Showing employee appreciation is crucial to retaining happy team members, ensuring your company culture is growing in a healthy and conducive way, and to maintain and improve productivity company-wide.
This infographic states that 69% of employees worked harder when they felt they were appreciated on the job. What would you do to get your employees working harder? What if it was as simple as an Amazon gift card or a company-wide shoutout, acknowledging their hard work?
Let's explore some simple ways to make your team members feel appreciated.
1. 'You had a great week' gift bags
- These can be pre-made by an office manager that are ready to grab each week. Rotate departments weekly and let the stellar employee of the week choose one. Fill them with snacks, a gift card, office toys like a NERF gun, etc.
2. Monthly shout outs at lunch
- For the team member who went above and beyond that month, take the time to announce it when the company is all present, like at a team lunch. Doing this presents the opportunity for other employees to chime in and show their appreciation for this particular team member as well. It's a win-win!
3. Pay for ongoing education/ seminars
- For the employees who work hard, hit their goals, and express interest in attending a relevant seminar or class, cover it for them and give them the appropriate time off to attend. Ongoing education is essential to the growth and improvement of individual skills, which positively affects your company in the long run.
4. Allow extra time at lunch or for breaks
- Encouraging breaks and longer lunches shows that you truly value their abilities and want rested, well-fed employees. Let's face it, no one works well on an empty stomach! Let your team take their time with lunch and take a solid brain break... they will definitely feel more valued.
5. Send out an internal email sharing appreciation for individual employees
- Highlight what they achieved or were a part of and why their role was so important. Even if it's something as simple as 'always helping us clean up after lunch' or 'always being so friendly, even on those rough early morning starts'
- Just noticing their efforts and sharing them can often be enough for some employees
6. Regularly thank your employees for their dedication
- While these are all great ways to express appreciation, you should also prioritize saying thank you on a regular basis. Even if it's a simple 'you rock!' sticky note on their desk or as you pass them in the hall, make sure you're keeping in touch with what they're accomplishing.
