Leadership Message: Fostering appreciation and conflict competence

Dear Colleagues,

At the Ombuds Office, we engage with faculty, staff, and students who are dealing with various challenges in their work and learning environments. We assist these individuals by serving as a neutral sounding board, helping generate options and exploring possible paths forward.  At a broader level, our efforts are aimed at enhancing the overall experience for all within UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

In recent months, we've heard an increasing need for and emphasis on appreciation. Research consistently shows that genuine appreciation strengthens workplace relationships and boosts morale. When times are challenging and options feel limited, focusing on small changes like creating space for appreciation can significantly improve our satisfaction and experience with our daily work.

Appreciation differs from recognition. It’s not just a pat on the back or a pizza party at the end of a busy season. Appreciation moves in every direction – among peers, from leaders to their teams, and from team members to their supervisors. Research also highlights that appreciation is more meaningful when it is personalized. Expressing appreciation for specific efforts, the impact of those efforts, and one's value as a person has been shown to foster resilience, deepen trust, and strengthen connections – leading to improvements in both interpersonal interactions and business processes.  

These impacts can also be instrumental in building conflict competence, as dyads, teams, and departments with greater trust and connection handle conflict with more empathy, openness, and psychological safety. In the context of uncertainty, a culture of appreciation not only buffers workplace challenges, but also enhances individuals’ sense of belonging. This supportive climate empowers people to address conflicts more effectively and constructively, ultimately increasing productivity and organizational effectiveness.

The effects of appreciation can permeate both our personal and professional lives, and in an effort to cultivate a culture of genuine appreciation, the Ombuds Office is creating several offerings to empower UC Davis and UC Davis Health faculty, staff, and leaders to integrate appreciation into their routines.

We invite you to stop by an upcoming Appreciation station pop-up event, where we will provide an opportunity and materials to send a note of appreciation to a colleague via inter-campus mail. You can learn more on Tuesday, May 12, by registering for Conflict Competence: The Power of Appreciation where you can explore the benefits of appreciation at work and practice effective implementation strategies. Community members can also learn about Ombuds services and how appreciation relates to conflict management at our upcoming Lunch and Learn on Tuesday, June 2 at noon.   

Additionally, if you are interested in discussing appreciation in the workplace or further exploring how you might incorporate appreciation more intentionally into your work environment, please contact the Ombuds Office. 

The Ombuds Office is a confidential, independent, impartial, and informal resource available to all UC Davis and UC Davis Health faculty, staff, and students. As always, we are available for individual confidential appointments. You can also check out our training schedule for more workshops related to conflict competence.

Warmly, 

Lauren Bloom
Director, Ombuds Office