We’ve all likely heard of the five ‘love languages’ which detail what people look for in their relationships. These are: words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service and receiving gifts. But people, notably Gary Chapman (author of the original five love languages book) are now theorising that these same love languages can apply to our work environment also.
Work love languages refer to different areas that individuals require to feel happy and appreciated within their workplace. Experts believe that it is crucial for managers and business owners to pay close attention these languages and identify which language works for each employee, as they could hold the key to engaging employees and improving retention rates.
So, what are these work love languages? We take a look below:
Acts of service
Acts of service in the workplace can take many forms, but essentially it boils down to leadership providing the right tools and guidance that allow you to carry out work effectively. This could take the form of delegation amongst a wider team, allowing remote work on occasion (or indeed providing the space to work collaboratively in the office) or even streamlining team meetings to make them more productive.
Quality time
For many businesses, face to face communication (or quality time) has been sorely lacking over the last few years due most of us working remotely due to the pandemic. With businesses able to return to offices for quite some time now, many have taken a much slower approach, or have opted to not return to the office at all. For individuals whose love language is quality time, then this can present many difficulties, as they greatly appreciate meetings, regular communication and that all-round social aspect of office life that was missed during lockdowns.
Words of affirmation
This is more than simply receiving a pat on the back for a job well done, you want to get into the nitty gritty of what aspects of your work performed particularly well and the impact this work will have on the wider business. In short, you don’t want vague praise. Managers should provide this to employees in a structured and timely way, as this will go a long way in boosting employee morale.
Gifts or perks
Who doesn’t love a present? And in the workplace, no matter how big or how small, tokens of appreciation go a very long way. So why not splurge on a monthly team lunch, hand out an employee’s favourite tipple for a job well done and not forgetting those key present-giving occasions such as Christmas or birthdays.
When you think of your team, can you identify their individual work love language? And if so, are you doing all you can to communicate to them in the right way? If your answer is no, then you have identified some key insight into how you can improve employee engagement that will ultimately make for a much happier workforce.