The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People

Featured in the Winter 2026 Newsletter

When people receive appreciation at work, it can increase job satisfaction, reduce turnover, and build more positive relationships between employees, employers, and the customers they serve. Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Paul White found that expressions of appreciation are most effective when given in the receiver’s “primary appreciation language.” Their book, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, maps out a model called Motivating by Appreciation for managers and team members to tailor recognitions of colleagues’ work and attributes in a way that will mean the most to them and build a positive and healthy organizational culture.  

The appreciation languages may sound familiar. They are the same as Chapman’s previously published love languages for personal relationships: words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, tangible gifts, and physical touch. They’ve modified the implementation to be appropriate for the work environment. Through numerous examples from the authors’ work, the book enables the reader to conceptualize many different ways to put these forms of appreciation into practice. Guiding questions at the end of each chapter help you go further to reflect on your own preferences and ways you can practice all the languages of appreciation. The authors assert that even physical touch, which they acknowledge as a sensitive topic in the workplace, can be enacted successfully. They posit that discovering your own and your colleagues’ primary appreciation languages and modifying your approach to cater to the individual differences in the workplace can increase the efficacy of your efforts and achieve better results. 

The Ombuds Office recognizes the importance of showing appreciation in work and academic environments. With regular practice, it can help to establish a positive climate and decrease the likelihood of destructive or prolonged conflict. Keep an eye out in the coming months for the Ombuds Office’s Appreciation Station where an ombuds will help you craft and send notes of appreciation to colleagues.