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

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The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace 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. Each book contains an access code for the reader to take a comprehensive online MBA Inventory (Motivating By Appreciation) - a $20 value.

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.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2011

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About the author

Gary Chapman

558 books3,476 followers
Gary Demonte Chapman is an American author and radio talk show host. Chapman is most noted for his The Five Love Languages series regarding human relationships.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 659 reviews
Profile Image for Samuel.
Author 2 books31 followers
January 19, 2012
It's hard to argue with the major premise of the book: that feeling appreciated is critical for employees in all fields, and that each person has a different set of things that make him or her feel that appreciation. And there were indeed a number of suggestions contained in the book that made good sense.

However, it was at least twice as long as it needed to be, with a lot of unneccesary repetition. People who need or would have an interest in this book are, almost by definition, busy, and would likely appreciate a more concise presentation of the information. I also got tired of the sheer number of times that Chapman and White plugged their consulting business. Yes, if I have an interest in pursuing these ideas further, I know you are available for consultation, and that you have your MBA Inventory tool that can be used as well. No, I don't need to be reminded of that on every single page of the book.

Anyway, it's fine as far as it goes, but you do have to do more than a little wading to get to the metaphorical lily.
Profile Image for Chelsey.
704 reviews
November 25, 2017
There's some helpful information in here that I hope will help me inspire my staff, but it's bogged down by what is essentially a 230-page advertisement for Chapman and White's consultation services. My suggestion: read Sections 1 and 2, and scan through Section 4 if you need.
Profile Image for Donna.
4,509 reviews156 followers
September 15, 2016
I like Gary Chapman's books on love languages, especially the one about teenagers. I do agree with the his main point....that everyone values different displays of love and appreciation. While I'm not a "gold star" girl, I do love when someone steps up to help me out because, I'd never ask for it.

This book is about appreciation in the workplace. If I'm being completely honest, this book kind of made me a little bitter. I work for the government and they don't believe in employee appreciation...the mere fact that you have a job is their only form of appreciation. To hear the author talking about displays of appreciation in the office, positive words from supervisors/managers, and having other employees help out the others that are swamped had me thinking the grass is definitely greener somewhere else. This does not exist in my work environment. I know...I'm whining....just let me get it off my chest. They even stopped buying cookies once a year (their old way of showing employee appreciation) because they said that if every government office did that across the nation, it would literally cost millions of dollars. So there went the cookies.
Profile Image for Karen ⊰✿.
1,617 reviews
June 6, 2022
*Re-read 2022* Great to be reminded of the languages of appreciation, especially in the contect of remote teams. A book any leader should read**

This was a pretty interesting read as the author (Gary Chapman) has taken his "5 love languages" and with the help of Paul White, altered them to suit the workplace and provide guidance for how to provide your co-workers, manager and staff with appreciation that will motivate them.

The book essentially explains the background for the MBA inventory (Motivation By Appreciation) and gives some examples of how to introduce and use it successfully in your workplace. It also includes a code that allows you to take the inventory online.

I originally started reading this as I thought it may be helpful for recognition programs, but it is a bit different as appreciation is described being about the person rather than performance. However, I can see value in using this as a training tool for managers on motivating their teams, and providing positive feedback.
Profile Image for Jeff.
245 reviews51 followers
February 12, 2016
The 5 Love Languages is a must-book, especially if you're married.

This book was helpful but I think it would have been just as good as a blog post. The most helpful insight was explaining the difference between recognition of employees and appreciation of employees. "Recognition is largely about behavior. Appreciation focuses on performance plus the employee's value as a person. Recognition is about improving performance and focuses on what is good for the company. Appreciation emphasizes what is good for the company AND what is good for the person."

The single highest driver of engagement, according to a worldwide study conducted by Towers Watson is whether or not workers feel their managers are genuinely interested in their wellbeing.

The question is not, "Do you appreciate your employees?" The question is, "Do your employees feel appreciate?"
Profile Image for Coffee&Books.
1,157 reviews107 followers
July 31, 2016
Told my manager that I would read this book, 5 languages of appreciation at Work. It wasn't "WHOA!" enlightening or anything but I did want to confirm what I thought my language of appreciation would be, and I was interested in my secondary and what language is LEAST motivating to me.
Turns out I was right, verbal affirmation is important to me. I don't need gifts or trips, I don't wanna hang out with everyone... just say thank you and acknowledge that the girl in the corner is doing good work and that by me doing MY job, I help you do yours better.
My least motivating was actually gifts or personal touch. Not that I'm ever going to turn down a gift but I don't need a present every time you want to show appreciation. And DON'T TOUCH ME. LMAO.
Profile Image for Chelsea Serrano.
57 reviews
February 6, 2016
Well since I just started working, I wanted to know more about how I can not be a burden to my colleagues especially since I'm fresh from college and everything is just so new to me. Meeting new people and building a relationship is a bit of a challenge for me because I am a bit of an introvert. So, I found this book really helpful and helped me not only identify my appreciation languages, the most and least important, but also my family, friends, colleagues basically everyone I'm connected to. I started to observe people more, not in a creepy way of course. But with a motive to know what language I can best show my appreciation for them.

I like the last parts of the book (so make sure you read until the end!) where they said something about encouragement and appreciation are like vitamins and antibiotics that help keep the body healthy and prevent from failing.

Just like every relationship, it needs a LOT of work. A lot of time and effort is put into it. Showing appreciation is also like that. It should be intentional, sincere and most of all in the language the one you want to express appreciation of speaks for you to hit the mark.

This is a very good read for those who are planning to set up their own business or doing business or if you just want to improve the work environment in your workplace. That is because we are intentionally placed there by God to do something for His purpose. ☺️
Profile Image for Paul Goble.
230 reviews7 followers
February 12, 2012
A flawed but nevertheless indispensible exploration of what it takes to successfully communicate "I appreciate you" to colleagues and subordinates in the workplace.

The book explains five "languages" of appreciation: words of affirmation, tangible gifts, quality time, acts of service, and physical touch. Each person has a primary language--"It doesn't matter how often you tell me that I'm a valued contributor or give me gifts; I simply will NOT feel appreciated until you come alongside me and help out when I'm overwhelmed." Equally important, each person has a least valued language, which tends to be a blind spot: "Gifts mean nothing to me, so why would anyone expect me to give them?"

I appreciate how the book addresses practical challenges of "managing by appreciation" (MBA). For example, it recognizes that although some people react very favorably toward being touched and even NEED touch, any touch beyond a simple handshake or high-five is just too dangerous in the contemporary workplace. It recognizes finer-scale individual differences in the languages; for example, among people who need words of affirmation, some prefer those words to be delivered in public, others detest public recognition and prefer one-on-one communication. It briefly compares and contrasts related concepts such as recognition.

The book carries quite a bit of credibility, both because of the pedigree of the authors (Gary Chapman wrote the bestselling 5 Love Languages) and because the authors conducted quite a few quantitative and qualitative studies of the topic across a wide spectrum of workplaces.

As with many books on personality, this book requires the use of an instrument (test) to determine your type. If you buy your own copy of the book, you get a "free" code to take the test.

Unfortunately, the book has some serious shortcomings. First, although it was interesting and competently written, it was still a chore to read. Some of the text felt more like padding than like rich content. Second, it totally misses many of the biggest things which makes employees feel UNappreciated: lack of shared values and goals; lack of tools; policies and structures which stand in the way of working effectively; and gossip and backstabbing. Third, it doesn't recognize any possibility that there might be languages of appreciation other than the five that the authors used to begin their research.
Profile Image for Cori.
964 reviews182 followers
May 17, 2020
Before COVID really took off, a group of us from my workplace were reading this together for a bookclub. But after we had to stop meeting, I kept reading it.

The first eight chapters are incredibly practical and worth reading for anyone in a competitive workforce, especially leaders. If you've read The Five Love Languages then you will be familiar with the five areas of appreciation listed: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Tangible Gifts, Physical Touch, and Acts of Service. The same concepts are applied, but for a professional work setting. The rest of the book was moderately helpful. My only area of constructive feedback would have been less in-book marketing for their consultation company.

I'd rate this book a G.
Profile Image for Shelly.
125 reviews1 follower
October 11, 2022
Repetitive. Too long for what it had to say. A ridiculous sentence: “The need for appreciation and encouragement is not limited to the United States or English-speaking nations.” Did that even need to be said??
Profile Image for Nancy Everest.
23 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2023
Worth reading but not amazing. If you’ve read Chapman’s book on the 5 Love Languages, there is a lot of repetition but it’s put in a different context. While reading, I could think of direct ways to apply the material. It is full of references to a tool called the MBA Inventory, a set of questions to discover your main language of appreciation. But since I read a borrowed digital copy, I didn’t have a registration code (you might be able to request one via the given email), nor was my workplace doing training together on this. There was a lot of repetition and the information could have been delivered in a much shorter book, but I still think it was worth a quick read or perusal to understand how your coworkers can be made to feel appreciated and why it’s important. Applies to many areas of life.
Profile Image for Betsy.
519 reviews
May 16, 2022
I, like many, loved the Five Languages book for couples. It has helped me in my relationships with my fiancé, my friends, and my family. I can appreciate that the authors have attempted to bring this concept into an office setting, but I'm not sure that a whole book needed to be dedicated to this. It's kind of like the Five Languages for Children and for Teenagers and for Single People... the author found a winning concept and ran with it in every way he could. (I can't blame him - capitalize on your great research, man!) In any case, I'll take the reminders and try to apply it in my workplace environment just like I've done in my personal relationships.
Profile Image for Nauplius.
54 reviews4 followers
April 6, 2021
The five love languages taken into the context of appreciation in the workplace.
Lots of practical ideas on how to show appreciation, if you want you could just skip to the ideas and not read the small bit of theory in between. The discussion of touch as a love language in this context was kind of funny but interesting, I liked that they stayed on the side of caution while also taking different perspectives into account.
Profile Image for Gigi.
138 reviews16 followers
Read
March 23, 2022
I find the concepts in this book very helpful in thinking about how your coworkers or employees are different from you, and how to demonstrate that you value them. The book overall is a little repetitive but I appreciate what I got out of it and plan to put it to good use.
Profile Image for Yurii Kochemasov.
14 reviews2 followers
January 19, 2024
Найкраща книга по менеджменту та управління командою яку читав. Брак вдячності для українського роботодавця дуже велика. Більшість керівників не знають, що це модна робити, що це допомагає покращити умови праці.
Profile Image for Vovka.
1,004 reviews45 followers
April 28, 2021
This can definitely be summarized in two pages.

Page one: Go to your browser and image search: the five languages of appreciation at work.

Page two: why you should hire the authors for a consulting engagement in which they teach your team how to appreciate one another.

Page one would be decent, if it weren’t spread across hundreds of pages. I’d skip page two.
Profile Image for Francesca.
222 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2022
2.5 stars

The basis of this book is great - so much so that I've petitioned to fold this concept into the company I work for. I've already read and enjoyed The 5 Languages of Love, so this book was a refresher of those ideas but applied towards appreciation in the workplace. I could see how many teams could benefit from this application!

However, as many other readers have mentioned, Chapman and White were repetitive and often explained concepts unrelated to the main thesis, making this book twice as long as it needed to be.
Profile Image for Kimberly Bower MLIS (gladeslibrarian).
120 reviews45 followers
March 19, 2012
In the hard economic times in which we live, the face-off between employer and employee has contributed to making bad situations worse. Employers caution workers citing the precarious nature of the current job market and inform them that they ought to be happy they even have a job. Employees walk around on eggshells and avoid the necessary ingenuity and risk-taking behaviors needed for most businesses to succeed. Hope of a successful future in the workplace and the expression of appreciation for a job well-done bolster morale. When morale is low absenteeism increases and employees are only willing to offer the bare minimum effort in order to put food on their own tables. Everybody loses.

Bestselling author Gary Chapman adds another title to his collection of “5 Languages” books. Paul White adds both academic credentials and business experience to Chapman’s background in marriage and family counseling. Theirs is a sorely needed book on understanding the dynamics of the workplace. The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace brings clarity and understanding to the nature of the beast and provides resources to help both employers and employees find the path toward improved relations. Readers will learn how to determine their own appreciation language and can then pinpoint that of others in their workplace. Armed with this knowledge as well as with the stand-alone resources in the back of the book, readers will be able to participate in the solution by taking the initiative in appreciating others.

NOTE: I requested and received a copy of this title via NetGalley.com but made no commitment to review it.

5 of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Lisa.
Author 1 book23 followers
April 14, 2015
I read Chapman's 5 Love Languages book previously, so this was basically a reminder of that but in workplace terms. It seems common sense to appreciate people who work for/with you, but some good reminders.
Profile Image for Ashton.
300 reviews7 followers
March 15, 2019
This book became very repetitive very quickly. I agree the general principles are good but it could have been summed up in an essay. We didn’t need a full book.
Profile Image for Tonya.
584 reviews132 followers
January 2, 2019
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White (originally publishes in 2012, this is the newest edition) is based off of Gary Chapman's original book The 5 Love Languages. Applying the concepts of The 5 Love Languages to work is a bit challenging but Chapman and White make it easy to relate to the examples of how to understand how people accept appreciation and respect at work.

Each person is different, but generally people will fall into one of the five areas where they accept appreciation. One of the biggest things this book accomplishes is explaining that some people just don't accept appreciation in the common business standard ways. For example, some people do not like public acknowledgement as it is very embarrassing for them. There are many examples and later in the book, challenges to overcome. The important thing is to find out how your co-workers and employees like to be shown appreciation. It shows respect and acknowledges the differences in a way that encourages diversity.

Another concern I think most employees would have going into reading a book like this is that employers would find yet another way to "motivate" employees by handing out appreciation awards in order to get them to perform better. This is definitely addressed in The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Overall I think it cuts through the lame reasons that employers try to manipulate and embraces the unique qualities of employees. Showing appreciation is an excellent way to keep your staff motivated and energized! Who doesn't want that?

I am thankful to Gary Chapman, Paul White, Moody Publishers, and NetGalley for an advanced review copy for me to read. My opinions are my own and no review was required with this copy.
Profile Image for Amanda.
275 reviews5 followers
January 19, 2019
I have long been an advocate for applying the five love languages into relationships. Even before I knew that the 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace book existed, I've had conversations with co-workers about how you could apply these languages in the workplace. Therefore, I was delighted to find out that there was actually a book dedicated to this topic and knew I had to read it. I truly believe that these languages exist and could really make a difference in the happiness level of workers if they were applied by supervisors and coworkers alike. Although the book feels like it was written for supervisors or managers to read, I felt like anyone who is working could apply these practices with their fellow co-workers. After all, the "worker bees" tend to interact more frequently with one another than with their supervisors and would have more opportunities to express appreciation. My only complaint about the book is that I felt like it was a little repetitive and long winded. It could probably be condensed into a couple of chapters or written as a long magazine article. Despite this drawback, it is still worth reading. Maybe all the repetition helps the ideas sink into the reader better! I've read two other 5 Love Languages books so maybe it wouldn't be as redundant for first time readers of the 5 Love Languages concept. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. All thoughts expressed in this review are my honest opinions of this book.
Profile Image for Rachel Brower.
147 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2023
I'd say the bulk of useful content is in the first 1/3 of this book. That's not to say that there aren't useful nuggets of info after that point, but they're sparse. The book becomes more repetitive after that point, I guess. All that to say, I still think this book is incredibly useful and I'm contemplating actually buying it to keep at my desk, at work. It's a real challenge to keep the workplace a happy place, and to keep your people happy at work, sometimes. I make a great effort to keep people happy at work, and I think this book will genuinely help me on my way. I wish that some of my own managers read this book before they became managers, to be honest.

Another nugget - throughout the book, the authors keep mentioning their "MBA inventory," which is basically the test you take to figure out your primary and secondary love languages. I felt sad that I wasn't able to take this test, since I borrowed the book from the library, but at the very end of the audio book (literally last few seconds lol) they tell you to email them and they'll give you access. Woohoo! So I just sent an email and hopefully will receive an access code for this inventory.
Profile Image for Abdessamad Fathi.
11 reviews
February 7, 2021
Gifted to me by a client after an intensive project. Overall, the book distinguishes between several communication styles and describes the value of boosting others around you by catering to their communication style.

Is this useful to know in real life? Yes. When it comes to leading your team, it lowers internal bickering and makes your team see the translation of their effort into value.

Furthermore, it facilitates information flow between the individual actors. It is important to provide people with feedback on things that they do well, creating a positive performance loop. In short: A Win-Win situation for all parties involved.

I do feel like the value of these type of conversations shines most in C-level conversations. These type of individuals deal with a lot of stakeholder management. Aside from being an individual actor, they also are representatives of bigger organisations. In these high-stake conversations it becomes even more important to maintain cohesion. Afterall, these type of conversations affect meso-level (I. E. Industry-wide) value chains.

All in all, I awarded this book 5 stars. A must-read for basic business literacy. Keeping this one in my personal Library.
Profile Image for Allyson Bedford.
77 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2020
While I found this book more useful than “The 5 Love Languages,” I still have some issues with the premise of the research. Without a doubt, there is value in knowing how to express appreciation in the workplace and knowing that there are different ways of expressing appreciation. However, the authors spend a significant amount of time trying to convince the reader that appreciation (and not money) is the biggest factor in whether or not someone is good at/stays with their job. There is a HUGE demographic of people who don’t have the luxury or the privilege of accepting or keeping a job based on how appreciated they feel. This book ignores that demographic in its entirety.
Profile Image for Michelle Sauvageau.
456 reviews6 followers
May 14, 2022
This book is.. fine. I think it could be best summarized as a short article on each of the main languages of appreciation (words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, receiving gifts, and actors of service) and how to best show them and recognize them in people.

I love the overall message of the book, that if we understand how our coworkers want to be recognized, we’ll create a workplace where everyone feels valued. I was hoping the answer to getting there was going to be different than “take our assessment to find out”, but understand the reasoning behind it.
Profile Image for Ann T.
422 reviews
April 3, 2019
Thank you Moody Publishers and Netgalley for this ARC.

I have read the ‘Five Love Languages’ and the ‘Five Love Languages for Children ‘ and still, years later highly recommend them to people.
This book will also be added to that list now !! Again, Mr Chapman and Mr White present easily readable information on how people have different work styles. It is a highly informative, common sense book for all leaders, and team members to read and embrace.
Profile Image for Levi Renninger.
51 reviews1 follower
March 20, 2025
A great read for any new managers, seasoned managers struggling with team cohesiveness or morale, or employees struggling to find success in their workplace. An adaptation from the 5 love languages a psychologist/marriage counselor and business executive coach come together to match personality traits to actionable appreciation approaches to improve the work environment and experience. Could have been more concise for what I needed in my work place but this book covers expansive scenarios and work environments, will help push any industry forwards.
Profile Image for David McClendon, Sr.
Author 1 book21 followers
June 8, 2017
We were sent a review copy of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace for the purpose of writing this review.

The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace is an eye-opening book. The authors, Gary Chapman and Paul White, reveal a method of communicating with workers in the workplace. Their methods help bosses understand the best way to show their employees how valuable they are.

The authors provide tools for how to assess what motivates individual employees in the workplace. They reveal that there is no one-size-fits-all way to express gratitude to employees. It is explained in the book how some people don’t appreciate some forms of gratitude, but hope for others.

The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace is well-written and well researched. It is easy to read and understand and does not require a background in psychology or management to be useful and understood.

The good thing about The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace is that not once do they recommend putting up posters, wearing pins, or joining hands and singing Kumbaya, like so many other methods do. Those methods of encouragement never work and often do more harm than good.

We think that any organization that seeks to get the best an employee has to offer should implement the use of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. We give it all 5 stars.

We only wish this book had been around back when we had to deal with various employers.
Profile Image for Dalani Madore.
23 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2019
Appreciation is the key!

The timing in reading this book couldn’t have been more perfect for me! I can’t wait to start implementing the concepts with my team and sharing with my peers to help bring our company culture back to a healthy state!
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