Imagine: you are enjoying your work and suddenly your colleague or manager notices how valuable your contribution is. That feeling of recognition, that you are seen and appreciated, isn’t that fantastic? So why don’t we use the power of appreciation more often? That is why we celebrate National Compliments Day on Friday, March 1. A day dedicated to expressing sincere appreciation and showing personal recognition. It’s something we can all do more of.
Why compliments?
Why are compliments so important? Turns out, getting a compliment is not only fun, it’s also good for your health! When someone expresses sincere appreciation to you, you produce dopamine in your brain, which creates a positive feeling. You feel seen, and that increases your sense of happiness. And an increased level of happiness naturally has a positive influence on your job satisfaction. But how do you give a good compliment? Here are a few tips:
- Be specific: Go for customization. Don’t just say “Good job,” but rather “Your approach to solving that problem was really impressive.”
- Be genuine: Authenticity is key. People sense when a compliment is sincere, and that makes it even more valuable.
- Timing is everything: Choose the right moment to express your appreciation. A compliment at the right time is more powerful.
- Recognize the effort: Recognizing the effort behind an achievement is just as important as recognizing the result.
- Use positive language: Focus on what went well and avoid negative terms. After all, it is a compliment, not feedback.
Your turn!
And now it’s your turn! At Marel we encourage expressions of appreciation between colleagues. With the above tips you now know how to give a good compliment. To make it easy, there are various means of communication available at your location to compliment colleagues. Whether you want to say it personally or prefer to do something small like a compliment card, it can all make a big difference. How? This can be done, for example:
- Face to face: say it directly to someone!
- With a compliment card: you can find this at your location. But you can also send these digitally! You can download the compliment cards below.
- Do you work from home? Give someone a call or send a message on Teams.
