4 Wonderful Ways to Show Appreciation at Work

Workplace appreciation is arguably one of the most important things that every worker wants at the end of the day - after all of the challenges and hard work we've put in. After all, a little gratitude goes a long way! It improves one's emotional well-being while also creating a more conducive and productive work environment.

Managers, supervisors, and team leaders must evaluate the following four languages of appreciation and consider which approach is most valued by the receiving individual in order to empower and encourage teams to perform at their best. 

You may be wondering what the four languages of appreciation are. Don't be concerned. We've compiled all of the pertinent information for you to consider.

The following information is carefully written and cited from Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Paul White's book "The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace" in which both discuss ways to effectively express appreciation to those we work with every day.

1. Words of Encouragement

The first language of appreciation focuses on written and spoken words to affirm and assure someone, as well as recognize their great work and positive characteristics. Appreciating someone does not have to be grandiose. It only takes a few simple tips to improve the effectiveness of your appreciation note to that coworker.

• Incorporate your unique, personal thoughts
• The more specific you are, the better
• Reassure them of the importance of their actions to you and the organization

Not sure where to begin? Fret not! We wrote an article about how to write a heartfelt appreciation note to your boss, coworkers, or employees here.

2. Quality Time

Humans are wired to connect, which is why spending quality time (not just about work) getting to know your coworker better on a more personal level is beneficial in many ways. Quality conversations imply that you are attempting to create a safe environment in which you can not only share your accomplishments, but also your suggestions and frustrations. Consider the following tipson how you can appreciate your colleague via spending quality time together:

• Keep eye contact;
• Avoid multitasking while listening;
• Pay attention to feelings as well as thoughts;
• Affirm their feelings even if you disagree with the conclusions;
• Observe body language; and
• Resist the urge to interrupt.

3. Acts of Service

They say that actions speak louder than words. And it appears that this is a very effective appreciation language at work. Instead of simply listening to their problems, consider performing acts of service and taking action as a token of appreciation to that special someone at work.

Consider the following under Acts of Service:

• Serves voluntarily
• Ask before you help 
• Finish what you started.

4. Gifting

Gifting is unquestionably an action that provides the recipient with numerous #ReasonsToSmile! It is a very powerful language to evoke an equally powerful message that you sincerely appreciate the person you are gifting for, whether it is a memento or something tangible like food items, pamper products, and care items, and so on.

And this is why we do what we do at Happy Bunch: we take the guesswork out of gifting by curating and making it as simple and affordable as possible, so you can focus on making more thoughtful connections at work.

Simply choose any of our ready-to-order gift boxes and let us handle the rest, or better yet, create your own one-of-a-kind gift box using our Build-a-Box here to completely blow them away.

Rewarding the entire organization instead? Happy Bunch also offers corporate gifting services. Simply contact us via Happy Bunch Corporate channel  or via email at partners@happybunch.com.my with your requirements, and we will be happy to connect with you to discuss further on how to create the most wonderful gifting initiative.