Insights > Recognising great work
Time to catch someone in the act of doing great work? (February 2026)
If giving praise and recognition costs nothing and is even more effective than financial rewards, then why aren't more compliments given at work?
Employees have thousands of individual interactions and moments every day. For better or worse, some are life-changing. Negative moments are far more memorable than neutral ones and can cause harm to health that may even shorten your life.
Scientific discoveries also indicate that positive moments are essential for every day survival. Not only do they improve physical and mental health, they protect against depression and illness.
One study found that teams with a praise versus negative interaction ratio greater than 3:1 are significantly more engaged, productive and receive better customer feedback. And, Japan's National Institute for Physiological Sciences discovered (17 years ago) that paying people a sincere compliment activates the same part of the brain as giving them cash.
Recognition is undervalued not because it’s ineffective, but because it's effects are poorly understood. When praise and recognition are not part of the system, they remain an underdeveloped (low-cost, high-impact) leadership muscle.
Time to catch someone doing something good?
Employees have thousands of individual interactions and moments every day. For better or worse, some are life-changing. Negative moments are far more memorable than neutral ones and can cause harm to health that may even shorten your life.
Scientific discoveries also indicate that positive moments are essential for every day survival. Not only do they improve physical and mental health, they protect against depression and illness.
One study found that teams with a praise versus negative interaction ratio greater than 3:1 are significantly more engaged, productive and receive better customer feedback. And, Japan's National Institute for Physiological Sciences discovered (17 years ago) that paying people a sincere compliment activates the same part of the brain as giving them cash.
Recognition is undervalued not because it’s ineffective, but because it's effects are poorly understood. When praise and recognition are not part of the system, they remain an underdeveloped (low-cost, high-impact) leadership muscle.
Time to catch someone doing something good?