A Team Ritual of Appreciation

“Recognition strengthens relationships, boosts morale, and reminds people that their work matters.”

Most workplace meetings are focused on strategy, decisions, deadlines, or problem-solving. There is always another topic to cover, another update to discuss, or another issue that needs attention.

But one of the practices I've always appreciated most on our team happens during the last few minutes of our staff meetings. We call it Appreciations.

When I joined my company, this practice was already part of the culture. At the end of meetings, we would reserve a few minutes for team members to recognize someone else's contribution. Sometimes it was tied to a major accomplishment, like completing a large project. Other times it was something smaller, like teaching a teammate how to use a tool or offering helpful advice during a challenging situation.

What I love about Appreciations is that they create visibility for people whose work might otherwise go unnoticed, especially team members who are not always in the room with leadership. They give us a chance to pause and recognize the collaboration, support, and effort happening behind the scenes.

Over time, though, we drifted away from the practice. Like many teams, we became increasingly focused on fitting more into limited meeting time. And if I'm being honest, I haven't always done the best job protecting space for it on the agenda. When meetings run long, Appreciations can start to feel like the easiest thing to skip.

But the more I've reflected on it, the more I've realized that those few minutes matter. In professional environments, it's easy to assume people know their efforts are valued. Hearing it out loud makes certain they do. Recognition strengthens relationships, boosts morale, and reminds people that their work matters. When people regularly acknowledge one another, they become more aware of the support happening around them.

In fast-paced workplaces, meetings can easily become transactional. Productivity matters, but so does acknowledging the people behind the results. That's why I want to be more intentional about bringing this practice back. Not because appreciations solve every challenge, but because they reinforce something important: people want to feel seen.

This is one of the reasons the Professional facet of the Four Facets of Better Living is not only about achievement. It's also about the culture we create, the relationships we build, and how we make people feel while doing the work.

Sometimes it is as simple as ending a meeting by telling someone their contribution mattered.

This post is part of an ongoing blog series exploring the Four Facets of Better Living: physical, personal, professional, and prosperity.

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