Which of these statements about employee appreciation is true?

1. 43% of employees who feel appreciated are more productive at work.
2. Employees who feel valued are less likely to leave their jobs.
3. Only one in three workers say they received praise for doing good work in the past seven days.

That was a trick question — they're all true!¹ Employee appreciation isn't just feel-good fluff, it's essential for building a positive workplace and boosting productivity.

The catch is that many organizations believe that meaningful employee appreciation comes with a hefty price tag.² And they're not entirely wrong. However, while big-ticket items like bonuses and sponsored events may not be in your budget, thoughtfully crafted, low-cost initiatives can make just as big an impact.

The best part (other than the low cost) is they're easier to implement than you think.

The business impact of employee appreciation

According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace report, employees in companies that rarely show employee appreciation are about 60% more likely to experience stress than those in well-managed environments.³

Even more startling, these employees report "a lot of stress" 30% more often than unemployed people do.³

Conversely, engaged employees are 21% more profitable than their stressed-out and disengaged counterparts.³ Beyond the numbers, appreciation fosters connection, loyalty and lower turnover — critical factors for any business's success.

And while you don't need gobs of money to show appreciation, you will need something else: a clear strategy — something to guide and focus your efforts.

It's no accident that most of the organizations on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list seem to excel in employee appreciation.⁴

To help you get started, we've come up with five employee appreciation strategies to consider. Pick one that resonates and start building a culture of appreciation today.