Recognition and Appreciation Aren’t The Same
Leaders Need to Understand the Distinction Between Them and Know What Their Employees Want
“Hey Matt, great job you did there with the sales meeting. Your confidence was fantastic.”
Matt nodded and smiled at his manager. What he didn’t know was that he was beaming. His face was lit up. He goes back to his desk, ecstatic and motivated for the upcoming project. He opens up his Google calendar, scanning the little notes he made on each date. Then, his fingers got to work, frantically typing away.
“I overheard what our manager said,” his colleague said as he walked past him. “Good job! Sure feels good to be appreciated.”
Matt gave a shrug. “Well, definitely feels good to be recognized for the work you did. Don’t know about appreciated though.”
Employee experience has been the key focus for many organizations around the world—and rightly so. In 2017, Gallup’s research discovered that 89% of employers believe that employees leave because of better remuneration. In reality, only 12% of them do leave for money, which meant that employers were largely incorrect about their assumptions.
Fortunately, we do know about the other 88% that leave for other reasons. It all boils down to employee…
