How To Show Appreciation at Work: Benefits, Examples and Tips

Regardless of your career field, you can benefit from showing appreciation in your workplace. Showing gratitude to others is about treating people with kindness and recognizing their accomplishments. Appreciation in the workplace can make your supervisors and colleagues feel like their work has value and purpose. In this article, we explain why appreciation in the workplace is important, ways to show appreciation to your coworkers and tips for properly showing appreciation.

Why is appreciation in the workplace important?

Showing appreciation can be helpful in the workplace because it allows a person to form strong and lasting friendships, build self-confidence and reach their personal and professional goals. Appreciation is the act of showing acknowledgement and gratitude for someone’s actions. Here are more reasons appreciation is significant in a professional environment:

• Courteousness: Appreciation is part of being respectful and courteous to others. Saying thank you, especially, is a form of appreciation that can show good manners.

• Kindness: Appreciation is a great way to be kind to others. Noticing the efforts and talents of others can make them feel validated and cared for.

• Support: Appreciation can create a supportive community, where team members work together to help each other. Support can be important to help a person who cannot do a task on their own.

• Values: Showing appreciation in the workplace can be a method of aligning business practices with business values. If a company’s mission is to help others, it can start by helping its own employees.

Benefits of showing appreciation at work

There are many benefits to showing appreciation at work for employees and employers alike. By showing gratitude, you can achieve the following results:

Make others happier and healthier

Receiving appreciation from others can increase a person’s positive feelings and improve their self-esteem. Appreciation can support the mental health of others by making them feel like they matter. Showing gratitude to someone can also increase the dopamine in their brain, improving blood flow and helping their physical health and wellness. Happiness from appreciation can allow a person to have deeper sleep, an increased metabolism and less stress.

Build relationships

Showing appreciation to others can help a person make a friend or strengthen a pre-existing relationship. This is because appreciation is a way to show care about someone, and concern for another person’s welfare can create a close bond. In addition, expressing appreciation can help a person construct their professional network and make a good impression on potential employers, possibly receiving a job offer or promotion.

Foster a positive work environment

One person’s appreciation can inspire others and start a cycle of gratitude and positive feelings. This can help a company’s work culture feel unified, healthy and happy. People can enjoy doing their jobs and feel optimistic about the future. A positive work environment can also lead to more effective collaborations among team members. Helping someone by showing appreciation means that a person may receive the same help back at a later date.

Increase productivity

Appreciating coworkers and employers can increase their morale, motivation and productivity, which can ultimately increase sales for a business. Rewarding excellent results can reinforce correct behavior and lead to more achievements. Employees who feel appreciated typically feel more determined to work and can often generate more innovations.

Ways to show appreciation to coworkers

Consider showing appreciation to your coworkers in the following ways:

• Say thank you: Sometimes a simple thank you can uplift someone’s spirits and make their day better. Try saying thank you to coworkers when they help you out with a workplace task.

• Be friendly: Show appreciation to your coworkers by being friendly. You can do this by asking them about how their day is going or whether they have plans for the weekend.

• Submit public praise: Many companies have channels where employees can submit public praise about their colleagues. You can use this method to compliment your coworker’s talents and work ethic.

• Offer help: You can show appreciation by offering your coworkers help, especially if they have helped you in the past. Try to pay attention to your coworkers to see if they’re struggling with a project so you can help them succeed.

• Host an office party: Hosting an office party, especially for a birthday, can be a great way to celebrate your coworkers and give them thanks for the work they do. Check with your supervisor about how you can host a party appropriately.

Ways to show appreciation to employers

There are several ways to show appreciation to your employer. Here are examples:

• Say thank you: Show appreciation to your employer for thanking them for actions they perform to help you. These can include training, resources and advice.

• Offer public praise: You may be able to write praise about your supervisor that your entire company sees. This can make your employer feel happy and lessen their stress.

• Ask if they need help: If you finish your workload, consider asking your employer if you can do anything to help them. Your employer may appreciate that you are trying to assist them beyond your normal work responsibilities.

• Provide high-quality work: A great way to show appreciation to your employer is following their directions and producing high-quality work. This means reading any resources they provide you thoroughly, attending workshops and trying to do your best every day.

• Talk with them: Sometimes a simple conversation with your employer can help show them you appreciate them. Be mindful of your employer’s busy schedule and try to keep your conversation short so you don’t take up too much of their time.

Tips for showing appreciation at work

While showing appreciation, it is important to maintain professional codes of conduct and good manners. Here are some tips for how to appropriately and successfully show appreciation in the workplace:

• Appreciate minor accomplishments: Remember to show gratitude for small tasks and large projects.

• Be genuine: Be thoughtful and specific about your appreciation to show your colleagues it’s genuine.

• Treat everyone equally: Provide the same amount of appreciation to all of your colleagues.

• Provide appreciation daily: Make time in your day to provide appreciation as much as you can.

• Be professional: Keep your appreciation professional and work-appropriate.

• Express your personality: Be yourself when you’re showing appreciation to form sincere relationships with others.

 

Source: Indeed Career Guide