Team Appreciation and Gratitude Creates Good Vibes
Let’s talk about good vibes, people! 🌞. Team appreciation & gratitude is vital for increased motivation, engagement, and productivity among team members. The effects on team culture are immense – I’m talking POWERFUL. Like ‘intrinsically make you want to work harder while having tons of fun doing it’ POWERFUL.
But it’s not enough to just give a pat on the back every once in a while. To really see the kickass benefits, it’s important the team be consistent, authentic, and specific in their expressions of gratitude & appreciation.
Start with Appreciation Consistency
First off, let’s talk about consistency. Saying “thank you” and showing appreciation should be a regular part of your team’s culture. When people know that their efforts are valued and recognized on a consistent basis, it leads to increased motivation and engagement.
It’s easier to make gratitude and appreciation a consistent part of your team culture by plugging it into things you are already doing. Don’t create something net new, the team already has enough on their plate! For example:
- Start your regular Monday morning team meetings with a round of shoutouts, where team members can recognize and appreciate the efforts of their colleagues.
- Create a gratitude wall, either in physical or virtual, where team members can post messages of appreciation for one another. Maybe it’s the lunchroom or main hallway or the coolest meeting room in the office! Maybe you already use Slack or WhatsApp to communicate? Create a new Appreciation channel!
Incorporating these practices into your team’s regular routine makes it more likely for them to stick and become part of the culture.
Encourage Appreciation to Be Specific
But it’s not just about being consistent, it’s also about being specific. A hollow “thank you” or a generic compliment can come across as insincere. Instead, make sure team members know to only share when they truly mean what they say, and tailor their words of appreciation to the individual and their specific actions or contributions. Instead of just saying “good job” or “thank you”, be specific in what you are thanking them for, and how it has impacted them, the team or the company.
Think about it. To say: ‘Thanks, I appreciate you’ is one thing.
To say: ‘Thanks, I appreciate you for helping me out with the Sales Report the other day. I had no idea how to create those pivot tables! You did it in such a helpful way and taught me how to do it myself for next time. I truly appreciate it!’ is a WHOLE. NEW. LEVEL!
Don’t Force it. Keep it Authentic
And finally, let’s talk about genuineness. Showing gratitude should never feel like a chore, it should be a natural part of how you interact with your team. When people can sense that the appreciation is genuine and heartfelt, it makes a much bigger impact.
However, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean forcing people to express gratitude or appreciation. Instead, create the opportunities for them to do so naturally, by making it a regular part of the team culture and encouraging it through your actions and words. Make sure it isn’t just a checklist item for people by creating a space for anyone that wants to share to be able to (and anybody that doesn’t isn’t forced to).
By being consistent, authentic, and specific in your expressions of gratitude and appreciation, you’ll create a positive and productive work environment that’s filled with good vibes! 🎉 And don’t forget to have fun too! Taking time to have fun and relax together can improve the mental health of the team and foster gratitude and appreciation towards each other.
✨ The time to WOW your team is NOW! Start with team appreciation✨
Looking for some FUN, connection and growth for your next team event, social or learning opportunity? We teach modern day business skills through the power of PLAY (we specifically look at team appreciation in our popular Teamwork PLAYshop)! Check out our Live PLAYshop or Virtual PLAYshop offerings and get in touch!
