Case study: How using the five languages of appreciation in the workplace can increase staff engagement

A common concept in which romantic compatibility is considered is the ‘five love languages’, first popularised by Gary Chapman in his 1992 book of the same name.

Essentially, an individual’s love language is interpreted as how they would best like their partner to express love for them. 

These languages are defined as:

1. Words of affirmation

   The language of using words to communicate a positive message

2. Quality time

   The language of prioritising time together

3. Acts of service

   The language of offering a helping hand

4. Receiving gifts

   The language of receiving thoughtful gifts

5. Physical touch

   The language of demonstrating appreciation through physical touch

Despite the name, love languages aren’t just about expressing love. They consider how a person best feels appreciated and acknowledged, which is why Gary Chapman, along with co-author Paul White, adapted them for the professional world in their book The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.

Chapman and White say that when employees feel appreciated, staff morale is improved, the workplace culture becomes more positive, and employees feel encouraged to be more engaged.

For Aussie consumer lending company Wisr, this certainly rings true.

Appreciation languages in practice

Currently, Wisr employs around 140 people and, as head of people and culture Kate Renner explains to SmartCompany Plus, the company implements the languages of appreciation into its culture “implicitly”.

Renner says there has always been a strong focus on culture at Wisr but, until recently, there was no official ‘framework’ of what — and how — to celebrate employee achievements.

Now there is, and it’s one that centres around the five languages of appreciation, ensuring this concept is used right across the entire organisation and within individual teams.

Some examples of the company-wide initiatives include:

1. Words of affirmation

   Verbal call outs on a company-wide Slack channel called #Give-a-Hoot, where everyone across the business (and in different teams) can thank a colleague for helping them on a task, problem solving an issue or just for sending them a message to see how they’re going.

2. Quality time

   This is acted on by promoting quality time in team events or one-on-one meetings and check-ins, with team leads actively finding out from each staff member how they want to spend quality time or interact.

3. Acts of service

   Regularly pitching in to grab team members coffee or treats, and embedding a culture where if individuals are staying late, others offer to help them with tasks or projects to make their workload easier.

4. Receiving gifts

   Wisr regularly sends out ‘surprise and delight’ gifts. For example, during lockdown, the office manager found out every employee’s favourite things to do or new things they wanted to try, and then sent gifts that coincide with these, such as groceries for a new recipe.

5. Physical touch

   When in the office, Wisr makes sure personal boundaries are kept top of mind when acting on this language of appreciation. Some people don’t like to hug but are happy with a fist bump, so Wisr leaders make sure to ask a person how they best wish to engage.

At Wisr, this demonstration of appreciation goes deeper than a company-wide approach, and is something that’s made clear to a staff member from the very day they get on board.

“When a manager brings on a new employee into the business or into their team, they figure out how they would like to be appreciated from day one,” Renner explains.

“They [have] that conversation so that they understand really deeply what their employee likes — whether it’s recognition or gifts — and the leader will also provide the employee with the tools needed to understand the different types of recognition as well.”

Knowing this from the get-go means when achievements occur — whether personally or professionally — Wisr can celebrate it the way the individual prefers.

“If someone has bought a new house and it’s someone who really likes that public display of words of affirmation, then there might be a post that they put on the general Slack channel,” Renner explains.

“But if there’s someone who really likes to internalise and love gifts, we would send them a gift related to their new home.”

The results are in

Wisr says there are ample benefits from these practices, including better innovation, a bonded company, and the knowledge for Wisr staff that they are being seen, heard and appreciated.

“They feel safe and secure, which means they do amazing work and help to create a really incredible and innovative culture,” Renner says.

“It’s all part of Wisr creating a psychological safe space that allows staff to bring their real selves to work; we embrace the whole person and how they want to communicate or feel appreciated is a key part of that.”

Wisr uses employee net promoter scores (eNPS) and regular surveys to gauge employee response, which Renner says is a “great way to actually measure the impact”. It also means the employee experience team is able to keep an eye on any changing behaviours or preferences.

“Someone on day one might really think that they feel appreciation through words and then maybe six months later, they learn more about the business and the environment, and they may actually decide quality time from their manager is something that’s more important to them in the context of how we work,” Renner explains.

Having these regular surveys and asking these questions means the employee experience team can provide leaders with the right information to better show staff appreciation.

Next steps

For managers looking to become better leaders, or for companies wanting to embed a stronger, more supportive culture, implementing these appreciation languages like Wisr could be a great way forward.

Leaders can workshop ways to incorporate the languages of their employees within their day-to-day operations, and expand on the suggestions below:

Words of affirmation:

• Provide verbal praise
• Show your gratitude by giving a personal thanks
• Share the team member’s achievements in a public forum

Quality time: 

• Organise regular one-on-one time
• Encourage employees to engage in informal get togethers
• Offer your undivided attention when speaking

Acts of service:

• Offer to take something off their work load
• Ask how you can help manage their tasks
• Buy them a coffee or pick up their lunch to show you notice how busy they are

Receiving gifts: 

• Consider the recipient in the gift: don’t give a voucher for a steakhouse to a vegan
• Define what the gift is a reward for 
• Consider building an incentive program for the whole company to participate in

Appropriate physical touch: 

• Ask what physical affection they prefer
• Shake their hand, give them a high five, or pat on the back
• Offer these displays of affection spontaneously to continuously offer encouragement