Yesterday I had my boss called me into his office and gave me my 2 year review. My boss is the vice president of the company and he and his father own the company. Our industry went soft last year and while we made a lot of cost cutting changes we still took a hit as a company. I certainly wasn’t expecting any raise so it was no surprise when I didn’t get one. What I did get was, in my mind, even better, and that was this comment from my boss.
“The workers here like you, the clients love you and I can’t imagine how this place would run without you.”

I believe that I’ve always been a bit empathetic with my employers when it comes to cutting costs in order to make ends meet. After all if the company tanks I’m out of a job. That hasn’t been the case with all of my past employers, but those that treated me fairly and with respect, have always gotten the same in return.

So what’s your personal feelings in regards to raises and praises? I know that your response will greatly depend on your financial status, but in the scheme of things, how much weight does an honest accolade from your boss carry?