The need for appreciation is timeless.
In a 1949 study, employees were asked to rank the rewards of their jobs. Then their managers were asked to rank what they believed the employees wanted. Highest on the employees’ lists were (1) feeling appreciated and 2) feeling that they were being informed about things that were happening. Managers were blown away. They had believed their employees would put good wages and job security first.
In fact, most managers had no idea how highly their employees valued appreciation.
The study was repeated in the 1980s and again recently. The result? Each time, the findings were exactly the same.