Explaining Negative Reactions to Well-Intended Expressions of Appreciation
LAUREN LOCKLEAR, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE AT UCF
With each new day of the COVID-19 pandemic comes another headline expressing sentiments like the following: “Essential workers don’t want applause, they want PPE.” Celebrities and politicians have taken to twitter to express similar opinions. Andrew Yang tweeted “Instead of praise most essential workers would prefer a raise,” and Benj Pasek quipped “If someone’s job requires an “appreciation week” it means they’re not getting paid enough.” Arguably, expressions of appreciation and gratitude are natural and appropriate reactions to the additional effort given and risks taken by essential employees during the pandemic. So, what explains the negative reactions to these signals of appreciation?
Although well-intentioned, expressions of appreciation do not provide the instrumental support to help frontline workers cope with the new demands of their job associated with COVID-19. As such, these expressions of appreciation can fall flat and in some cases, even produce negative reactions from those who receive them.
This phenomenon can be demonstrated by the job demands-resources model. This theory explains that when an employee’s job demands – aspects of the job that require sustained physical or psychological effort – outweigh their job resources – physical, social, or organizational aspects of the job that are functional in achieving work-related goals – employees feel stressed and are less engaged in their jobs.
During these unprecedented times, frontline employees have seen increases in job demands. Job demands come in many forms, both physical and emotional. Essential workers are experiencing heightened emotional demands due to, for example, the fear of getting sick or sadness associated with avoiding family members for their safety. These types of emotional demands compound the additional physical demands many frontline employees are experiencing, such as longer hours and increased safety procedures.
To cope with these increased job demands, frontline employees require unique job resources. One important type of job resource is social support. Social support comes in two forms: emotional support and instrumental support. Emotional support is defined as the communication of caring, empathy, and esteem. In contrast, instrumental support is assistance in carrying out job tasks through tangible help, resources, or information. To deal with the unique job demands associated with COVID-19, frontline workers specifically require resources in the form of instrumental support, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves. Moreover, frontline workers are also seeking instrumental support in the form of hazard pay, PTO, and bonuses.
Despite the additional need (and desire) for instrumental support, many essential employees are, instead, receiving emotional support in the form of gratitude, appreciation, praise, and applause. Although these signals of emotional support and care provide fulfillment of psychological needs, they are not enough of a resource enhancement to balance to the current situation’s job demands. As such, this appreciation is ineffective at best and can be perceived as insulting at worst.
So, how can managers and organizations show their support for workers during COVID-19 effectively and appropriately?
1. COMMUNICATE YOUR SILENT EFFORTS. It’s no secret that the pandemic has placed additional financial strain on organizations. While many companies would like to provide hazard pay or bonuses, organizations may not have the means to do so. If that is the case, communicate the silent ways that your organization is supporting employees. For instance, if you are making additional efforts to prevent layoffs or are engaging in cost-cutting strategies to maintain employee pay, make these efforts (and struggles) clear to your employees.
2. PROVIDE EMPLOYEES WITH THE INSTRUMENTAL RESOURCES THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOB EFFECTIVELY AND SAFELY. Frontline workers who require PPE, such as masks and gloves, have had to strike to receive the necessary resources to do their jobs safely. During this time, workers shouldn’t have to worry about their safety. If the equipment can be acquired by the organization, safety equipment and other vital instrumental resources should be provided to all employees. For non-frontline employees, effective ways to help buffer against the added stress of working through a pandemic include the provision of flexible work arrangements, PTO, and health coverage.
3. AVOID VIRTUE SIGNALING. Some organizations have come under fire for virtue signaling about their support for employees during COVID-19, or publicly expressing opinions to demonstrate their moral correctness, without actually taking actions to underscore those values. Social media critics have pointed out (largely in meme form) that many companies have begun to make advertisements thanking essential workers, but many of those same companies have been criticized for salary cuts, layoffs, and failures to provide PPE and hazard pay. If your company intends to signal its support for employees and frontline workers during COVID-19, be prepared to “put your money where your mouth is” and provide hazard pay, PPE, and other forms of support.
4. PROVIDE AUTHENTIC APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE TO YOUR EMPLOYEES. Once you’ve provided your employees with the instrumental support and resources they need to do their jobs effectively, then authentic appreciation can – and should – be expressed. Authenticity can be conveyed through personalization, tailoring the praise to the recipient and the situation. Moreover, information about authenticity is encoded in tone of voice and facial expressions, so express appreciation in a video meeting if possible, as opposed to over the phone or via email. Finally, continue this practice of expressing appreciation over time, as behavioral consistency is an important indicator of authenticity.
Taken together, negative reactions to well-intentioned appreciation can be explained by the additional physical and psychological strain that employees are experiencing as a result of COVID-19. Provision of emotional resources, in the form of gratitude, may be perceived as inadequate when employees are in need of instrumental resources to complete their job effectively and safely. Managers and organizations can communicate their support in a few important ways: communicate with employees, provide instrumental resources where possible, avoid inauthentic expressions of virtue signaling, and provide genuine thanks to your employees.
“Although well-intentioned, expressions of appreciation do not provide the instrumental support to help frontline workers cope with the new demands of their job associated with COVID-19.”