Do This When Your Team Feels Unappreciated

Are you hearing that your team doesn't feel appreciated? Even though you feel like you put effort into saying thank you, they are always hungry for more. 

Do employee engagement surveys indicate dissatisfaction? Even though there are all kinds of employee recognition programs in place.

It can be so frustrating! But you aren’t alone. 

Here’s the Deal 

For acknowledgment to really stick, it must be grounded in a concrete experience or activity. 

This is the difference between the general:

 “Good job Beth” … 

And the more specific:

 “The way that you handled those questions in that meeting was on point. This will really help us move forward in educating our partners on the new process. Thank you” 

I’m willing to bet you felt the energy of the second example more deeply. That is  because it’s tied to a specific action and outcome. The acknowledgement is specifically anchored to how my skill contributed to the organization’s or team’s success. 

The second example barely takes a few seconds longer, and yet it satisfies the employee’s very human need to be seen and heard.

Be Vocal About Sharing 

That strategy also applies when you’re amplifying and sharing your staff’s efforts to a wider audience.

Often leaders speak about their staff’s work and contributions in meetings or forums where the staff person is not present to hear it. 

When the staff person does hear about it, it is often through a casual comment by a third party who was in the room like, “Hey Beth, your boss really gave you great kudos at the leadership meeting yesterday.” 

Embrace the opportunity to show your staff how important their contributions are by intentionally telling them what you said, and sharing how their contributions were received and heard by the group. 

“Hey Luca, I want you to know that in the meeting today with the leadership team I shared the progress you are making on the project. And some of your early findings. It was really well received and they are looking forward to hearing more. Great job”.

This essential acknowledgement validates how their contributions are positively impacting forward movement for the organization, and makes them feel genuinely seen and valuable. 

What are some simple adjustments you can make to help your staff know that you are engaged and aware of their value and contributions?