Recognition: It isn’t just a feel-good gesture, it’s a strategic business move

This week it was World Gratitude Day, and whilst gratitude and appreciation should be more than a once-a-year event, it does serve as a good reminder of the importance of recognising and appreciating our people. 

Since the beginning of 2024, ‘unappreciated’ has been the most dominant negative emotion chosen by employees when asked ‘How do you feel about working at your organisation?’, alongside ‘stressed’. 16% of respondents across all Inpulse surveys said that they feel unappreciated, and the dominant reasons related to the human skills of their line manager. Whilst there has been concern around pay due to the financial climate we are currently operating in, the majority of comments actually referred to a lack of support, appreciation and listening from their line manager as the main issue. 

Whilst that can sound like an enormous challenge (we know line manager development is!), the appreciation piece can be addressed by a simple “thank you” or acknowledgment of hard work on a regular basis. That’s good news, right?! No million pound programme, no implementation of a new system or process, just intentionally taking the time to thank people and acknowledge their hard work and contributions.

Our data shows that when people feel more positive at work (based on our question ‘How do you feel about working at your organisation?’), they are significantly more engaged. Research from Gallup and Workhuman® supported this as they found that when recognition hits the mark, employees are 4 times as likely to be engaged and 56% less likely to be looking for a job.

Therefore, showing appreciation to employees isn’t just a feel-good gesture, it’s a strategic business move. 

Here’s five ways you can make gratitude a core part of your company culture:

1. Encourage managers to intentionally take the time to personally thank a team member or colleague for their specific contribution or efforts.
2. Include ‘celebrating successes’ as part of the ongoing agenda for team meetings, where managers publicly celebrate individual and team achievements.
3. Celebrate professional milestones. Whether it’s work anniversaries, project completions, or hitting key performance goals, celebrating milestones helps employees feel a sense of progress and achievement. 
4. Celebrate personal milestones. Don’t just acknowledge professional milestones, celebrate moments that matter in someone’s personal life, e.g. buying their first house or the birth of their first child.
5. Incorporate recognition into line manager development programmes, highlighting it as a key part of their role and equipping them with the awareness and skills to show appreciation to their team.

In today’s competitive business landscape, employee appreciation is more than a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. A culture of appreciation can elevate morale, improve retention, boost productivity, and create a more positive, cohesive work environment.

At Inpulse we know the significant impact recognition has on employee engagement, therefore in 2025 we will be launching a brand new recognition platform as part of our product suite that will enable managers and colleagues to thank and recognise team members – helping organisations further enhance culture of appreciation. Watch this space!