Recognise This! – Great benefit can be gained simply by encouraging employees to deepen relationships with each other through appreciation, gratitude and story sharing.

Following on my post yesterday about global employee research from the Boston Consulting Group showing that “appreciation for my work” is the most important job aspect for employees, I wanted to share the findings of our 2014 UK and Ireland Workforce Mood Tracker survey (released today). Findings are consistent with what we see in the US, with employees highly valuing relationships at work but feeling unsupported by the organisation in building those relationships more deeply.

As I comment in the news release, this year’s survey shows that organisations would benefit greatly from celebrating their employees’ dedication to the company, as well as the strong bonds people form while at work. While many may claim that they do not have friends at work, perhaps if they were given the opportunity to see the impact they have made on their colleagues, their opinion would differ.

Work Relationships Are Critical to Quality of Work and Life, Desire to Stay

• 83 percent of UK and Irish employees believe their work relationships are important to their quality of life, yet almost half (45 percent) have no colleagues they consider to be real friends
• 33 percent of survey respondents do not think their company culture allows them to easily build lasting relationships with co-workers, despite 43 percent of them spending between 31 and 50 hours per week with colleagues.
• 24 percent of those with friends at work say they intend to stay with their current company for as long as possible, compared with just 16 percent of those without friends at work.

Improving Service Anniversaries a Good Way to Increase Impact of Friendships at Work

• 65 percent of UK and Irish employees say they would feel good if their colleagues acknowledged their first year anniversary at their company
• 17 percent say shared memories and kind words from co-workers would be the most meaningful way to celebrate their one-year milestone.
• While 67 percent would like the opportunity to congratulate or share stories and memories on their colleagues’ anniversaries, 62 percent of organisations have no programme in place to acknowledge such events.

Social recognition key to increasing employee productivity

• 86 percent said they would work harder if their efforts were better recognised and appreciated
• While 61 percent feel they are appreciated, 43 percent are not satisfied with the level of recognition they receive.

Adding a social element to recognition encourages interaction and friendships amongst colleagues. It deepens friendships, bonds people together, and provides the foundations for building trust and stronger relationships. The end result is increased engagement and a stronger company culture.

How deep are your relationships at work? Does your company culture support the formation good, positive relationships? How do these relationships affect your attitude toward your work, your colleagues and your company?