Ok, so the real Groundhog Day is behind us. Punxsutawney Phil, that clairvoyant groundhog, saw his shadow.

Groundhog Day has come to mean more than a longer winter or an early spring. Since Bill Murray turned the notion of Groundhog Day into a repetitive existence, more people associate it to mean living the same old life over and over every day.

With so many employees feeling that they don’t get recognized enough at work you have to wonder if today (tomorrow and the next day) is shaping up to be another Groundhog Day for them.

Ask any employee if they feel they get acknowledged enough and most will quickly say no. The few that do say “yes” will quickly add that the recognition they do receive is not nearly enough to make them feel good about what they do. Most will complain that they work hard but nobody seems to notice and by nobody they mean their managers and their co-workers.

It’s time to break that pattern. And it’s time to start today.

Employees who feel that their efforts are appreciated are more valuable to the companies that have them. They produce beyond expectations, advocate on the company’s behalf and stay on longer — outcomes that every business wants.

With social recognition, appreciation can come every day from anybody — managers or peers. Either way, it makes employees feel that their work is appreciated and it motivates them to do more. It’s what breaks that Groundhog Day-like pattern that so many employees are stuck in. The one where they wake up, go to work, give it their all and no one says “thank you” only to repeat it all the next day.