Communicating appreciation in the workplace: importance and perception of appreciation from managers and co-workers and its effects on organisational citizenship behaviour

Purpose To strengthen relationships with their employees, organisations should encourage the appreciation of work performance and personal characteristics/qualities among managers and co-workers. Thus, this study analyses how much appreciation employees receive from managers and co-workers, how important various reasons for appreciation are to employees, and how often they perceive appreciation for these reasons. Furthermore, the effects of receiving appreciation from managers and co-workers on different forms of organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) are examined. Design/methodology/approach Employees working in Germany (N = 486) responded to an online survey gauging (1) appreciation received from managers and co-workers, (2) importance and perception of appreciation for different reasons and (3) OCB on the individual and organisational level. Findings Both managers and co-workers convey a high level of appreciation, with co-workers communicating slightly more appreciation. Reliability, willingness to take responsibility and solution-oriented working are seen as the most important reasons for appreciation, while employees receive appreciation for their reliability, individual performance and solution-oriented working. Differences between the importance and perception of appreciation indicate that employees feel under-appreciated. Appreciation from managers increases OCB on the organisational level only, while appreciation from co-workers increases OCB on both the individual and the organisational level. Originality/value The study demonstrates how receiving appreciation encourages employees to volunteer for both their co-workers and their organisation. Furthermore, the results indicate that internal communication professionals should ensure that the appreciation expressed is aligned with employees’ needs.