The Appreciation Conundrum

If you know me IRL, you will know I love a good baby Yoda meme.

 Expecting appreciation and reward after going above and beyond is a tale as old as time and is grounded in a concept called “Expectancy Theory”. This basically means employees develop an implicit understanding of what is expected from them and what they get in return (also a psychological contract).

In some places I’ve worked, consistent high performance was seen as fulfilling your end of the bargain.  At others, recognition was a part of the culture.  When one party doesn’t fulfil this unspoken agreement - you have a recipe for feelings of betrayal, and decreased employee satisfaction. Not what you want to see in this economy, with turnover at record high levels for a lot of businesses!

 The answer to all this?  As Yoda might say, “Complicated, it is”. It requires a multi-faceted approach.

 One way to avoid this unappreciated feeling is to understand your team, and build an appreciation culture, where you acknowledge achievements or extra effort. 

 When employees feel valued, they’re more engaged, productive, and more likely to stick around. Appreciation can be as simple as a thank you card or a training course, or as complicated as a program with voting and tiered rewards – a true build your own adventure.