Saying 'I love you' (in a work-appropriate way)

How often should you say thanks? Saying thank you to your employees is something which should be second nature and shouldn't happen just once a year. Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton explain how often you should tell your employees you appreciate them.

When we speak to corporate groups, we'll send out pre-surveys that ask employees to note the last time they were recognised. While we've shown in our research the most productive workplaces provide specific praise to their people every seven days, the majority of workers we survey say it's been at least six months since their last public recognition moment, and about a third say it's been longer than a year. Ouch!

So, with that in mind, how would you grade yourself and your organisation on these two scenarios? (A-E, GCSE-style, please)

On our team, when an employee gives a strong effort...

A. Public praise will occur the same day or next.

B. Employees will typically file their taxes at least twice before any appreciation is felt.

C. They'll be thankful for their jobs-they can go home and hug their dog if they want a warm and fuzzy.