I had the privilege of discussing with an old colleague who is on the management of a growing company. They value their corporate culture highly and I was impressed by their dedication and how they continuously work to highlight their employees.

They showed me how they use different channels to show appreciation, and the channels were hot. Around twenty posts from different people in management to different employees. Weekly. And those were good, personal posts. Not just “Thank you X for your great efforts!”

Definitely among the best I’ve ever seen! Kudos!

On the way home that evening, it struck me – if they spread 20 posts a week among their almost 400 employees, it gives each person a positive reinforcement a little over twice a year, provided that you manage to have an even distribution.

All of a sudden, it was no longer as fun to think about this. When “best in class” means that you hear/read real appreciation once every six months, how is the average company doing?

It becomes clear to me that if you want to create a culture based on appreciation, then it is practically impossible to put the responsibility only on management or managers.