Recognition Is Broken - Appreciation Is the New Currency of Work

Today, conversations about recognition in the workplace have become louder than ever. Employees want acknowledgement, HR teams design programs for it, and leaders feel increasing pressure to “give” it. Yet, despite these efforts, many employees still report that they don’t feel valued. They feel unseen, unheard, and often misunderstood.

Recognition isn’t the issue; the issue is that it’s been reduced to a transaction.

Most recognition today takes the form of rewards, points, gifts, badges, or automated processes. These gestures highlight achievements but often fail to acknowledge the human being behind the achievement. When recognition becomes a transaction, employees feel like they're not being appreciated.

What employees truly crave is appreciation

Appreciation uplifts. It highlights the quality of an individual, not just the quantity of their output. It helps people feel seen, valued, and special. And it strengthens identity and belonging in ways recognition alone never can.

In a workplace reshaped by AI, technological disruption, shifting career expectations, and post-pandemic values, appreciation has become one of the most powerful and underrated cultural strategies available to organisations.

Why Appreciation Changes Cultures (When Recognition Doesn’t)

Recognition is about the moment. Appreciation is about the person.
Recognition rewards the performance. Appreciation validates the human.
Recognition is episodic. Appreciation is continuous.

This distinction matters.

Appreciation fuels belonging, loyalty, and meaning, three cultural anchors that employees routinely rank above compensation and perks. According to research, moments of feeling valued and cared for are directly linked to higher engagement, stronger well-being, and reduced burnout.

In the IMEA region specifically, appreciation is a top differentiator for retention. Employees there place high cultural importance on dignity, personal acknowledgement, and human connection, making appreciation an especially potent cultural driver.

Why Organisations Need a Framework for Appreciation

Appreciation cannot be left to chance. Without structure, it becomes inconsistent, leader-dependent, and largely invisible. A strategic appreciation framework ensures the following:

    1. More Employees Are Reached, More Often

Without design, appreciation becomes selective, limited to those who work closest to influential leaders. A framework democratises visibility and ensures meaningful contributions don’t go unnoticed.

    2. Appreciation Aligns to Purpose and Values

When appreciation highlights behaviours the organisation wants to reinforce, such as innovation, collaboration, and integrity, it becomes a strategic cultural tool.

    3. Appreciation Happens at Every Level

Peer-to-peer. Leader-to-employee. Employee-to-leader. Cross-functional. A shared language of gratitude strengthens relationships across the organization.

    4. The Impact Is Scalable and Measurable

Designed appreciation allows organizations to track belonging, engagement, connection to purpose, and even turnover, transforming appreciation from a “soft gesture” into a measurable cultural lever.

    5. It Is High-Leverage and Economical

Unlike expensive rewards programs, appreciation requires more intent than budget.
Yet it delivers disproportionate returns. According to O.C. Tanner’s Global Culture Report, employees who feel regularly appreciated are:

• 3x more likely to stay
• 4x more likely to do great work
• 5x more likely to feel aligned to organisational purpose

Embedding Appreciation Across the Employee Lifecycle

A strong appreciation culture is built when organisations recognise people meaningfully at every stage of their journey. It begins at onboarding, where acknowledging a new employee’s courage and values alignment sets the tone for belonging. In everyday work, appreciation for small wins and positive behaviours creates a steady rhythm of encouragement that shapes long-term engagement.

Milestones and service anniversaries become more impactful when they honour the person’s journey and contribution, not just the number of years served. During transitions, whether role changes, new responsibilities, or team movements, employees are at their most vulnerable, making appreciation a powerful source of confidence and stability. Even at exits, expressing genuine gratitude strengthens goodwill and builds a respectful alumni community.

Also Read: Johnny C. Taylor Jr. at the SHRM India Annual Conference: Leading HR Into the Future

Leadership Is the Multiplier

Leaders ultimately determine whether appreciation thrives. When they recognise people in specific, human ways, demonstrate practical empathy, and weave appreciation into everyday conversations and team routines, it sets the standard for the entire organisation. Their behaviour becomes the catalyst that turns appreciation from a gesture into a cultural norm.

Appreciation Is Not a Gesture; It’s a Strategy

Appreciation is one of the most economical, scalable, and high-impact tools organisations can use to build cultures where people thrive. It reduces attrition, strengthens trust, improves well-being, and brings purpose to life.

Recognition rewards what people do. Appreciation honours who they are.

Organisations that stop relying on transactional recognition and start building intentional, everyday cultures of appreciation will be the ones that succeed in a workplace defined by change, humanity, and meaning.