4 ways to spread co-worker appreciation

How often have you felt genuinely acknowledged at your workplace? Do you and your co-workers clock in, sit beside each other in silence for 8 hours and clock out? Is there any sort of companionship? If not, it might have to do with a lack of appreciation amongst colleagues or little employee recognition.

Employee recognition is essential to cultivate an engaged workforce, and people want to know they are making an impact on their company’s success. When you are surrounded by co-workers who are working their butt’s off, why not show your appreciation for each other? This is likely to create a bond amongst colleagues and to make employees even more engaged.

Here are four small but impactful ways to spread co-worker appreciation in your workplace! 

Communicate with your co-workers

Have you been looking for ways to make your employees and co-workers heard? One easy way to do that is to communicate with the people in your workplace. As a co-worker, you can’t gift your colleagues with free vacation time or bonuses, but you can encourage a healthy work culture. Everyone feels value and appreciation in different ways, whether through gifts, staff appreciation parties, free food, or encouragement. You can do this in various ways—surveys, e-mails, an anonymous tip box, encouraging constructive conversations with one another.

How will you know what your workplace wants in terms of appreciation if you never ask them? When you have an answer, you can be sure that your employees and co-workers will feel valued and genuinely appreciated moving forward.

Give a thank you speech

Did someone land an important client? Make a big sale? Did your marketing team have a successful campaign? It sounds like it is time for a celebration or a warm-hearted co-worker to co-worker speech in front of the office! It can be exhausting to put all of your time, energy and tears into your job with little recognition.

If you want to encourage a healthy work environment, start by addressing your colleague’s hard-earned work. If you have some shyer wallflower’s on your team, start by approaching them in a more intimate one-on-one setting and tell them to thank you for your efforts! Honestly, a handwritten note goes a long way toward showing someone your appreciation.

Leave a post-it note or two on your co-worker’s computer or desk. It’ll leave a much more personable, fuzzy feeling than an e-mail.

Give a thoughtful gift

Who doesn’t love free food? Imagine coming into the office, and an intern has dropped off a box of fresh doughnuts—your day would feel just a little bit happier after that. A fun treat, like cookies or maybe cake for someone’s birthday, is a delightful surprise for everyone during a monotonous day.  

If you want to take it a step further to show your appreciation—how about wellbeing gifts? A wellbeing gift can be bought or personally made if you’re going to make it super special to encourage your staff to take care of their mental wellbeing, including snacks, personalised notes, teas, or colouring books, depending on the package. Personalise it for each co-worker if you know they relax in different ways, just to show how you hear them and you care!

Let the boss know

When was the last time you let your boss or manager know that someone on the floor is a great worker? Maybe they are someone you know the team can’t live without? Or they bring a reassuring presence necessary to keep everyone going?

These are the things that should be pointed out to the higher-ups!

Maybe you have a co-worker who helped you immensely with a project, or they did something you would never have been able to get done otherwise. Why not send an email to your boss (with them cc’d) to let them know how invaluable your colleague is? It will surely be a way of expressing thanks that would make their day better and a surprise they would never forget.