The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White (2011)

TL;DR: The 5 Languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Tangible Gifts and Physical Touch


According to Gary Chapman, there are 5 Love Languages. These are the ways we communicate in a relationship; and how we act and respond the most upon giving and receiving love. As Love is to Relationships; Appreciation is to the Workplace.


You might have heard of the 5 Love Languages from party trivia and side chats usually around the area of relationships. As a framework, it is simple, sticky and easy to explain; which may explain how widespread it is and why Chapman and White may have decided to expand it on a different setting; workplaces.


So the book begins... With a distinction between Recognition and Appreciation.

Recognition is about improving performance and focuses on what is good for the company. Appreciation emphasizes what is good for the company and good for the person (which may sometimes mean helping them find a position that is better for them than their current role).
Why should we appreciate? Because Appreciation = Engagement
"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 well-being."
Words of Affirmation is "the language that uses words to communicate a positive message to another person." It's dialects are Praise for Accomplishment, Affirmation for Character, Praise for Personality.


Quality Time is about "giving the person your focused attention." Its dialects: Quality Conversation, Shared Experiences, Small Group Dialogue, Working in close physical proximity accomplishing a project.



Acts of Service means "providing assistance to one's colleague." The pattern changes here as there were no dialects given. Reminders are provided that include; to make sure your tasks are covered first, and that you ask before you help, and if you are to help, you must do it the way they want it to be done.



Tangible Gifts is about "giving the right gift to a person who appreciates tangible rewards." This is focused primarily on non-monetary gifts and a couple key components that you must give primarily to those who appreciates it, and the gift must be valuable to the person.



Physical Touch can be controversial. It has to be appropriate; Too much and it can be considered sexual.



Personally, It would be nice to see some more science and theory behind these. The stories seems to be anecdotal. If anything else, it could really just be one level up of horoscopes. I find it sketchy sometimes when things like this are collected by being self-reported. Sometimes the person's answers can be affected by other factors: ie. by how a person wants to be perceived. It would be better if there were physiological or biological ways to prove or disprove.




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