The Five Love Languages is a model that says we have a preference for how we mark love as received and how we prefer to show our love to others. The languages are:
- Words of Affirmation
- Gift Giving
- Acts of Service
- Physical Touch
- Quality Time
Relationships may break down when two people show their love in a language that is not preferred by the other.
Love Languages in the Workplace
Leaving aside the difficultly of Physical Touch in the workplace, I think the Love Languages are just as important when discussing reward for work.
The prevailing theory is we all want monetary rewards for our work and nobody works for free, but for motivation, more cash may not be enough. Personally, I like to hear I’m doing a good job (Words of Affirmation). Others like to have extra perks (Gift Giving) or want to be in the boss’s ear (Quality Time).