Praise Isn't Just Nice to Have, It's a Strategic Imperative

The day I quit the job I loved

I started my career as a personal trainer in the fitness industry working for a very well known brand.

I loved the job. I loved my clients. I loved helping them to succeed. But I didn’t love how I felt, or rather, how I wasn’t made to feel.

I remember walking into my first ever appraisal with my line manager, buzzing with anticipation. Finally, I thought, a conversation about my long-term impact, how I could learn and grow, and how I could deepen my connection with my colleagues and members. 

I didn’t get any of this. Instead, the entire “discussion”, if you can really call it that, was a rundown of KPIs and revenue targets. Not a single word of appreciation. Not a single question about my development. 

I handed in my notice the next day, leaving the organisation, and, ultimately, the industry.

I didn’t leave because I didn’t love the work. I left because I felt invisible; a small cog in a very large wheel, replaceable within a second.

This story isn’t unique. In fact, it's incredibly common.

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Recognition deficit is the silent engagement killer

Despite the mountains of research showing how powerful praise and appreciation are, the average workplace is still emotionally anaemic. 

Less than 25% of UK employees say their employer effectively uses recognition beyond money to encourage good performance. That’s not just disappointing, it’s dangerous.

When we neglect praise:

• Burnout spikes: Lack of recognition contributes to 30% of UK worker burnout. Employees report feeling frustrated (45%), demotivated (42%), and undervalued (37%).
  
  
• Top talent walks: Employees who feel unappreciated are twice as likely to quit. Losing skilled people costs businesses between 50% to 200% of their annual salary to replace.
  
  
• Team morale crumbles: Negative feelings spread fast. One disengaged, undervalued employee can drag down the mood and performance of an entire team.
  
  
• Justice feels absent: For under-represented groups, the absence of appreciation reinforces feelings of exclusion. When recognition is uneven, so is psychological safety.
  
  

Recognition isn’t fluffy.

Fixing the recognition gap at every level

Let’s break down what needs to change using the Me, We, Us model.

Me: Make praise personal and frequent

People need to feel seen, not just for outcomes, but for effort, contribution, and character.

• Be specific: Generic "good job" messages land flat; they could be said to anyone. Specific praise (“Your clarity in that client presentation turned the whole meeting around”) is motivating.
  
  
• Be consistent: Recognising someone shouldn’t be an annual ceremony. Studies show that weekly praise is optimal. Little and often matters more than grand but rare gestures and it’s easy for us all to do.
  
  
• Be inclusive: Make sure everyone has access to recognition platforms, not just senior or highly visible colleagues. It’s all too easy for these benefits to cater solely to more senior colleagues.
  
  

We: Train managers to lead with appreciation

Managers are the main architects of daily employee experience. If they miss the mark on appreciation, everything else collapses.

• Empathy is a skill: It can be taught and practiced. Joy Junction trains line managers to lead compassionate, development-rich conversations using tools like the Conversation Canvas.
  
  
• Kindness is strategic: The THINK (True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind) framework encourages managers to lead with kindness, a proven gateway to psychological safety.
  
  
• Praise protects mental health: When appreciation is high, it can soften the blow of harder conversations, unreasonable tasks. and daily stressors. In other words, it can build resilience.
  
  

Want to improve engagement? Provide your line managers with the training to see, hear, and recognise their people.

Us: Build recognition into the cultural fabric

Organisationally, recognition must evolve from ad-hoc nicety to the embedded norm.

• Champion justice: Recognition needs to be fair, equitable, and accessible to everyone. This is especially crucial for those in lower-paid roles or marginalised groups.
  
  
• Operationalise appreciation: Use frameworks like the Five Ways to Wellbeing, especially 'Give', which enables a culture of gratitude and peer recognition.
  
  
• Track real impact: Forget vanity metrics. Instead, use Value on Investment (VOI) to measure how recognition drives engagement, retention, and productivity.
  
  

Let’s stop calling it "soft"

There is nothing soft about praise. It is one of the most effective, low-investment, high-impact strategies to boost performance and wellbeing. 

Appreciation protects mental health. It improves retention. It powers innovation. It creates a culture where people don’t just survive, they thrive.

And it starts with the people who lead teams.

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Your managers hold the key

Joy Junction helps organisations move from intention to action by equipping line managers with the skills and confidence to hold powerful, meaningful wellbeing and recognition conversations.

We don’t offer off-the-shelf courses. We build emotionally intelligent leaders who know how to spot effort, share praise, and uplift performance, without waiting for an annual review.

Want to turn recognition into your organisation’s superpower? Let’s train your managers to lead with appreciation.

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