This time I deliberately choose not to publish the source, but I read an article that makes me very depressed. Several studies are cited and you can read that:
 
Organizations with sophisticated appreciation and recognition programs are 12 times more likely to have strong business results
 
When companies spend 1% or more of their payroll on recognition, 85% notice a positive impact on engagement

Why does this discourage me?

I work and am passionate about us showing each other more appreciation just to increase engagement and create better business results.

Well. If you’re reading this, you get a strong urge to “Maybe I should start a big implementation of a sophisticated program for appreciation and recognition?!”

I really don’t think so. In fact, I think you’re probably thinking, “Ugh, that sophistication seems big and hard. And on top of that, it costs 1% of our entire payroll, that’s a lot of money! I’ll settle for what we have.”

It honestly makes me sad. Because it doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be expensive. I’m going to be cocky here. It is possible to achieve these results for a price tag that is less than a bottle of wine at the next kick-off.