> We then read them all out followed by a round of applause for each one of them

That may be good for team building and make some people feel better but, personally, I would find that situation very uncomfortable.

Gratitude is a skill anyone can learn. Accepting compliments is also a skill that anyone can learn. But, both of them take practice. It's okay to feel uncomfortable with something, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's wrong. Sometimes we're just uncomfortable with something because it's not something we've had a lot of experience with.

Expressing gratitude and accepting compliments are nice skills to have, but making of it a public show is just bad taste, IMO.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion, but "praise in public, punish in private" is a saying for a reason. Praise is more effective in public, and praising one person on the team publicly benefits the entire team, not just that person.

This is more "praise in public, when the boss says so, because the boss says so", though?

One can praise without the boss having us do so.

Really, it’s about noticing and acknowledging good work or behaviour.

Nothing's stopping you from praising people at other times, is it?

Nobody is arguing that. The debate is around whether manufactured public praise is tasteless

> Nobody is arguing that. The debate is around whether manufactured public praise is tasteless

I suppose it can feel that way, but on the other hand forcing oneself to find and appreciate others efforts and good qualities—even if there are perceptibly few of them—can be a good exercise, especially for those of us who are naturally quite critical. While I'd argue that it's a good virtue and intrinsically valuable, the habit is also practically beneficial: people perform better when they're appreciated and recognized; one's ability to form and work with teams is noticeably easier; it's easier to adjust performance and expectations; et c.

People often put the cart before the horse when talking about stuff like this. Manufacturing gratitude is doesn't make it less genuine or fundamentally less good.

> Expressing gratitude and accepting compliments are nice skills to have, but making of it a public show is just bad taste, IMO.

I wonder if this is a culture or generational difference. I've found my employer's incentives / gestures a bit lackluster compared to simple gratitude. I like working on a team where the members are publicly thankful for their teammates' efforts. Shrute Bucks stink.

Gratitude is great, but forced gratitude is worthless. At what point do things become a circlejerk?

Formal doesn’t mean forced. Milestone events and traditions that involve greater than ordinary recognition is a part of most of humanity. Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, seasonal celebrations. Putting it on the calendar doesn’t mean you’re obligated, it means it’s reserved and valued enough to make formal space for it.

I agree with this to some extent. My issue with the public forum and ritual applause is that it becomes mechanical. In my experience, people are often left out or events are forgotten. I was sometimes baffled at the items that were being expressed, it felt a bit political even. Not saying a public forum like this can't work, just that it seems easy for it to go awry.

I've been publicly recognized and appreciated it, I've also received quiet thank you notes. I know I like the latter more.

I imagine it might also cause adverse effects if someone happens to be missed.

I have personally experienced this. My otherwise really good manager had a monthly vote for the best worker in our small team where each vote was publicly announced. I, and another coworker, never got a vote while others got several. Really great way to make some of your workers feel really left out!

The OP was talking about genuine, honest communication. I think these rituals in work teams have the correct idea. Their hearts are in the right place, so to speak, but it doesn't really work perfectly. As you've said some can feel left out. Others might just feel uncomfortable.

The idea is good: share the love, highlight good work. But it probably better just to let people know more naturally.

Absolutely. My current workplace is very good at the organic thankyou. I try my best to show gratitude where I can.

What could have caused you and the other one to not get any votes, at the previous workplace? I'm guessing it was not work performance or anything like that

(The votes were publicly announced -- and also who had voted?)

Me and the other worker were much less willing to work free overtime. The company also had a really dishonest culture and I chafed under that system. I was a bad fit for the job really, so I could have just been what they perceived as bad.

It can be something simple like having work with more visible impact

_Perceived_ impact, if I might add?

This is precisely why leaderboards suck. Instead of picking the single best contributor, do as the OP did and acknowledge all good contributors.

If they handed out the award to everyone it would be meaningless

On the contrary: If you have a team member who no one sees fit to find praise for, it’s probably a bad fit. Praise doesn’t need to be superlative to be sincere. Not everyone has to be a “rockstar” to deserve positive validation.

That sounds horrible to me. I’d much rather be in the background rather than getting effusive, mandatory public praise. Maybe I’m weird, but I’m not motivated by cupcakes, gold stars and clapping. If I do a good job, that’s just the minimum standard. If I do something worthy of clapping, then just remember that when it’s time to award annual RSUs and bonuses or when a special project comes up that needs leadership.

To me it’s embarrassing to be recognized publicly for literally doing what I am being paid to do. Instead, perhaps recognize each week the people that didn’t meet the standard:

“Wanted to recognize Bob this week for being a bit of a douche as well as letting all of us down when he messed up the build system and delayed our build delivery to QA and the Loc team thus having the rest of us having to scramble over the weekend to clean up the mess. Thanks Bob!”

> "when a special project comes up that needs leadership."

You think complimenting people is horrible, people should be publicly shamed, insulted and blamed for the failure of the team, and fancy yourself for a leadership role? Grief.

Instead, perhaps take the "if you're on time, you're late, being early is the minimum" self-satisfied chip off your shoulder and realise that blaming Bob for you being a doormat and working on the weekend is you being "a bit of a douche".

This.

I don’t want claps from my peers. I’ve already figured out if they like my work or not from day-to-day interaction.

If you want to recognize my contribution, give me money - that’s why I’m here. This is a business relationship. I work, you pay. Pay up.

> Instead, perhaps recognize each week the people that didn’t meet the standard

My goodness. This is horrifying.

Mandatory clap time sounds horrible haha. I guess it's nowhere as near as robotic as it sounds in reality

For me it evokes similar groupthink revulsion to the Walmart cheer or IBM's "Ever Onward". It's more on the 'Happy Birthday to You' side of the scale than a North Korean ode to dear leader, but still not edifying or pleasant.

Nothing about it sounds mandatory to me. It sounds like their team/company culture values recognition and openly & sincerely engages it as part of their schedule.

Aye I mentioned somewhere how I doubt it's as bad as I read into it

You’re not showing enough flair

I'd hate that.

I'm cringing just thinking of a team doing that.

Lots of folks seem to dislike the star / hero approach, but my team has a simple “thanks” column in our retros and it works really well to set the tone for the rest of the conversation - and it’s a great reminder to say thanks. Even if it’s just “thanks for being you.” It’s a great way to express gratitude without it having to be some “best of the best” style moment.

That sounds reasonable and way different than like going around the circle and peer-pressuring everyone into delivering a compliment and then clapping as a group.

IMHO:

It’s appropriate for a manager or team lead to do this. It’s not appropriate to make it the norm (even if it’s “optional”) for the whole team.

Much better for a leader to model the desired behavior, and, create space for those on the team, of their own volition and without peer pressure, follow suit.

It will also be much more authentic, real, and meaningful.

I think you've missed the point. The article was about genuine emotions.

Sounds like a psychological conditioning (behavior modification) regimen. Beware, it has a very sharp slippery slope towards unethical conditions.