Developing Appreciation in the Workplace

Abstract

Appreciation is an individual positive emotion that may be learned through education and life experience. To be able to appreciate people, events, objects, etc., one must be able to acknowledge the value and the meaning of them and have a positive emotional connection to them. A person can feel appreciation spontaneously and unintentionally, or intentionally when appreciation is specifically expressed to another person.

In the workplace appreciation has positive effects in multiple factors. Appreciation may increase productivity, performance, employee engagement, motivation, social relationships, well-being, life satisfaction, environment, customer satisfaction, safety, and financial results. Appreciation can decrease employee turnover, absenteeism, stress, burnout, negative emotions, and resentment. For these reasons it is important for organisations to enable and encourage appreciative environment.

Appreciation can occur in different relationships in the workplace. Vertical relationship is seen for example, between the immediate leader and the employee and there is power over other in the relationship. Horizontal relationships occurs for example, between co-workers. In horizontal relationships the parties do not have power over others but are equal. Intra-organisational relationships involve, for example, two whole teams or units of the organisation. Inter-organisational relationship forms, for example, between employee and customer, or employee and collaboration partner. In this relationship the other party is from outside the organisation. In each of the relationship's appreciation can be expressed in both ways, for example, from employee to the immediate leader, and from the immediate leader to employee.

The research of this thesis focused on the target organisation’s employees and how appreciative they feel in the workplace. In addition, the aim of the research was to find which sources ex- press appreciation and how appreciation is expressed. The results of the research indicated that the employees felt appreciative in the workplace. In addition, the environment of the workplace was seen appreciative. The development suggestion, the appreciation team meeting, the aim is to raise the discussion about appreciation in the workplace, improve the feeling of appreciation, and to develop appreciative environment. It is important for organisations to understand the employees and how they would like appreciation to be expressed.