Want to keep good workers? Praise them, a new study finds

America's relationship with work has been tenuous lately. Remember the wave of quiet quitting in 2022?

In surveys over the past couple of years, Gallup researchers have found only about a third of U.S. workers feel engaged with their jobs. It's a concern for companies and the economy.

Fortunately, researchers have identified a fairly simple solution: Recognize your employees' achievements.

Meaningful feedback changes how people feel about their work, says Meisha-ann Martin, senior director of people analytics and research at the HR software firm Workhuman, who along with Gallup tracked the career paths of more than 3,400 workers over two years.

Across a number of industries, employees who received high-quality recognition on the job were 45% less likely to have left that job between 2022 and 2024, they found.

"It is about catching good behavior as it happens," says Martin. "Imagine if you're doing things at work that nobody sees and you feel like nobody cares about. You can imagine how that would be demoralizing."

Also key is recognizing people not just for the work they do, but for who they are, she says.

"You're sending a signal that 'I see you. I see your special sauce. Your special sauce belongs here.'"

An antidote to loneliness and stress

When it comes to recognition, a couple of factors appear to be driving the higher rates of retention. For one, people feel less lonely when their contributions are praised.

"It creates community. It helps people feel connected to each other," which in turn keeps them from seeking work elsewhere, Martin says.

The research also points to recognition as an antidote to stress.

Gallup asked survey respondents if they felt stressed the previous day. Those who said they felt recognized on the job reported lower levels of stress and burnout than those who said they were not recognized.

"While [recognition] doesn't change the objective reality, it does change the subjective perception of what is happening," says Martin.

Recognition can drive professional development

Another finding emerging from the longitudinal surveys is that high-quality feedback can fuel professional development.

That was Andy Hernandez’s experience. He was working in car financing in Greenville, S.C., trying to figure out how to get ahead, when he decided to learn Excel on his own time so he could use it at work.

He began pitching ideas using his newly acquired skills. Managers liked what he was doing and told him as much.

"It motivated me to to know that, hey, all this extra stuff that I'm doing, it's not only getting recognized, but it's helping me show that I'm ready for the next step," he says.

He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a team leader. He says he looked for opportunities to show appreciation for his team, even once bringing them his mom's tacos and a big tres leches cake.

Younger people expect more appreciation

There are generational differences when it comes to the desire for feedback, Gallup and Workhuman found.

Younger workers, who feel less attached to their workplaces than their parents, have a higher expectation of appreciation.

"I think this younger generation, to their credit, are coming in and going, 'Well, I want to be able to spend time with my family. Work doesn't have to be my life,'" says Martin.

Fortunately for them, company leaders are also increasingly recognizing the importance of praise in the workplace.

In 2024, Gallup and Workhuman found 42% of senior leaders reporting their organizations value employee recognition, up from 28% in 2022.