The key (for me) to feel appreciated is in performance reviews and (hopefully) logically leading to a promotion if the work is that good. Also, getting greater

The key (for me) to feel appreciated is in performance reviews and (hopefully) logically leading to a promotion if the work is that good. Also, getting greater technical challenges and freedom. The odd occasion where praise or acknowledgement of quality of work did matter to me was when it came from those I considered far superior to me in skills that mattered to my work. EDIT: In your case, if you have developers working for you, who are doing good work, one thing you could do is to ensure you mention that to your superiors. It really helps if you can help them understand how the good work makes an impact on the business.