LEILA FADEL, HOST:
You know, Steve, that was a really interesting conversation. I learned...
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Thank you.
FADEL: ...A lot about - yeah. It was good. Last point about how Chinese governance seems to change each generation - I hadn't considered that before.
INSKEEP: Yeah. I mean, it's great to hear that from David Rennie, who is just endlessly insightful. And as you're talking, I'm realizing it's kind of true in America, too. We have different trends each generation. We move a little left. We move a little right. A little more freedom. Sometimes a little less freedom. Anyway, thank you for the feedback.
FADEL: You're welcome. Does it make you feel more engaged with your work?
INSKEEP: Oh, my goodness. Anytime you comment on my work, it makes me feel more engaged. Thank you.
FADEL: Well, you're an exception because...
INSKEEP: What?
FADEL: ...About two-thirds - yep - in many ways. But...
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
FADEL: ...About two-thirds of U.S. workers say they're either not engaged with their jobs or, worse, disengaged. NPR's Andrea Hsu says offering that kind of feedback is a simple solution.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: That solution - employee recognition - that's according to researchers at Gallup and the HR software firm Workhuman. They tracked several thousand workers over the past two years and found people were way less likely to leave their jobs - 45% less likely - when their work was recognized.
MEISHA-ANN MARTIN: Emotions actually change. How they feel about work and the rest of their life changes.
HSU: Researcher Meisha-Ann Martin says it matters how you give feedback.
MARTIN: Doing it right means catching good behavior and appreciating it as it happens.
HSU: It helps, she says, if the feedback is more than just, hey, good job. Because employees want to know...
MARTIN: What exactly am I doing that you're appreciating? Which aspect of my special sauce are you seeing here?
HSU: Meaningful recognition can be a powerful antidote to loneliness, Martin says, as well as stress and burnout. Gallup surveyed people in all sorts of industries. Across jobs, workers who said they felt recognized reported lower levels of stress.
MARTIN: So while it doesn't change the objective reality, it does change the subjective perception of what is happening.
HSU: Emotionally, you feel better even if the work is just as hard. The research also found that recognition 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. He decided to learn Excel on his own time so he could use it at work.
ANDY HERNANDEZ: I started pitching ideas like, hey, maybe we should have this on the report. Started learning how to do the pivot table so they could see that.
HSU: Managers liked what he was doing and told him as much.
HERNANDEZ: And as I started getting that positive feedback, it's like, OK, I'm on the right path. Let me keep learning, and let me keep doing what I'm doing.
HSU: Hernandez rose through the ranks and eventually became a team leader who was quick with the appreciation, knowing it pays off.
Andrea Hsu, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY")
DONNA SUMMER: (Singing) She works hard for the money.
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