First Appreciation at Work Certified Workplaces Announced
ClinicGrower and Ottawa Street Dental become the first organizations to earn this new workplace culture certification. Why Appreciation Is More Than “Nice” — It’s Economic
What It Takes to Qualify
What Is the Appreciation at Work Certified Workplace?
Choosing an Intentional Culture
Appreciation Is a Skill — Not a Slogan
Why ClinicGrower and Ottawa Street Dental Pursued Certification
What This Signals to Employees
Click here to subscribe to RRN weekly, and here for an RRN media kit.
If one considers appreciation essential to organizational success, two organizations have made history. ClinicGrower, a Tampa, FL-based health care marketing firm, and Ottawa Street Dental, Windsor, Ont., are the first Appreciation at Work Certified Workplaces, earning a new designation that recognizes intentional, people-centered workplace cultures where employees feel genuinely valued, respected, and engaged.
Bref McHugh, a co-owner of ClinicGrower, explains: "As a business owner, I’ve learned that performance and culture are deeply connected. We’re a high-performance company, but we never want to lose the human side of leadership. Appreciation at Work is helping us be more intentional about how we recognize our people, not just for results, but for who they are and how they contribute. We now have a language and structure to build a healthier, more connected company."Adds William Attaway, CEO of Appreciation at Work, “This is an important milestone. These organizations didn’t stumble into a healthy culture — they made the decision to build one on purpose.” Launched in November 2025, the Appreciation at Work Certified Workplace program was created to help organizations move beyond good intentions and embed appreciation into the everyday fabric of how they lead, communicate, and work together, explains Attaway. ClinicGrower and Ottawa Street Dental are the first to complete the process and meet the certification standards.
Why Appreciation Is More Than “Nice” — It’s Economic
While appreciation is often viewed as a cultural or interpersonal priority, Attaway emphasized that it is also a measurable economic driver. “Appreciation isn’t fluff,” he said. “It’s fuel — and the research is increasingly clear that investing in people directly strengthens organizational performance.”
An independently validated study, see ESM: Holy Grail of Investing and HR, directly connects a culture of appreciation to return on equity. The Human Capital Factor ratings system developed by Irrational Capital — and validated by the quantitative analytics department of J.P. Morgan — demonstrates that organizations investing in human capital are positioned for stronger future equity value creation averaging 4% a year.
An academic study from the Oxford University Wellbeing Research Centre found that happier employees don’t just feel better — they drive higher profits, stronger company value, and better stock performance. “These findings reinforce what leading organizations are already discovering,” Attaway says. “When people feel truly valued, the business outcomes follow.”
What It Takes to Qualify
To earn the Appreciation at Work Certified Workplace designation, organizations must go beyond surface-level recognition efforts and demonstrate a sustained commitment to authentic appreciation.
“Certification is not about putting a slogan on the wall,” Attaway explains. “It’s about doing the work to build appreciation into daily leadership and into the culture itself.” Certification includes a structured process that typically involves:
· Assessing workplace culture through the Appreciation at Work framework.
· Measuring employee experience in areas like trust, belonging, respect, and encouragement.
· Providing education and development for leaders, supervisors, and teams.
· Embedding appreciation practices into daily communication and long-term culture-building.
· Maintaining ongoing focus so appreciation becomes part of how the organization operates — not a one-time initiative.
The result is a workplace where appreciation is consistent, meaningful, and personalized rather than generic or occasional.
What Is the Appreciation at Work Certified Workplace? .jpg)
The Appreciation at Work Certified Workplace™ is based on a globally recognized approach to culture based on the expression of genuine appreciation tailored to individual needs. It confirms that an organization has taken deliberate, measurable steps to create an environment where appreciation is authentic, consistent, and meaningful. “Most leaders want their teams to feel valued,” Attaway says. “But appreciation isn’t one-size-fits-all. This certification ensures it becomes authentic, personal, and sustainable.”
Unlike traditional recognition programs, Attaway adds, the certification focuses on how appreciation is experienced across an organization. It measures key cultural drivers such as trust, respect, belonging, and encouragement.
Attaway explains that the Certified Workplace program was developed in response to a consistent question from organizations already engaging with the Appreciation at Work framework. “Teams would read the book, 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, take the assessment, and then ask, ‘Now what?’ How do we take the next step? How do we make this part of who we are — not just something we talk about once?” The Certified Workplace program was designed to provide structure, accountability, and practical tools to sustain a healthy culture over time.
Choosing an Intentional Culture
Every organization has a culture. The difference is whether it’s designed — or default. ClinicGrower and Ottawa Street Dental made a conscious decision not to settle for a culture they inherited or drifted into. Instead, they chose to intentionally build the culture they wanted, Attaway explains.
“That decision matters more than most leaders realize,” Attaway says. “Workplace culture shapes how people show up, how stress is handled, and whether people stay, grow, and do their best work. By pursuing certification, both organizations demonstrated a willingness to slow down, reflect honestly, and put real structure around how appreciation is expressed and experienced.”
Appreciation Is a Skill — Not a Slogan
One of the core principles behind Appreciation at Work is that good intentions alone are not enough. "Most leaders care deeply about their people,” Attaway notes. “But appreciation expressed poorly or inconsistently can miss the mark entirely. Appreciation is a skill — and it can be learned.”
As part of the certification process, organizations commit to learning how different team members best receive appreciation, how to embed appreciation into everyday leadership, and how to make appreciation sustainable. Certification is not a one-and-done achievement. It requires ongoing focus, reflection, and leadership commitment — which is precisely why it matters, underlines Attaway.
Why ClinicGrower and Ottawa Street Dental Pursued Certification
For leadership at both ClinicGrower and Ottawa Street Dental, the decision to pursue certification was about more than recognition. It was about alignment — culturally and economically. “They decided culture was not something to ‘get to later,’” Attaway underlines. “They took action.” Both organizations operate in fast-paced, high-expectation environments where trust, communication, and engagement directly affect performance. Certification offered a framework to support their people while strengthening long-term sustainability.”
What This Signals to Employees
Earning Appreciation at Work Certified Workplace status sends a clear message to employees: You matter enough for us to invest in how we lead you. “That message builds trust,” Attaway emphasizes.
ClinicGrower and Ottawa Street Dental are being celebrated not only for achieving certification, but for modeling what intentional leadership looks like in practice. “Their commitment sets a standard we hope others will see the benefits of,” Attaway says. “And it opens the door for many more organizations to follow recognizing the impact having appreciated employees has on customers and the bottom line. For leaders everywhere, the message is simple: a better workplace culture is possible — but it won’t happen by accident.”
Enterprise Engagement Alliance Services
Celebrating our 15th year, the Enterprise Engagement Alliance helps organizations enhance performance through:
1. Information and marketing opportunities on stakeholder management and total rewards:
ESM Weekly on stakeholder management since 2009; click here for a media kit.
RRN Weekly on total rewards since 1996; click here for a EEA YouTube channel on enterprise engagement, human capital, and total rewards insights and how-to information since 2020.
2. Learning: Purpose Leadership and Stakeholder
Management Academy to enhance future equity value and performance for your organization.3. Books on implementation: Enterprise Engagement for CEOs and Enterprise Engagement: The Roadmap.
4. Advisory services and research: Strategic guidance, learning and certification on stakeholder management, measurement, metrics, and corporate sustainability reporting.
5. Permission-based targeted business development to identify and build relationships with the people most likely to buy.
6. Public speaking and meeting facilitation on stakeholder management. The world’s leading speakers on all aspects of stakeholder management across the enterprise.
