Words Matter. YOUR Words Really Matter!

A staff member emerged from a coffee shop washroom just as a customer was about to enter.

“Sometimes I wonder why I bother,” she said. “It won’t be any time before the mirror is covered with water spots.”

The customer sympathized. “Yours is a thankless job.”

“Not really. My boss thanks me all the time.”

“That’s nice of her.”

“It is. If she didn’t say thank you, I would have quit long ago.”

The manager’s words mattered to this staff member, just as words matter to other employees in other workplaces, including in yours.

A mother recalls her son’s employment experiences while in high school. He had left his first job after just a few days because he felt he wasn’t valued for who he was or what he did.

But his next job was different.

“He would have done anything for the manager of the bakery where he worked when he was in high school,” the mother said. “He was always letting the staff know that he appreciated what they did.”

It’s not just the words of supervisors that matter to staff members. What co-workers and clients say can also make a difference.

A kindergarten teacher describes how good it made her feel to hear what her colleague, a Grade One teacher, said: “I look forward to getting the children you taught in my class. They are so ready to learn. You do such a good job with them.”

A health-care worker who encountered a patient who refused to be vaccinated, another who wouldn’t wear a mask and anti-vaxxers protesting outside the facility where she worked, says another patient’s words made her day: “I feel a lot of gratitude for what you do every day. It must be stressful to have to encounter protesters when you come to work every day. We appreciate your dedication.”

What others said made all these individuals feel appreciated, which is important. It helps boost morale and increase engagement. Expressions of appreciation also have a positive impact on staff retention.

Not feeling appreciated is the number one reasons people quit their jobs, according to research by Globoforce. As recognition guru Bob Nelson writes, “People may take a job for more money, but they often leave it for more recognition.”

All these stories have something in common. None of these individuals mentioned anything about receiving tangible tokens of appreciation—no gifts, no trophies, no certificates, not even a thank-you note.

Such items may reinforce a supervisor or a co-worker’s message of appreciation but it’s the words that people hear that demonstrate others understand and appreciate what they do.

Are these the words your staff hears?

Words matter. Your words matter. They really do!