Oprah Winfrey, William James, a psychologist, and Aristotle have all shared the sentiment that we are social beings and, as such, appreciation and external recognition are things for which we naturally yearn.
Employee appreciation is the act of rewarding employee contributions to the culture of the workplace and business. It's especially important for people to feel appreciated at work, as it drives them to do their best and can lead to a healthy workplace.
Appreciation is valuing an employee, not only for their results but also for who they are and what they do. This phrase makes it clear that appreciating is not the same as recognising. Recognition is more oriented towards results and workplace goals and objectives. Appreciation, on the other hand, is valuing the effort involved in everyday work. The results change month after month, and they can be better or worse. The effort involved in daily work, however, is likely to be constant, regardless of the results.
Employee appreciation as a catalyst for well-being
It is true that working requires daily effort. However, does that effort only have an impact on our work life? Our personal life and work life are not two separate and watertight compartments that can ignore each other. Instead, they are partners that have to collaborate with each other. Occupational health, for example, impacts personal health (i.e. work affecting personal life) and vice versa. It is, therefore, difficult to maintain a good level of occupational health if we do not feel that our daily effort is appreciated. The actions and the effort that we invest every day at work transcend the work sphere; hence, it is even more important to value them.
How do you show appreciation?
Appreciating requires prior work of active listening, observation and empathy. In other words, it requires prior emotional and psychological work that is not always inherent but can be learned with time and dedication.
There are many ways to appreciate or thank. All of them are different and result in varying degrees of impact, depending on each person. Personally, I lean towards the more traditional way to say thank you. And I do not mean an unconscious thank you. It has more to do with giving thanks while being aware of why you do it. Say thank you, but also say for what you are thanking. The word will acquire much more meaning and will have a greater effect.
On many occasions, our daily work rhythm leaves no room for these skills, and without them, it is much more difficult to detect those moments in which giving thanks takes on special importance. Therefore, celebrating the day and week of the employee adds strategic value to any company. It means stopping our daily rhythm, and giving the opportunity to incorporate gratitude as one more practice. After all, you increase labour welfare and thereby increase personal well-being as well.
Employee appreciation week at Medline
Employee appreciation drives employee engagement. At Medline, we have taken the opportunity to carry out activities in which we appreciate all those behaviors that reinforce our six success factors. Each day of the week has been oriented towards activities for each of these values.
On Medline’s behalf, I would like to thank our workers for their daily efforts with different local activities.
Take advantage of this special day to reflect and be grateful for those things that make your work better—whether it is the help of a colleague in a moment of burden, the cup of coffee that pulls you out of a work slump while you are at it, or when a colleague gives their maximum in a project ...
And of course, do not forget to thank yourself for everything you get to do in an intense day of work. Don’t focus on things pending for tomorrow. Today is the day to see the glass half-full and be thankful for it!
Laura Sanguino
HR Generalist, Medline Iberia
Laura is from Madrid, but she has lived in other cities, including London. She finished her double degree in Law and Human Resources in 2017. And an interest in international contexts made her study for an international master's degree in Human Resources at London South Bank University. She likes to invest time in the little things that add quality, and is in love with her dog, her family, learning and travelling.
31 March 2022
