Appreciation Shown at the Work Place

I read the results of a survey in USA Today that the employees polled said that Appreciation was shown by fellow colleagues 54% of the time; by supervisors 30% of the time and by executives 16% of the time.  Are you surprised?  I am not disappointingly.  What does this mean and what needs to change?

This means that management and leaders are too busy running the company to remember the importance of slowing down long enough to see the value of staff and staff's contribution and saying something to people  doing a great job.  Wouldn't it be inspiring and uplifting to the morale of the company if the practice of Appreciation was incorporated into the company culture on a regular basis?  Imagine working in an environment where you are recognized for the skills and talent you bring to the company to help them succeed.  A simple spoken Thank You, an occasional note in the company newsletter, a small gift card, etc. don't take up a lot of energy and money and the results go such a long way.

The new leader of mortgage giant Freddie Mac makes it a point to go around to people's cubicles and engaging in conversation with regular staff to see how they are doing.  He invites people to join him for lunch as well.  The morale of this agency probably is at a very low point for most of the staff who work there.  He sees the relevance and importance of taking time out of his busy day to remember to acknowledge these people.

Gallup has conducted  employee surveys on 500 top companies and a common theme that showed up over and over again.  "Show me appreciation for what I do; understand what my strengths are so you can use me for my best abilities; let me grow through education programs and give me opportunities to improve myself in the service of the company.  Money is not the end all for everyone.  People will contribute to the success of a company by being acknowledged and recognized and given opportunities to grow and create new ideas.

Too many companies don't see this but it's where they need to be for future success and I want to be part of this change.