How we feel valued.
When it comes to feeling valued at work, many people associate it primarily with verbal or written recognition from their managers. This aligns with Gallup's research, which highlights that meaningful recognition from managers is the most impactful, followed by recognition from higher-level leaders.
It's clear that managers who prioritise recognition, appreciation, and valuing their team members boost engagement, productivity, and loyalty. Feeling valued is the number one reason employees stay. And guess what, manager recognition costs nothing.
But not everyone experiences this [which is crazy, just saying].
However, the field of 'knowing we are valued' is much richer than the single bloom of manager recognition. It can come from:
- increased flexibility to work part-time so you can spend time with your family, or opportunities to work from home, or the boss is good about you leaving early, starting late or taking some time off
- a lovely thank-you each fortnight for continuing to do a great job in the form of money [your wages] and maybe perks
- great colleagues who support and value us for so many reasons
- formal opportunities to learn as your workplace sees great potential in you
- the purpose and meaning of what your organisation is doing
- feeling enriched by the work you do
- opportunities for promotions, secondments and acting roles that support your growth and development
- or you just do it for the hols.
Sometimes, there's a disconnect between how employers express value and what employees expect.
It's a bit like the different love languages. You may have something specific in mind about what makes you feel appreciated - words of affirmation [manager recognition], physical touch [not such a good analogy in the workplace], receiving gifts [a bonus or award], quality time [opportunities to meet with your manager], or acts of service [bring in a cake or fix a problem].
So, are you getting more recognition than you thought, even if it's not how you expected?