be following my OREOS):
I don't like being in the spotlight, and I feel like I don't need to be recognized in a grand way to keep doing quality work. My team and director know how to show appreciation in ways that I value. I really like Motivocity and how a little "thank you" can really make a difference.
My group is quick to recognize and praise work (..maybe too quick and too often for my personal taste (LOL), but I'm sure it's motivating for others. Motivosity is a great tool! I feel that my time and ideas are respected by my peers and leaders in a way that I have not experienced.
You’re Invited!
We’re committing to learning how to better demonstrate our appreciation for one-another on our team, and we’d like to invite you to accompany us in that learning journey. Stay tuned! We’ll be sharing the when and how around November 15th.
