“Vibrant”: full of energy and enthusiasm. Spirited, lively, energetic, full of life. The vibrant workplace connotes energy, positivity, and growth – characteristics we desire for the environment where we spend the majority of our waking hours.
A vibrant workplace draws people to it – quality, talented employees want to work in a healthy context and become a part of the life-exuding process. Employees bring their own gifts and unique personalities to add to the synergy in a dynamic work setting. A vibrant workplace is the antithesis of how many work environments are described: negative, energy-sapping, and toxic to growth.
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Employees don’t feel appreciated
Why is there such a theme of despair in most workplaces? Because people want to be appreciated for what they do at work. But, unfortunately, most people don’t feel appreciated at work.
In fact, while 51 percent of managers surveyed across several companies felt they were doing a good job of recognizing employees for work well done, only 17 percent of the employees who worked for those managers felt appreciated by their supervisors. Thus, there was a wide discrepancy between how managers felt they were doing in providing recognition, and what their employees experienced.
Authentic appreciation: The foundation for a vibrant workplace
A vibrant workplace isn’t a perfect, utopian organization that is without struggles or challenges. In fact, the vibrant workplace actually can exist in the same external conditions as a toxic workplace. But somehow, this particular culture has found ways to resist and repel negative influences, to train team members to build healthy internal processes, and to continually put forth positive energy toward the organization’s goals.
How does all this happen?
A healthy organization can’t develop without authentic appreciation – a core component and driving force for a vibrant workplace to grow and prosper. Why is this so important? Because authentic appreciation:
- affirms the value of each member of the organization, helping them function better and grow their competencies;
- communicates directly at a personal level between team members, rather than the indirect, impersonal messages sent in an unhealthy workplace;
- creates proactive energy for the recipient, for the sender, for others observing, and for the organization as a whole;
- serves as a “repellent” and protector against negative influences that can damage the members of the community;
- displays genuine affirmation – not faked displays or cheap imitation, and not just trying to look like the real thing;
- gives team members the energy and stamina to overcome the obstacles encountered in everyday work life.
In the work I have done consulting around the country, I’ve observed ten common obstacles to creating a culture of appreciation. These include lack of leadership from management, toxic workplaces, the challenge of unique settings that create problems, perceived inauthenticity, and difficulty to appreciate coworkers… among others.
To learn more about identifying the most common obstacles to applying the 5 languages in the workplace and become equipped to be the “change agent” to help build a healthier workplace – where people feel truly valued, pick up a copy of The Vibrant Workplace.
Here’s a sneak peek. Listen to this snippet from Chapter 1 of The Vibrant Workplace audiobook.
This article originally appeared on Appreciation at Work.
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