Half of employees don’t feel appreciated at work: report

With only half (49%) of employees feeling regularly appreciated for being themselves at work, there's a major opportunity for organizations to create a true culture of appreciation, according to a recent report.

Among employees who do not regularly feel appreciated at work, they would like their workplace to show appreciation for them as a person by offering benefits that are important to them (57%) and recognizing personal milestones (45%).

Camaraderie with colleagues (43%), benefits (42%) and opportunities to learn and grow (41%) are also important for fostering a sense of appreciation in the workplace, finds Reward Gateway.

"Cultivating employee engagement is a delicate dance, and with our people as our greatest asset, this requires a collaborative strategy across leadership teams," said Anthony Knierim, Managing Director, Americas of Reward Gateway | Edenred, citing the importance of “establishing a dynamic benefits program as one means of supporting employees, and how employees want to be recognized and appreciated as they grow in both their professional and personal lives."

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Customized employee recognition

More than eight in 10 (84%) of employees say they feel more appreciated as a person when they receive customized recognition for their performance at work (like a personalized gift certificate).

And 82% agree that this makes them feel more connected to their workplace, finds Reward Gateway, which polled 1,000 employees, managers, and executives in the U.S.

Employees also agree that personalized recognition is more likely to make them:

• stay with their company longer (81%)
• have improved wellbeing (78%)
• feel less stressed (73%)

Four in five (82%) employees agree that receiving customized recognition makes them feel more connected to their workplace, with extroverts (88%) more likely to feel this way than introverts (80%), found the report.

Employees also agree that they are more likely to stay with their company longer (81%), have improved wellbeing (78%) and feel less stressed (73%) when they receive personalized recognition in the workplace.

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Fifty-seven per cent of employees prefer to be recognized for work-related performance or milestones with monetary awards, according to the report.

Beyond financial compensation, employees like to be recognized for these achievements in individual performance reviews (29%), through private verbal praise (22%), and through verbal praise during a team meeting (20%).