The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace - Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People

This is a good book that illustrates how the 5 Love Languages concept can be applied in a professional work environment. Motivating employees and team members requires work and effort, and even a small amount of appreciation expressed in the right way (i.e. the employee's primary appreciation language) can pay off in spades. The book explains the different appreciation languages and gives tips and examples of how to manage people using those concepts.

I am a HUGE fan of the book "The 5 Love Languages" so I was thrilled to realize that there was a work version! I picked up this book from my company's BetterBookClub.com program because I wanted to be able to understand the people that I work with more. After reading this book I took a few moments and really thought about what each one's "love" language was. From here on out, I am committed to speaking the language of my coworkers. My favorite quote from this book is, "...people in the workplace need to feel appreciated in order for them to enjoy their job, do their best work, and continue working over the long haul."

Managerial staff need clear communication skills so workers will embrace teamwork, feel appreciated.
This book gives suggestions that can be applied to any company, institution (ie: church), organization.

Update to my review on 9/13/12:
Yesterday I purchased the book and was disappointed it didn't come with an access code. I contacted mbainventory.com to see if I could get a code. They responded right away by sending my request to Moody Publishing. I was able to get the code right away. It was super fast service!

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I can't find the access code on the Kindle version. I would rather get the paperback if I knew I was getting the code. This stinks. Hopefully the store or Dr. White will remedy this. In the meantime, get the paperback instead.

Once I get the code and finish the book I can write a better review.

Have read other books in the "love language" line by Chapman and each one has added to my life and given me more knowledge. This book did not let me down... once again Chapman came through in a thoughtful and logical way. Very good organization of thoughts and great supporting examples. Highly recommend this to anyone who works... not just team leaders, supervisors, etc. We all motivate... either in a positive or negative way. Read it... you'll be better for it.

If you struggle to understand how people need to be appreciated this book is for you. Great information in regards to how you want people to show you appreciation and how one can in turn show appreciation in the workplace to each other

As a Team Leader, I enjoy looking for ways to help my employees succeed and feel appreciated. This audio book is a great tool. However, I still have not been able to access the resources I was promised.

I love the book - Simply amazing. It's precise, and it's practical! The 5 language of appreciation clearly shows what are the 5 general areas that employees and managers require to go a long way in the organization. Nevertheless, this book is a great investment for me!

In order to understand what you need as an individual (or realize what is missing but cannot put your finger on) and to understand what will motivate the individuals on your team - this is a must read!!!

I have my job search clients read this book and suggest the members of their family and network read it as well so they know how to support and encourage their job seekers by making them feel appreciated.

I rank this right up there with Myers Brigg and StrengthsFinder 2.0 as a must for everyone.
Well done!

If you liked reading the 5 Love Languages and found them useful in your personal life, this book may help you to take a similar approach into the workplace.

It is a tad repetitive, but the point of the book (in my opinion) is the change the tone rather than re-invent the theory. You are not going to learn anything earth-shattering, but it is a good case study that you can hold 5 Languages approach in personal and business context.

Looking forward to doing the MBA test. Would be good if the test was made part of the book, rather than online.

Good book but very much like the 5 love languages. The assessment doesn't give you much detail and there is a lot of dependence on stories of other people rather than actually teaching about how, why, etc. using appreciation on the job will really impact the work site. We all know it will help, but I expected a bit more depth from this book. if you know the 5 Love Languages, you know the 5 Languages of Appreciation.

The book was helpful and insightful - I feel I know myself better, and I have good questions to ask my colleagues to improve our working environment. HOWEVER, the access code I was given to take the inventory which would give me deeper insights had already been used, so the purchase of the book felt like a bit of a waste. I'm not sure where this book was before it came to my home, but someone else was given my code. Frustrating.

I have a read a lot of these business short books and this was not one that had any great impact on me. I also thought the MBA was a little outdated. Most people I know in the US work virtually. Finally, I wanted to use this book for my global team and found the writing and stories a little too US centric..

Many books have been written about how to keep employees happy and motivated. The 5 Languages of Appreciation by Gary Chapman and Paul White speaks to the essence of what everyone looks for in the workplace, regardless of position and experience . . . being valued in a way that is personally meaningful. The strategy is simple, logical, and effective.

I would like to hear more on suggestions for recognition program development which ties into the different languages of appreciation. How would develop a program for a team which encourages competition and still hit the appreciation mark?
Great ideas to build a stronger team via individualized appreciation techniques.

When my ex-husband absolutely rejected everything in this reference, I feared for the marriage - but continued to try and relate on his level. 4 years later, there was an ugly divorce - his choice for rejecting the advice in the book.

I ordered book and CD. The CD is great but, I tried to stop the delivery of the book, not in time so now to send it back will cost me half the price of the book (Which I am doing) just on principle I guess. My fault, did not notice that when I purchased it from the store prime. So I learned my lesson. My $5.00 lesson. I do recommend the cd easy to listen to and anywhere. Learning so much about people and their needs.

would have done the job. The book is incredibly, incredibly, repetitive, repetitive (ha ha). It was also a little off putting that it seems to be something of a sales pitch for Chapman's consulting services. ick.

While this book was good at outlining the different appreciation languages, I felt a little scammed. First, the book had a feel like it was trying to sell me on the co-author's consulting skills to help me better apply the book's principles. Second, the actual survey isn't in the ebook version (not sure about the print version). Considering that the print version of the other Love Language books contains the survey, I felt this was a huge miss. You can take the survey on line and get your results sent to you, but somehow I feel this is really just a marketing ploy to get my e-mail address and send me spam I don't want. In all, the book had some good thoughts, but executing them isn't something you can do with the ebook alone.

The Other Kind of Smart: Simple Ways to Boost Your Emotional Intelligence for Greater Personal Effectiveness and Success
There is a great deal of research that shows that people who feel genuinely appreciated in their workplace stay longer, contribute more and are happier in their work. This ultimately effects turnover, production and the bottom line. There are leaders in organizations that believe that paying people to work is all the appreciation that they need. While many believe in the value of appreciation, few understand that not all appreciation is equal. Many fail to fully understand that the way they would like to receive appreciation is not the way everyone would like it.

This is where this book becomes so valuable. Appreciation that is not given in the receiver's language is not useful and possibly even worse than not receiving it at all. The authors do a exemplary job of breaking down the 5 different ways that people like to receive appreciation and give lots of examples to illustrate their point. My partner and I are big believers in the 5 Love Languages and refer to them often when discussing relationships. We feel that one of the major reasons our relationship works so well is that we share the same highest languages. While it takes some effort for leaders in an organization to learn the appreciation languages of people that report to them, it is time well spent and will pay huge dividends. If leading an organization this book would be on the must read list for anyone in a position of leading people. Learning each other's appreciation languages would also increase teamwork at all levels. We all give more of ourselves when we are aware that our coworkers, as well as management, have taken the time and effort to get to know us better and genuinely appreciate us.

Marriage counsellor, Dr Gary Chapman, noticed that everyone appears to have a “love language “, a primary way of expressing and receiving expressions of love. While there are countless ways we can show love to one another Chapman asserts that there are five key categories or “love languages” that appear to be universal and comprehensive. The languages were the subject of his 1992 New York Times bestselling book titled “The 5 Love Languages.

The five Love languages are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Dr Chapman found that a common cause of marital dissatisfaction was the couple's inability to speak each other's love language, that is, to express love for one another in the language that each understand. If the husband's love language is spending quality time with his wife, he might well feel unloved if all she does is tell him how much she loves him. He complains: You tell me you love me, but you don't choose to spend time with me!

Using the same formula of five languages Chapman and White have turned their attention to the world of work in this book – The Five Languages of Appreciation.

According to the US Department of labour, 64% of Americans who leave their jobs say that they do so because they don't feel appreciated. Confirming this result other evidence suggests that the number one factor in job satisfaction is not the amount of pay received, but whether or not the individual feels appreciated and valued for the work they do. It appears that there is something deep within the human psyche that cries out for appreciation. Despite this Gallup Research reports that almost 70% of the people in the United States say they receive no praise and recognition in the workplace.

In line with the five languages of love, what makes one person feel appreciated does not make another person feel appreciated. There is confirmatory research that appreciation communicated globally across the organisation is not effective. For recognition and appreciation to be effective, it must be individualised. This book is designed to assist the reader to identify their own and other’s languages of appreciation. Proficiency in speaking the appreciation language of a colleague or subordinate can be effectively utilised to improve the workplace relations.

When messages of appreciation are sent repeatedly in ways outside the language, the intent of the message misses the mark and loses the impact the sender had hoped for. That is why so many employees are not encouraged by receiving the award as part of the company's recognition plan, it doesn’t speak in their preferred language of appreciation.

‘Words of affirmation’ are the verbalisation of praise for achievement, accomplishment, character or personality, with the condition that they be specific. In the workplace, this is the most common appreciation dialect. The authors describe a 15-year veteran employee whose manager said to him, “Ron I've never told you this, but you always I've always admired you. You're one of the kindest men I've ever met.” When he told his wife she said, “He's right. You are one of the kindest men I have ever met.” He said it was the best day of his working life. This worked as appreciation only because it was sincere. Hollow words of praise are just that, hollow.

Quality time in the workplace, as at home, involves giving the person your undivided attention, maintaining eye contact, not doing other things while you are listening and, of course, not interrupting. When a manager stops by a subordinate’s office just to “catch up” this will be taken an expression of appreciation by someone who has quality time as their language.

For a person who has ‘acts of service’ as their language of appreciation a manager or colleague’s provision of assistance when they are under pressure will be understood as an expression of appreciation. A person whose preferred language is tangible gifts will never feel valued by receiving “some help,” some of the manager’s time or a “thank you,” they want to touch it or experience it. The gift could be of little monetary value such as an award certificate, an oversized bonus, or anything in between. The important point is that even the bonus, for example, won’t feel like appreciation to one who has quality time as their language. “Sure he gave me a bonus, but he doesn’t appreciate me enough to give me any of his time!”

The fifth language, physical touch, is clearly an acceptable language of love, but needs qualification in the workplace context where unsolicited touching walks right into the sexual harassment arena. The appropriateness of this language of appreciation depends on the person, the relationship, and the organisational subculture in which it occurs. In every culture there are appropriate and inappropriate touches between members of the opposite sex and between members of the same sex. That touch is a powerful language is evidenced by the fact that babies who are held and touched tenderly develop healthier emotional lives than those who are left for long periods without physical contact.

It is hardly an earthshattering insight that appreciation needs to be viewed as valuable by the recipient in order to have impact, but it is an insight worth hearing again, especially at year-end.

Readability Light -+--- Serious
Insights High ---+- Low
Practical High ---+- Low

Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy

The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
"The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace" is another book of the famous The 5 Love Languages series by Gary Chapman. With this book, Dr. Chapman co-authored with Dr. Paul White, a psychologist, author, speaker and consultant specialized in workplace relationships. If you love The 5 Love Languages, you'll enjoy adding this to your collection.

Similar to Dr. Chapman's other books in the series,
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace targets a specific audience - those in a working environment. Some will say if you read the original The 5 Love Languages, you already know what all the other books in the series are about - using the love languages to build and heal a relationship. They are correct. However, with the specific targeted books from the series, Dr. Chapman and his co-authors (depending on the book and its target audience) provides readers with specific examples and personal experiences on how to demonstrate or notice the various love/appreciation languages administered by themselves or others. To me, that is essential and worth reading.

With The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, Dr. Chapman and Dr. White provided readers with the same 5 languages - words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, tangible gifts and physical touch. With each, explanation and examples in a workplace and how to show such appreciation language were provided. Yes, the information of what these 5 "appreciation" languages are similar, if not the same as/from the original The 5 Love Languages, but the content of action is different and targeted to why readers bought this book in the first place. Not only does this book cover how to show appreciation, it also helps readers notice others' appreciation efforts.

This is a good and easy read. It's for those who manages, as well as those under management. Face it, you are among your colleagues a very long time every day and a harmonious and efficient environment makes a good day. This is not only an individual read, it is good as a group and to build a support atmosphere within the workplace. Try it out. If you're not happy at work, maybe there's something you're missing or blinded by. This book may give you some insight. Showing and accepting appreciation can empower any one and together, an organization. This is not only for a corporate setting, it will work well for any type or size of organization.

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Moody Publishers for an honest review.

Check out my blog for other book reviews and my monthly book giveaway. http://justcommonly.blogspot.com/p/monthly-giveaway.html

It is a real eye-opener when you can read through a book and feel as if you've actually lived the story. The author talks about how to feel appreciated at the workplace and how to treat people in the workplace. If you've ever felt over worked, under appreciated, you'll need to read this.

It will give you a feel tricks to help you get through some of these difficult times and help you to open your eyes and make your life a bit of a better place to work.

Are you expressing your appreciation in the workplace?

I recently changed positions at work from co-worker, then supervisor and now employer aka the boss. I knew the job I was taking on inside and out, or so I thought. The part I wasn’t prepared for was the employee management part. You may now all the laws and procedures for the job, but handling personnel is a completely different matter. The people who work for you aren’t robots there to perform their job duties and go home. They bring with them their feelings, personalities and needs.

You say you aren’t there to fulfill their needs. No, but how you treat your employees makes a big difference in how they perform their job duties. While I started out as friends with my co-workers and had established a good work relationship with them as their supervisor, becoming their boss changes things somewhat. I have to make decisions they may not always agree with.

Reading 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, I learned exactly why some of my employees like to chit chat with me, while others express a need for me to pat them on the back, while others don’t like public displays of appreciation. It all comes from their ‘language of appreciation’ in the workplace.

The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace are:

Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Acts of Service
Tangible Gifts
Physical Touch
While I am not able to implement some of the suggestions in the book, I do see a difference in my employees in what I was already doing and didn’t realize it was responding to an employee’s particular language.

I can see which language of appreciation most of my employees preferred. I am interested having them take the MBA Inventory to reveal their true language of appreciation. This book is a helpful resource for employers to better respond to their employees, as well as co-workers to respond to one another. I received this book from Moody Press in exchange for my honest review.

Gary Chapman and Paul White take the concept of the five love languages and apply them to the workplace to show appreciation to our co-workers and employees. Chapman and White help readers to use the five love languages - Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Tangible Gifts, and Physical Touch to increase employee loyalty, promote a positive work environment, and demonstrate to employees that they are valued.

I enjoyed this book. At this point, I think I have read all of Chapman's love languages book, but they are interesting, and I enjoy his writing style. I find myself looking at people and trying to figure out what their love language is. As I read this book, I thought about my co-workers and tried to figure out what their language of appreciation. It is fairly obvious when someone is not receiving their language of appreciation.

I think this book would be excellent for anyone to read who works with others, particularly for managers or owners. These days, it seems like companies are trying to reduce costs in any possible way. While reading this book, I thought about how companies spend money on gifts and lavish awards ceremonies to recognize employees. It made me wonder how much of it is a waste for people whose language of appreciation isn't tangible gifts, or words of affirmation. I thought it was good how the authors made it clear that there are different levels of words of affirmation. For example, someone might prefer words of affirmation, but don't want to be recognized in front of a large group of people.

Overall, an excellent resource to help co-workers communicate more effectively with each other. If you want to make your workplace a better place to work, consider getting this book and leaving a few copies in the break room. You might be surprised at the difference it makes in your working environment.

I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I started this book sometime last year and stopped reading about half way through. I put it on my list this year with the goal of finishing it this time. About half way through this time, I realized why I had stopped reading it the first time, but I pushed through anyway.

I am a huge fan of Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages. The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace is the same idea, applying the five "love" languages to "appreciation" in the workplace. You get the main idea within the first seven chapters, but then the rest of it seems like a cross between "filler" (i.e. a whole chapter on the various sectors who could use the Motivation by Appreciation Inventory) or a repetitive advertisement for the Motivation by Appreciation survey (which costs $15 per person).

If you purchase the book, you can take the MBA survey for free, which is great, but to really apply what you learn from the book you need to be prepared to have all of your employees or co-workers take the MBA survey.

Written by: Gary Chapman and Paul White
Published by: Northfield Publishing

I’m a freelance writer, so I don’t work with other people. Still, I chose to read The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace because I thought it sounded like an interesting book – similar to “The 5 Love Languages” books by Gary Chapman.

Who the book is for:

Those who deal with coworkers on a regular basis, specifically managers and bosses.

What I liked:

This book makes it easier for coworkers to relate to one another.

This book gives real ideas for showing appreciation while at work.

What I didn’t like:

This book seemed a bit harder to read than most of Gary Chapman’s books.

My conclusion:

Overall, I think this is a good book for managers and bosses, as well as regular coworkers.

I give The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this book free to review from MPNewsroom. The opinions expressed in this review are my true thoughts and feeling regarding this book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

"The 5 Languages Of Appreciation In The Marketplace" by Gary Chapman and Paul White is a good title for anyone wanting to learn more on how to get along better with co-workers. Indeed, in today's economy, jobs are harder to come by, companies are more bottom-line oriented, and the marketplace seems to be more spiritually barren (camaraderie seems to be missing in more places as opposed to years past).

"5 Languages" will help you learn to get along with co-workers for however long you may be in your current position.

Some of the points covered include:

1. The 5 types of language appreciation (definition, how expressed at work, etc.).
2. Identifying your least valued language (some employers just seem to not get it and would understand by getting to know their employees).
3. 4 limitations of using the recognition and reward approach (recognize and reward deserving employees) as opposed to the more effective language of appreciation approach (for example, some employees bristle at being publicly recognized and would rather spend one-on-one time with supervisors. Again, some companies just don't get it!).
4. Using appreciation in different types of work settings - office, manufacturing, schools, nonprofit, government, etc.
5. Why people volunteer and continue to keep volunteering in their local community.
6. How a person's preferred language of appreciation can change over time.
7. Obstacles that get in the way of expressing appreciation.

The book is around 200 pages, has an easy-to-follow and understand narrative, and can be completed in a few sittings.

Read, enjoy, and be challenged and motivated (whether as a supervisor or peer) to better understand your co-workers.

Recommended.

The latest in Gary Chapman's best selling series about how to best express love to individuals in one's life, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace changes gears a bit and helps one show appreciation in a setting where the word love may be misinterpreted or not be appropriate.

For this edition, Chapman paired with workplace psychologist Dr. Paul White to discuss ways appreciation can be shown in the workplace, as well as the effect appropriately directed and received encouragement has on workers individually and the workplace as a whole. Chapman and White discuss the various ways appreciation is shown and the importance of encouraging someone in a way that is meaningful to him/her. The five love languages are quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, tangible gifts, and physical touch. Within these five languages, there are various dialects, or specific ways that are more meaningful depending on the person. For example, one worker may feel the most appreciated when receiving a private not of encouragement, while another may be more encouraged by a public word of affirmation.

Chapman and White are thorough in their treatment of each language of appreciation and how it can be expressed in the workplace.They give many helpful examples from the variety of field tests they've done with numerous companies throughout the nation, of varying sizes, services offered, and structures. The end of each chapter includes several questions under "Making it Personal" that help the reader apply the contents of each chapter to his/her life. There is also an "Appreciation Toolkit" in the back with helpful appendices on topics such as "How to Reward Volunteers" and "Acknowledging and Dealing with the 'Weirdness Factor'".

Overall I would strongly encourage any person in leadership over others in the workplace to read this book. The effects of positive and appropriate affirmation in the workplace cannot be overemphasized. Anyone from the CEO to the low man on the totem pole who simply wants to encourage those around him will benefit from reading Chapman and White's The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.

I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

New York Times bestselling author Gary Chapman and director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants Inc., and Dr. Paul White, psychologist, author, speaker and consultant have co-written a book that addresses a major problem in our American workplace today...and that is the matter of employees feeling appreciated and valued by their employers and managers. And the existence of such a problem affects the morale of the employees as well as the profitability and success of companies doing business in our world today.

There are four different sections to their book with an invaluable and helpful "Appreciation Toolkit" provided at the end of the book. This book is a MUST READ for anyone who either owns a company or manages a government agency or organization or in some way manages employees.

In the first Chapter, the authors lay the "foundation" for what they are going to share in the rest of the book. And at the end of this chapter as well as each chapter that follows they have a section titled, "Making It Personal" so that the reader of the book has to stop and reflect on what they have read, analyze their situation or experience and then act upon what they have learned...at least that is what the person reading the book should do...act appropriately and positively to what they have read in the book. In Chapter one there was one thought expressed that jumped out at me so to speak and that was the concept that "for recognition and appreciation to be effective, they must be individualized and delivered personally." And with their point I totally agree.

In Chapter 2 the authors write about the immeasurable value of "Appreciation and Encouragement." The return on investment for appropriate and individualized personal expressions of appreciation to employees in the workplace is very high! In this chapter they share what some of those returns are for the employer.

In Section 2 there are 4 Chapters where the authors write about what they refer to as "The 5 Languages of Appreciation." There are very definite and specific words and actions that are appropriate to express appreciation to employees in the workplace and they do a fine job at revealing what some of those words and actions are. The 5 languages are: "Words of Affirmation," "Quality Time," "Acts of Service," "Tangible Gifts," and "Physical Touch." And in each chapter the authors get very specific and practical about what each language is and how to appropriately use it in your workplace. And I think I am safe in stating that the practice or discipline of using these languages is not to be manipulative, but rather, the languages must be expressed sincerely and without ulterior motive or the languages will fall on deaf ears because the employees will readily detect the hypocrisy and phoniness of the languages being used. Chapter 7 concerning the matter of "Physical Touch" is a very important chapter that must be read considerately and reflectively making certain that you "get it" as far as what the authors are writing about in this section of the book. With all of the concerns today about inappropriate touch and how some types of touch can have perceived sexual or threatening overtones, the authors provide invaluable insight for employers and managers to know what appropriate physical touch is and how to best touch their employees in a physical manner without sending the employee a mixed signal or the wrong message.

In Section 3 of the book the authors write very practically in how to apply the concepts of the 5 languages of appreciation to daily life. Although almost all of the book provides appropriate and practical ways to express the 5 languages of appreciation, it is in section 3 of the book and chapters Eight through Twelve that they really get down to the heart of the matter and where "the rubber meets the road" in regards to the issue of properly expressing the languages. In Chapter 8 the authors write about what they refer to as the MBA Inventory which is the "Motivating By Appreciation" Inventory. It is an inventory that the authors developed to "provide an easy, reliable and valid tool for individuals, employers and supervisors to accomplish the goal of being able to apply the languages of appreciation to work" and to your specific workplace and employees. In Chapter 10 the authors write about the world of difference between "Recognition and Appreciation." In Chapter 11 that authors write about the different ways to express the languages of appreciation in various work sectors; for example, the languages of appreciation would be expressed differently in a bank than they would in a church or ministry. It is in Chapter 12 that they write about applying the 5 languages in the context of volunteer related organizations or "settings," and there are definitely different ways to express appreciation in the volunteer sector versus in a business environment.

With any good thing in life there are always challenges or "obstacles" that must be addressed and overcome to be most effective in making the good things we desire to happen. The reason being because we are humans and we are all different and that "what is good for a goose is not necessarily good for a gander" so even though expressing the 5 languages of appreciation is truly necessary, there are "obstacles" to overcome. In Chapter 13 the authors write about the issue of whether people's languages of appreciation change over time. In Chapter 14 the authors address the matter of overcoming the challenges of motivating by appreciation and in Chapter 15 the authors write what an employer or manager can and needs to do when they really don't appreciate their employees...and there are employers and managers in the workplace who struggle with this issue for a number of different reasons. In the conclusion of the book titled, "Now it's your turn," they basically share that the end result of your reading the book should be that you "get going" and do what you have learned from reading the book...in the ways that are appropriate to your specific workplace and individual employees.

And then there is the "Appreciation Toolkit" which I think you are going to enjoy and truly find most helpful.

So, if you are an employer or manager and "the get up and go" (the morale and life energy) of your employees seems to be gone, purchase and read this book and learn what you can do by sharing the "5 Languages of Appreciation" in your workplace to get it back again. It will be worth it. I am certain that you will be quite pleased with the results!

I received a complementary copy of the book, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, from Northfield Publishing, an imprint of Moody Publishers, for reviewing it.

"The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace" - Gary Chapman & Paul White
Coming off the Love Languages - I understood the concepts going into this read. Of course you better not show too much physical language or it will be another trip to the HR department for some "reprogramming" . Showing appreciation in individual ways in how each individual is most receptive to; is one very important way to retain employees. Which between training and retention - trillions can be saved by companies! Getting to know and understand employees is a good investment .....no a great investment! What you might "rock your world" might not be the same for everyone that works with you! So get this book and learn more and take the inventory - it will help you be a better boss and better person! No mater what type of company or organization!

This book is a quick read that explains how different people like to receive appreciation in different ways. For you hard-nosed numbers-crunchers out there, the authors do a good job making a business case for showing appreciation at work. The book is a good balance between head and heart. You need to show appreciation only when you really mean it, but you also need to intentionally focus your behavior toward others in a way that will make them feel appreciated. [And the type of appreciation you like may be very different from what your coworker likes.]

The book comes with a link and password to a web-based survey to help you identify your own languages, so you can share with others what sort of appreciation is most meaningful to you. But the most valuable use for the survey will be in giving it to others, so you can find out how to most effectively show appreciate toward them.

I work in corporate training and development, and there is no shortage of assessments that people use for trying to understand others. Each of these has its own strengths, but most of them require a fairly intense amount of study and practice to be of practical value. The value in the 5 Languages approach is that it is intuitive, easy to remember, and easy to act upon.

Do you want to know how to encourage your colleagues in your workplace or feel uncomfortable reaching out? Here is the book that you need in order to get along well with your co-workers, no matter how difficult it is.

The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, by Gary Chapman and Paul White, applies the love language concept to the workplace. This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry.

The inventory is designed to provide a clearer picture of an individual's primary language of appreciation and motivation as experienced in a work-related setting. It identifies individuals' preference in the languages of appreciation. Understanding an individual's primary and secondary languages of appreciation can assist managers and supervisors in communicating effectively to their team members.

This is overall a very positive book. I am surprised by the simplicity and effectiveness of the concept. I particularly like the way the authors make a distinction between 'recognition' and 'appreciation.'

Recognition emphasizes on performance; while MBA is on the value of the employee
Recognition benefits only a few; MBA can reach many
Recognition is more top-down; MBA can be from any direction
Recognition can be costly; MBA is affordable

The authors are also very thoughtful to include the non-profit sections of society. This is most important as appreciation in such organizations tend to presume that people CHOOSES to be in the organization in the first place, as they are not usually paid. I will even say that appreciation for the non-profit workplace is even more crucial. The biggest costs to such organizations is again, staff turnover. Better to invest well through appreciation right from the start. I too like the appendices which contains lots of resources and helps.

Perhaps, in closing, the biggest risk of MBA is NOT to do any appreciation exercise. This I believe is the most important idea to take home. Great book.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

This book is supplied to me free, courtesy of Moody Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. The comments above are freely mine.

I read one of Chapman's books about the "five love languages" several years ago, and I was impressed by the notion: We feel loved (and appreciated) in different ways. In a love relationship (e.g. marriage or family) one person might feel cherished by words of affirmation, and another primarily value "quality time." Or by acts of service, or physical touch, or gifts. It made sense to me, and in the years since I read the book I've seen several examples of the stress caused when two people clearly care about one another yet don't "speak the same language."

If that makes sense in personal terms, it also makes sense at work. All of us want to feel valued and appreciated, especially when we put ourselves into our jobs, or at least want to feel that our career and thus livelihood are not in danger. But just as one person might assume that because _she_ is motivated by public acclaim ("Hurrah, best salesperson of the week!" in a company meeting) someone else necessarily will be; in fact it can make another worker feel uncomfortable.

It's a good idea to recognize what motivates the people you work with so that you can show appreciation in a manner that means something to THEM, and encourages them to do even-better work. Not to mention to encourage loyalty from the people whom you want to be loyal.

Thus this book, which translates the five love languages into workplace terms. Well, four, really, since while "personal touch" is meaningful in a love language, "touch" is a problem in the office. You can give someone a high-five or a handshake, but you're on dicey ground if you give a colleague a hug. (Unless you're around me; I accept hugs.)

It really does help to recognize whether you -- or your employees or coworkers -- are motivated by words of affirmation, tangible gifts, quality time, or acts of service. Some people can float happily for a week when someone says, "You did a great job on that project!" when it's "just words" to someone else. A manager who says, "I appreciate how much time you put into this web project" could piss off the worker who thinks, "All talk, no action. Shut up with the praise already, and offer to pitch in and help."

Certainly I had a few personal "Aha!" realizations that could have inspired me to give the book 5 full stars. One of them is the reason that it always mattered to me to have a weekly one-on-one with my manager: That fits precisely into the description here of "quality time." My boss and I would talk about the work underway, what's happening at the office (as I was telecommuter), and non-work matters (such as baseball or quilting), and I knew that hour-per-week was MINE. A manager or client who's amenable to a regular meeting makes me feel far more valued than one who only sends an email when she has something she wants to say (even if it's "Good job!"). The book also helped me realize some of my own strengths as a manager... and perhaps a few weaknesses.

But I have to knock off a star for a couple of reasons.

One maybe-nit, which I leave to you to judge: The authors rely on an online questionnaire to help you determine your own primary and secondary "languages of appreciation" and, importantly, the least-important one. (If it's meaningless to me, I'm not going to give that kind of "thanks" to someone else, even if she needs it; that creates a blind spot to which we should pay attention.) So far, so good. The book includes a code for a free test. (I took this out of the library so the code was understandably blanked out.) Alas, the questions aren't included in the book. I can't say that I exactly feel cheated because they want to leverage this into an income-producing gig, but I sure would have been happier if I saw all the Q&A, even if I had to score it by hand.

Another nit: In the resource section, two full pages are devoted to a discussion of "the art of giving a gift without buying a 'thing,'" which is relevant to companies that cannot afford to expend a lot of money in the pursuit of appreciating those for whom a primary language of work appreciation is "tangible gifts." Not everyone can afford to give an employee tickets to a baseball game (which also requires that you know if this employee likes baseball more than ballet). The solution -- which could have been expressed in two paragraphs, not two pages -- is "buy gift cards relevant to their interests" (e.g. iTunes cards for employees who are into music). I find that an unsatisfying answer, since it still costs money and feels impersonal. Maybe that's just me, though, since tangible gifts aren't a primary "language" for me.

The bigger problem is that this book is way too long. (Yes, you may mutter: Just like this review.) It's relatively short as business books go -- about 250 pages -- but honestly could have been half the size. The points are pretty straightforward, and I grasped them quickly. A few examples are good, some are outstanding. But I quickly reached the "Enough already!" stage, and moved into "skim" mode rather than "read deeply." For example, I didn't need an entire chapter about "understanding the ROI from appreciation and encouragement;" two pages should make that point, tops. Nor did I need one for "motivating by appreciation in various industry sectors," because I cannot believe anyone seriously believes that one class of people don't need encouragement. (Even so, it only took a few hours to read the whole book.)

The end result is that I really like this book, and I easily can recommend that you read it. But I don't think you necessarily need to read it all the way through.

We're going through this book as a team in order to bring more unity. Our business has expanded rapidly, so in our effort to get to know new employees, I bought a book for each person regardless of their tenure. The questions at the end of each chapter make it easy to discuss personal insights. We offer everyone a chance to talk about their perspective, which has been insightful for me, the boss.
I'm gaining an understanding of how each person is motivated, and the team is learning how to appreciate one another!

Application of the 5LL (Five Love Languages) to the workplace. This book was an inevitable extension of the 5LL and certainly needed to be written. While Chapman doesn't sprinkle it with as many of his real life anecdotes as in the 5LL, he does manage enough practical applications to keep the individual attentive. The writing is more clinical than personal, but for a book like this, it should be. The book provides tests/work sheets for assessing personal and co-worker appreciation languages and suggests methodologies for implementing them in your workplace. This is not an "entertaining" read like the 5LL, but is much more like a manual (a very necessary one).

Ever since the 80's when Dr. Chapman's book revolutionized my relationships with family and friends, I have thought long and hard about how to incorporate his principles of love into the workplace. It is not appropriate to use "love" in the workplace, or at least, I've noticed that people can get squeemish when a supervisor is encouraged to "love" his or her staff. (And yet that is exactly what great supervisors do). The dilemma was how does one apply the principles of meaningful language communication to the workplace?

What I decided to do was to substitute "affirmation" for the word "love". It seems to be a stronger and more meaningful word than "appreciation". To be affirmed by one's boss and/or coworkers strikes me as a deeper, and more emotive feeling word than to be appreciated. So I've been applying the 5 Languages of Affirmation where I work and have had wonderful results.

Nonetheless, you can only imagine how excited I am to see that after all of these years, Dr. Chapman has made the application of his incredible book to the workplace. I will be purchasing one for each of my supervisors and am looking forward to endorsing this book during the seminars that I present on supervision and leadership here in Michigan.

Written by: Gary Chapman and Paul White
Published by: Northfield Publishing

I’m a freelance writer, so I don’t work with other people. Still, I chose to read The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace because I thought it sounded like an interesting book – similar to “The 5 Love Languages” books by Gary Chapman.

Who the book is for:

Those who deal with coworkers on a regular basis, specifically managers and bosses.

What I liked:

This book makes it easier for coworkers to relate to one another.

This book gives real ideas for showing appreciation while at work.

What I didn’t like:

This book seemed a bit harder to read than most of Gary Chapman’s books.

My conclusion:

Overall, I think this is a good book for managers and bosses, as well as regular coworkers.

I give The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this book free to review from MPNewsroom. The opinions expressed in this review are my true thoughts and feeling regarding this book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

"The 5 Languages Of Appreciation In The Marketplace" by Gary Chapman and Paul White is a good title for anyone wanting to learn more on how to get along better with co-workers. Indeed, in today's economy, jobs are harder to come by, companies are more bottom-line oriented, and the marketplace seems to be more spiritually barren (camaraderie seems to be missing in more places as opposed to years past).

"5 Languages" will help you learn to get along with co-workers for however long you may be in your current position.

Some of the points covered include:

1. The 5 types of language appreciation (definition, how expressed at work, etc.).
2. Identifying your least valued language (some employers just seem to not get it and would understand by getting to know their employees).
3. 4 limitations of using the recognition and reward approach (recognize and reward deserving employees) as opposed to the more effective language of appreciation approach (for example, some employees bristle at being publicly recognized and would rather spend one-on-one time with supervisors. Again, some companies just don't get it!).
4. Using appreciation in different types of work settings - office, manufacturing, schools, nonprofit, government, etc.
5. Why people volunteer and continue to keep volunteering in their local community.
6. How a person's preferred language of appreciation can change over time.
7. Obstacles that get in the way of expressing appreciation.

The book is around 200 pages, has an easy-to-follow and understand narrative, and can be completed in a few sittings.

Read, enjoy, and be challenged and motivated (whether as a supervisor or peer) to better understand your co-workers.

Recommended.

The latest in Gary Chapman's best selling series about how to best express love to individuals in one's life, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace changes gears a bit and helps one show appreciation in a setting where the word love may be misinterpreted or not be appropriate.

For this edition, Chapman paired with workplace psychologist Dr. Paul White to discuss ways appreciation can be shown in the workplace, as well as the effect appropriately directed and received encouragement has on workers individually and the workplace as a whole. Chapman and White discuss the various ways appreciation is shown and the importance of encouraging someone in a way that is meaningful to him/her. The five love languages are quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, tangible gifts, and physical touch. Within these five languages, there are various dialects, or specific ways that are more meaningful depending on the person. For example, one worker may feel the most appreciated when receiving a private not of encouragement, while another may be more encouraged by a public word of affirmation.

Chapman and White are thorough in their treatment of each language of appreciation and how it can be expressed in the workplace.They give many helpful examples from the variety of field tests they've done with numerous companies throughout the nation, of varying sizes, services offered, and structures. The end of each chapter includes several questions under "Making it Personal" that help the reader apply the contents of each chapter to his/her life. There is also an "Appreciation Toolkit" in the back with helpful appendices on topics such as "How to Reward Volunteers" and "Acknowledging and Dealing with the 'Weirdness Factor'".

Overall I would strongly encourage any person in leadership over others in the workplace to read this book. The effects of positive and appropriate affirmation in the workplace cannot be overemphasized. Anyone from the CEO to the low man on the totem pole who simply wants to encourage those around him will benefit from reading Chapman and White's The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.

I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

New York Times bestselling author Gary Chapman and director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants Inc., and Dr. Paul White, psychologist, author, speaker and consultant have co-written a book that addresses a major problem in our American workplace today...and that is the matter of employees feeling appreciated and valued by their employers and managers. And the existence of such a problem affects the morale of the employees as well as the profitability and success of companies doing business in our world today.

There are four different sections to their book with an invaluable and helpful "Appreciation Toolkit" provided at the end of the book. This book is a MUST READ for anyone who either owns a company or manages a government agency or organization or in some way manages employees.

In the first Chapter, the authors lay the "foundation" for what they are going to share in the rest of the book. And at the end of this chapter as well as each chapter that follows they have a section titled, "Making It Personal" so that the reader of the book has to stop and reflect on what they have read, analyze their situation or experience and then act upon what they have learned...at least that is what the person reading the book should do...act appropriately and positively to what they have read in the book. In Chapter one there was one thought expressed that jumped out at me so to speak and that was the concept that "for recognition and appreciation to be effective, they must be individualized and delivered personally." And with their point I totally agree.

In Chapter 2 the authors write about the immeasurable value of "Appreciation and Encouragement." The return on investment for appropriate and individualized personal expressions of appreciation to employees in the workplace is very high! In this chapter they share what some of those returns are for the employer.

In Section 2 there are 4 Chapters where the authors write about what they refer to as "The 5 Languages of Appreciation." There are very definite and specific words and actions that are appropriate to express appreciation to employees in the workplace and they do a fine job at revealing what some of those words and actions are. The 5 languages are: "Words of Affirmation," "Quality Time," "Acts of Service," "Tangible Gifts," and "Physical Touch." And in each chapter the authors get very specific and practical about what each language is and how to appropriately use it in your workplace. And I think I am safe in stating that the practice or discipline of using these languages is not to be manipulative, but rather, the languages must be expressed sincerely and without ulterior motive or the languages will fall on deaf ears because the employees will readily detect the hypocrisy and phoniness of the languages being used. Chapter 7 concerning the matter of "Physical Touch" is a very important chapter that must be read considerately and reflectively making certain that you "get it" as far as what the authors are writing about in this section of the book. With all of the concerns today about inappropriate touch and how some types of touch can have perceived sexual or threatening overtones, the authors provide invaluable insight for employers and managers to know what appropriate physical touch is and how to best touch their employees in a physical manner without sending the employee a mixed signal or the wrong message.

In Section 3 of the book the authors write very practically in how to apply the concepts of the 5 languages of appreciation to daily life. Although almost all of the book provides appropriate and practical ways to express the 5 languages of appreciation, it is in section 3 of the book and chapters Eight through Twelve that they really get down to the heart of the matter and where "the rubber meets the road" in regards to the issue of properly expressing the languages. In Chapter 8 the authors write about what they refer to as the MBA Inventory which is the "Motivating By Appreciation" Inventory. It is an inventory that the authors developed to "provide an easy, reliable and valid tool for individuals, employers and supervisors to accomplish the goal of being able to apply the languages of appreciation to work" and to your specific workplace and employees. In Chapter 10 the authors write about the world of difference between "Recognition and Appreciation." In Chapter 11 that authors write about the different ways to express the languages of appreciation in various work sectors; for example, the languages of appreciation would be expressed differently in a bank than they would in a church or ministry. It is in Chapter 12 that they write about applying the 5 languages in the context of volunteer related organizations or "settings," and there are definitely different ways to express appreciation in the volunteer sector versus in a business environment.

With any good thing in life there are always challenges or "obstacles" that must be addressed and overcome to be most effective in making the good things we desire to happen. The reason being because we are humans and we are all different and that "what is good for a goose is not necessarily good for a gander" so even though expressing the 5 languages of appreciation is truly necessary, there are "obstacles" to overcome. In Chapter 13 the authors write about the issue of whether people's languages of appreciation change over time. In Chapter 14 the authors address the matter of overcoming the challenges of motivating by appreciation and in Chapter 15 the authors write what an employer or manager can and needs to do when they really don't appreciate their employees...and there are employers and managers in the workplace who struggle with this issue for a number of different reasons. In the conclusion of the book titled, "Now it's your turn," they basically share that the end result of your reading the book should be that you "get going" and do what you have learned from reading the book...in the ways that are appropriate to your specific workplace and individual employees.

And then there is the "Appreciation Toolkit" which I think you are going to enjoy and truly find most helpful.

So, if you are an employer or manager and "the get up and go" (the morale and life energy) of your employees seems to be gone, purchase and read this book and learn what you can do by sharing the "5 Languages of Appreciation" in your workplace to get it back again. It will be worth it. I am certain that you will be quite pleased with the results!

I received a complementary copy of the book, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, from Northfield Publishing, an imprint of Moody Publishers, for reviewing it.

"The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace" - Gary Chapman & Paul White
Coming off the Love Languages - I understood the concepts going into this read. Of course you better not show too much physical language or it will be another trip to the HR department for some "reprogramming" . Showing appreciation in individual ways in how each individual is most receptive to; is one very important way to retain employees. Which between training and retention - trillions can be saved by companies! Getting to know and understand employees is a good investment .....no a great investment! What you might "rock your world" might not be the same for everyone that works with you! So get this book and learn more and take the inventory - it will help you be a better boss and better person! No mater what type of company or organization!

This book is a quick read that explains how different people like to receive appreciation in different ways. For you hard-nosed numbers-crunchers out there, the authors do a good job making a business case for showing appreciation at work. The book is a good balance between head and heart. You need to show appreciation only when you really mean it, but you also need to intentionally focus your behavior toward others in a way that will make them feel appreciated. [And the type of appreciation you like may be very different from what your coworker likes.]

The book comes with a link and password to a web-based survey to help you identify your own languages, so you can share with others what sort of appreciation is most meaningful to you. But the most valuable use for the survey will be in giving it to others, so you can find out how to most effectively show appreciate toward them.

I work in corporate training and development, and there is no shortage of assessments that people use for trying to understand others. Each of these has its own strengths, but most of them require a fairly intense amount of study and practice to be of practical value. The value in the 5 Languages approach is that it is intuitive, easy to remember, and easy to act upon.

Do you want to know how to encourage your colleagues in your workplace or feel uncomfortable reaching out? Here is the book that you need in order to get along well with your co-workers, no matter how difficult it is.

The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, by Gary Chapman and Paul White, applies the love language concept to the workplace. This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry.

The inventory is designed to provide a clearer picture of an individual's primary language of appreciation and motivation as experienced in a work-related setting. It identifies individuals' preference in the languages of appreciation. Understanding an individual's primary and secondary languages of appreciation can assist managers and supervisors in communicating effectively to their team members.

This is overall a very positive book. I am surprised by the simplicity and effectiveness of the concept. I particularly like the way the authors make a distinction between 'recognition' and 'appreciation.'

Recognition emphasizes on performance; while MBA is on the value of the employee
Recognition benefits only a few; MBA can reach many
Recognition is more top-down; MBA can be from any direction
Recognition can be costly; MBA is affordable

The authors are also very thoughtful to include the non-profit sections of society. This is most important as appreciation in such organizations tend to presume that people CHOOSES to be in the organization in the first place, as they are not usually paid. I will even say that appreciation for the non-profit workplace is even more crucial. The biggest costs to such organizations is again, staff turnover. Better to invest well through appreciation right from the start. I too like the appendices which contains lots of resources and helps.

Perhaps, in closing, the biggest risk of MBA is NOT to do any appreciation exercise. This I believe is the most important idea to take home. Great book.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

This book is supplied to me free, courtesy of Moody Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. The comments above are freely mine.

I read one of Chapman's books about the "five love languages" several years ago, and I was impressed by the notion: We feel loved (and appreciated) in different ways. In a love relationship (e.g. marriage or family) one person might feel cherished by words of affirmation, and another primarily value "quality time." Or by acts of service, or physical touch, or gifts. It made sense to me, and in the years since I read the book I've seen several examples of the stress caused when two people clearly care about one another yet don't "speak the same language."

If that makes sense in personal terms, it also makes sense at work. All of us want to feel valued and appreciated, especially when we put ourselves into our jobs, or at least want to feel that our career and thus livelihood are not in danger. But just as one person might assume that because _she_ is motivated by public acclaim ("Hurrah, best salesperson of the week!" in a company meeting) someone else necessarily will be; in fact it can make another worker feel uncomfortable.

It's a good idea to recognize what motivates the people you work with so that you can show appreciation in a manner that means something to THEM, and encourages them to do even-better work. Not to mention to encourage loyalty from the people whom you want to be loyal.

Thus this book, which translates the five love languages into workplace terms. Well, four, really, since while "personal touch" is meaningful in a love language, "touch" is a problem in the office. You can give someone a high-five or a handshake, but you're on dicey ground if you give a colleague a hug. (Unless you're around me; I accept hugs.)

It really does help to recognize whether you -- or your employees or coworkers -- are motivated by words of affirmation, tangible gifts, quality time, or acts of service. Some people can float happily for a week when someone says, "You did a great job on that project!" when it's "just words" to someone else. A manager who says, "I appreciate how much time you put into this web project" could piss off the worker who thinks, "All talk, no action. Shut up with the praise already, and offer to pitch in and help."

Certainly I had a few personal "Aha!" realizations that could have inspired me to give the book 5 full stars. One of them is the reason that it always mattered to me to have a weekly one-on-one with my manager: That fits precisely into the description here of "quality time." My boss and I would talk about the work underway, what's happening at the office (as I was telecommuter), and non-work matters (such as baseball or quilting), and I knew that hour-per-week was MINE. A manager or client who's amenable to a regular meeting makes me feel far more valued than one who only sends an email when she has something she wants to say (even if it's "Good job!"). The book also helped me realize some of my own strengths as a manager... and perhaps a few weaknesses.

But I have to knock off a star for a couple of reasons.

One maybe-nit, which I leave to you to judge: The authors rely on an online questionnaire to help you determine your own primary and secondary "languages of appreciation" and, importantly, the least-important one. (If it's meaningless to me, I'm not going to give that kind of "thanks" to someone else, even if she needs it; that creates a blind spot to which we should pay attention.) So far, so good. The book includes a code for a free test. (I took this out of the library so the code was understandably blanked out.) Alas, the questions aren't included in the book. I can't say that I exactly feel cheated because they want to leverage this into an income-producing gig, but I sure would have been happier if I saw all the Q&A, even if I had to score it by hand.

Another nit: In the resource section, two full pages are devoted to a discussion of "the art of giving a gift without buying a 'thing,'" which is relevant to companies that cannot afford to expend a lot of money in the pursuit of appreciating those for whom a primary language of work appreciation is "tangible gifts." Not everyone can afford to give an employee tickets to a baseball game (which also requires that you know if this employee likes baseball more than ballet). The solution -- which could have been expressed in two paragraphs, not two pages -- is "buy gift cards relevant to their interests" (e.g. iTunes cards for employees who are into music). I find that an unsatisfying answer, since it still costs money and feels impersonal. Maybe that's just me, though, since tangible gifts aren't a primary "language" for me.

The bigger problem is that this book is way too long. (Yes, you may mutter: Just like this review.) It's relatively short as business books go -- about 250 pages -- but honestly could have been half the size. The points are pretty straightforward, and I grasped them quickly. A few examples are good, some are outstanding. But I quickly reached the "Enough already!" stage, and moved into "skim" mode rather than "read deeply." For example, I didn't need an entire chapter about "understanding the ROI from appreciation and encouragement;" two pages should make that point, tops. Nor did I need one for "motivating by appreciation in various industry sectors," because I cannot believe anyone seriously believes that one class of people don't need encouragement. (Even so, it only took a few hours to read the whole book.)

The end result is that I really like this book, and I easily can recommend that you read it. But I don't think you necessarily need to read it all the way through.

We're going through this book as a team in order to bring more unity. Our business has expanded rapidly, so in our effort to get to know new employees, I bought a book for each person regardless of their tenure. The questions at the end of each chapter make it easy to discuss personal insights. We offer everyone a chance to talk about their perspective, which has been insightful for me, the boss.
I'm gaining an understanding of how each person is motivated, and the team is learning how to appreciate one another!

Application of the 5LL (Five Love Languages) to the workplace. This book was an inevitable extension of the 5LL and certainly needed to be written. While Chapman doesn't sprinkle it with as many of his real life anecdotes as in the 5LL, he does manage enough practical applications to keep the individual attentive. The writing is more clinical than personal, but for a book like this, it should be. The book provides tests/work sheets for assessing personal and co-worker appreciation languages and suggests methodologies for implementing them in your workplace. This is not an "entertaining" read like the 5LL, but is much more like a manual (a very necessary one).

Ever since the 80's when Dr. Chapman's book revolutionized my relationships with family and friends, I have thought long and hard about how to incorporate his principles of love into the workplace. It is not appropriate to use "love" in the workplace, or at least, I've noticed that people can get squeemish when a supervisor is encouraged to "love" his or her staff. (And yet that is exactly what great supervisors do). The dilemma was how does one apply the principles of meaningful language communication to the workplace?

What I decided to do was to substitute "affirmation" for the word "love". It seems to be a stronger and more meaningful word than "appreciation". To be affirmed by one's boss and/or coworkers strikes me as a deeper, and more emotive feeling word than to be appreciated. So I've been applying the 5 Languages of Affirmation where I work and have had wonderful results.

Nonetheless, you can only imagine how excited I am to see that after all of these years, Dr. Chapman has made the application of his incredible book to the workplace. I will be purchasing one for each of my supervisors and am looking forward to endorsing this book during the seminars that I present on supervision and leadership here in Michigan.

I read The 5 Love Languages in high school and was impacted by the idea that everyone receives love in different ways. This book by Drs. White and Chapman addresses the same 5 "languages"- Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Tangible Gifts and Physical Touch - as a jumping off point to explore their impact in workplace settings. They address potential blind spots (the language you value least could be one your team member relates to most), appreciation in various work settings, and how to grow in appreciation for your team members by "hitting the mark". Highly recommend!

I'm a big fan of Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages book, so I thought I'd look into this one and see how I could apply the concepts to my work. The good news is that you can definitely use the theories behind the 5 Love Languages at work, the bad news is I just wasted $10 on buying the book when someone could have just told me to change "husband and wife" to "manager and employee" in the original book and you would get the same basic idea. This is a great book and many can benefit from it, just know that it is VERY similar to the original and you aren't going to get a lot out of this that you haven't read already.

The subtitle of this book reads, "Empowering organizations by encouraging people," and that's really what this book is about--demonstrating affection in the workplace that is at once appropriate and appreciated by bosses and coworkers alike.

I know full well that the workplace can often be a hectic and discouraging environment; a coworker's failure to affirm the positive actions or words of a fellow man can be the defining point of success. I've had countless classmates at school come to me and complain about their job: they're overworked, underpaid (the state of blue collar America, it seems), discouraged because they are upbraided when they do wrong but never appreciated publicly when they do right, and a meager high five and a "Keep it up!" from the boss, with no specific point of entry from an actual action, can be more disheartening than a boss who locks himself away and never, or rarely, interacts with the worker.

Although not exactly typical leisure reading, this book does a good, thorough job on pinpointing the love languages in the workplace, or "languages of appreciation," for the sake of distinguishing between intimate appreciation and professional interaction. We so often hear words about keeping positive, contributing to a wider community than our neighborhood, and keeping the peace amongst each other that the methods of how are lost in all our Pollyanna optimism.

Gary Chapman, Ph.D. and founder of this love language revolution, causing us to rethink how we treat each other, has wisdom to share in this book. It is both a call to action for those being left in the dust to make known their language, and an encouragement to those stuck in a work environment that does not usually engender a feeling of friendship among the employees. Having a father who is sometimes caught in corporate cracks without the recognition his hard work deserves, this book was an opportunity for me to stop and ponder my own interaction with coworkers. A great book to have on the shelf (particularly at an office!).

You may buy this book at Moody Press or on the store.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

High turnover of quality employees is felt by businesses right where it hurts the most - net profit. Retaining valuable workers is essential to long term growth and success of any organization. In my opinion, the more people feel appreciated at work the less likely conflict will occur, even possibly preventing workplace lawsuits. The book The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace gives the reader practical tools for maintaining your most valuable work place asset - your employees. This book is a quick read that is well written and entertaining. I recommend this book for all leaders who want to create a first class positive work culture. I'm sorry to say that if I would have applied this material on the job years ago, much of the turmoil I have experienced at work could have been prevented.

The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace is a great resource for any manager. It is a quick read and very practical. My reading time is limited but I found that I could zip through this book quickly and pick up ideas to help me be a better manager.

The book helped me see that I could actually be de-motivating employees by the way I was trying to motivate them. As I read about the 5 different languages of appreciation I thought about different employees and how they fit into each style. I give this book a "thumbs up". It has been a challenge to me to understand my employees better and how they would like to be appreciated not how I want to show appreciation.

I recently lost a valued employee and I'm counting the cost for all the training and experience that is now gone. This book has given me some great ideas to find the best method of showing appreciation to each employee. If I can help each employee realize they are valued then they are happier and I've got a much better chance of having a long term employee.

In this economy having a team that will give their all because they feel valued can make the difference between a company succeeding or failing. I would recommend this book to any one who works with people since the principals apply to co-workers also.

I've thoroughly enjoyed 'The Five Languages of Love' thus far and this addition was no exception. I've worked in places where it's made me physically sick to walk through the door and I currently work in a place where they practice 'The Five Languages' teachings and have never read the books. they've taken the time to know that buying me lunch when I've a stressful workload will get me much farther and keep me pleasant much longer.

Excellent easy read to help learn how to better relate to your coworkers and even your boss. Easy to apply and if you are in charge of HR or a manager- very easy to roll out to your staff. It was easy to get a code to take the "inventory". I highly recommend.

This is a great book, very well thought out and clearly explained concepts. As a manager, it's very valuable for me to understand what motivates my team. We all think money, or time off...but the reality is the book explains how to truly motivate your team. Happy workplace = productive workplace.

I've never read any of the other books so I'm glad they explained the languages. I found it interesting and very practical. I work in the public sector, so I have little control over monetary rewards to the people that report to me. This book gives me a tool kit that will help me show appreciation that's both unique and specific to each person.

The 5 Languages...gives easy application to improve working relationship among co-workers, as well as between managers to employees. It offers an impactful way to assess your interactions and internal motivations, to express those to others, and in turn motivate those you work with in a positive way. You learn to offer reviews and challenges that receive more positive responses. I think it would make an easy and effective team-building experience for any office.

Beware! You are are downloading a "look inside" preview disguised as a book download, nothing more. Yes, the word "sample" is in the title, but this is a cheap manipulation of the preview that smacks of trickery and deception. This should not be presented in the free book of the day section. The book is not free. Only this relabled "look inside" preview is free. It should be put back in the paid section where it belongs.
This type of deception reminds me of the personality type that says, "l have a surprise for you", then when the victim throws up his arms in delight, gets sucker punched in the gut.

On the surface, this appears to be an interesting book. The table of contents looked promising. But the glaring lack of integrity in attempting to pass off a preview as a free book of the day makes me also doubt the integrity of the content of the book.

I will not reward this deception by purchasing this book.

ARC source: netgalley

Writing style: The authors are annoyingly redundant. If a concept is clearly explained for one "language," it doesn't need to be explained in similar detail for the other four. Likewise, the reader tends not to forget from chapter to chapter, so we don't need an entire recap. I think this book was at least three times longer than it needed to be.

Audience: Business people who like this kind of flavor-of-the-month management self-help. Love languages fans. Neither one is me.

Major ideas: The "love languages" idea has made Chapman a household name (and rich) over the last few years, and most denizens of evangelical bookstores are at least familiar with the concept. Signals can get crossed when we don't communicate our regard to people in the way that they most want to hear it. This book adapts that concept for the workplace, with mixed results. The languages are words of appreciation, acts of service, tangible gifts, and quality time. Physical touch is listed as a parenthetical addition; for obvious reasons, many people are uncomfortable with physical touch in the workplace.

Wrap-up: In addition to the problems I had with this book that I've mentioned above, there were some other problems with the kindle ARC from netgalley. There was no code to take the assessment, so no way to judge this tool that's referred to on at least every other page. Then the text was so badly arranged that the book was just a headache to read. Here's a typical bit:
Staff doesn't feel appreciated bysu
"They couldn't pay me enough to stay here. The lack of support is deafening."
Pervisors and coworkers. Most supervisors are not aware of this factand thus,
Theyfocusmoreonthepowerof financial benefits
Etc. etc. Yuck! An ARC with a few typos is one thing, but this thing literally had lines with no spaces, dozens of times. I'd recommend this book if you really need to affirm your co-workers and you're sort of slow to get the idea. Otherwise, read the synopsis and go find something more worth your time. 1/5

Gary Chapman is such a motivating writer and such an excellent communicator. God has clearly worked through him to change many lives, and all of his books have impacted me and helped to change the relationships in my life for the better. Thank you, Mr. Chapman, for letting the Lord work through your life!

I bought the kindle version of the book mainly for the code for the MBA Inventory Code (and the results of the test were pretty much on expected lines). Personally I am someone who is not much into non-fiction books but this book was an interesting read. It is inspired from the 5 Love Languages. The book talks about many scenarios that could apply to your job level and helps is showing the subtle variations in recognizing your co-workers. To me, the key points was understanding the difference between Recognition and Acknowledgement, various ways to recognize someone and timing of giving the recognition. You can apply it in your personal life as well. Well worth the reading time !

It may just be I don't like the current work environment where we are all each other's cheerleaders and coaches. I had hoped for it to be more succinct. The text wandered all over and I just couldn't finish the book.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review**

I am a big fan of Gary Chapman's The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts and was excited to see that he had transitioned the concepts of the five love languages into a business setting. I have found that my biggest complaint with most of the companies that I have worked with was that so few people expressed appreciation for their workers and volunteers. Despite being a hard worker, it is hard to really try your hardest when you feel that what you are doing isn't important or appreciated. This books does a great job giving examples of how to convey appreciation and how different people will feel appreciation from different actions.

The five languages of appreciation, mirroring that five love languages were Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Giving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. I thought it was good that the book strongly downplayed the role of physical touch in the workplace, but provided specific examples that would be ok (high five, hand shake, pat on the back) because while physical touch may be great for expressing love, you must be much more careful of that in the workplace.

Gary and Paul found that there is often a correlation between someone's primarily love language and their primary language of appreciation, but the two are not always the same. I was glad that their studies reached this conclusion, because I was originally worried that in reading this book I would be merely absorbing the same information I got from The Five Love Languages. The authors found that like your primary love language, your primary language of appreciation typically remains constant through an individuals life, but there are factors that will temporarily change it. They discussed how certain stages in life or how specific circumstances could temporarily change the primary means through which an individual feels appreciation.

OverallI I thought the book was great, a little appreciation is often very cheap, if not free to implement, and it can make a huge difference in job satisfaction and performance. I would recommend this book and I hope more people will show appreciation for their co-workers, subordinantes, and superiors. Lastly, I would recommend buying the book new to receive a code the the MBA Inventory (buying a code separately costs $20), which will help you determine your primary, secondary, and least important language of appreciation.