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EO BLOGMain Page Management Articles Guest Book FoldersTangible Gifts showing appreciation topeople at work by rewarding them with gifts.The most important thing is to find the rightkind of gift for them, as giving an arbitrary giftwith no meaning can actually have a negativeeffect. It is better for you to take time andnotice what your colleagues enjoy, observingtheir hobbies and interests so that you can buythem a small and appropriate gift.Physical Touch giving a pat on the back,a handshake or even a “high five” for a jobwell done. Usually, physical touch occursspontaneously and in the context of celebration.In order that this language of appreciationcan be seen as a meaningful expression ofappreciation we have to observe the norm ofa particular culture. The norm on whether thephysical touch is considered as appropriateor inappropriate touches between membersof the opposite sex or same sex.The book also highlights the fact that for each ofus there is a primary and secondary languageof appreciation and a least valued languageof appreciation. Our primary language wouldcommunicate more deeply from our hearts;the second language comes from a secondaryplace, while the least valued language is theleast meaningful to us. There is an assessmenttool called the Motivating by Appreciation (MBA)Inventory which helps individual employeesdiscover their primary appreciation language,their secondary language and the language thatis least meaningful to them.A person’s preferred language of appreciationwill change over time in response to differentstages, circumstances or events in life and theindividuals with whom they are interacting. Underthe influence of these factors, one’s secondarylanguage of appreciation may ascend the ladderof importance and one’s primary language maytend to decrease in emotional value. There mayalso be situations in which one’s least importantlanguage may become meaningful.It is important for us to discern the language ofappreciation people value most and speak thatlanguage to the person you are trying to encourageso you do not miss the mark. The two most concreteways to discern the language of appreciation is tofind out how they show appreciation to others andwhat they complain about.As civil servants, we have lists of duties andresponsibilities which are specific to the posts weare holding, and most jobs are inter-related in ourworkplace. We should be careful in performingthe acts of service in such a way that you arenot seen as simply shirking your responsibilities.When we are showing appreciation by usingthe languages of tangible gifts, we have to becareful not to be perceived as having possibleconflicts of interests, accepting an advantage orbreaking anti-corruption laws. In relation to anact of physical touch, we have to be cautiousto avoid the incident being construed as sexualharassment.I highly recommend this book because it providesdeep insights into the different considerationswe must have when showing appreciation forour colleagues in order to create a positive andproductive work atmosphere. A positive workingrelationship is extremely important, especiallywhen we are often asked to “do more with less”.Last but not least, knowing the tips and skillsto show appreciation for other’s work is notenough. We have to constantly put these intopractice to recognise their real effects.If you are interested in the book, please go tohttp://appreciationatwork.com.Alice Chu19